2 Corinthians 7:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He said this not because he had in fact rebuked them beyond measure, but in order to increase their praise. He says, “You showed such correction that, even if I had punished you too severely and had to blame myself, yet now, looking at the outcome, I would praise myself.”

Just as we confidently caress children after some painful treatment has been applied to them, such as cutting, cauterizing, or a bitter drink, so also Paul acts.

“I see that that epistle grieved you, though only for a time. Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved unto repentance” (2 Cor 7:8-9).

After saying, “I do not regret,” he gives the reason, showing the benefit of the epistle. He prudently justifies himself and says, “though only for a time,” because the grief was brief, while the benefit proved lasting.

He ought to have said, “Even if I offended you for a time, through this I brought you joy and benefit forever.” Yet he does not say this. Before speaking of the benefit, he again begins to praise them and to show his care for them.

He says, “Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved.” For what profit would there be to me from your grief? “But because you were grieved unto repentance,” that is, because your grief bore fruit.

As a father, when he sees his son being cut, rejoices not because the son suffers pain but because he is healed, so Paul also rejoices.

And notice how he attributes the whole success of the matter to them. He attributes the grief to the epistle when he says, “that epistle grieved you, though only for a time.” But he counts its benefit as their merit.

He did not say, “because the epistle corrected you,” though this was in fact the case. Rather he said, “you were grieved unto repentance; for you were grieved according to God, so that you suffered no loss from us.”

Do you see his ineffable prudence? “If we had not done this,” he says, “we would have harmed you.” He attributes the correction to them, and to himself the harm that would have come from his silence.

“If we had not rebuked you when correction by rebuke was possible, we would have harmed you. The loss would not have been yours alone, but ours also.

“Just as one who does not give a merchant the means for sailing harms him, so we would have harmed you if we had not given you occasion for repentance.” Do you see that failing to rebuke sinners harms both teacher and disciple?

Why did he regret it? And why again does he not regret it? He regretted it because he had struck them very forcefully. He does not regret it because he corrected them.

That you may be convinced this is truly the reason, hear what follows: “I see that that epistle grieved you, though only for a time. Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved unto repentance.”

If, he says, I grieved you for a time, that grief was brief, while the benefit is lasting.

Just as we confidently caress children after they have endured some painful treatment, such as cutting, cauterizing, or a bitter medicine, so Paul acts. As a father, when he sees his son being cut, rejoices not because the son suffers pain but because he is healed, so the Apostle rejoices.

And see how he attributes the whole success of the matter to them, while he refers the grief to the epistle. He says, “that epistle grieved you, though only for a time,” and he counts its benefit as their progress.

“For I see that that epistle grieved you, though only for a time. Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved unto repentance. For you were grieved according to God, so that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.”

Even if that epistle grieved you for a long time, it nevertheless brought you very great benefit. I rejoice, not seeing sorrow in itself, but the fruit of sorrow, because this sorrow produced praiseworthy repentance.

“Saint Paul rejoices in the same thing. If we had not rebuked you when correction by rebuke was possible, we would have harmed you. The loss would not have been yours alone, but ours also, because we would not have given you occasion for repentance.

“Do you see that failing to rebuke sinners harms both teacher and disciple? Therefore, he says, although I regretted it before I saw the fruit and benefit of the epistle, now I do not regret it. For the fruit was grief according to God.

“For grief over sins alone is profitable, and this is clear from what follows. One who grieves over the loss of wealth does not thereby repair the loss. One who grieves over the dead does not thereby raise him.

“One who grieves because of sickness not only is not delivered from the sickness, but even makes it worse. Only one who grieves over sins receives benefit from grief, because he exhausts and destroys sins.

“Grief is a medicine prepared for this one occasion. Here alone it has power and brings benefit. In other cases it causes harm. What is heavier than grief? Yet when it is grief according to God, it is far better than worldly joy.

“For that joy turns to nothing, while this grief works repentance unto salvation, not to be regretted. None of those who grieve with this grief has ever regretted it. Regret is especially characteristic of worldly grief.

“Blessed Paul, when speaking of the good fruits of grief according to God, had no need to bring outside examples to confirm what he said. He points to the Corinthians themselves and takes proofs from what they did.

“Thus, while praising them, he also instructs them and draws them still more to himself. ‘For behold this very thing, that you were grieved according to God, what earnestness it worked in you.’

“That is, look how your grief according to God made you concerned for yourselves. Such zeal and such very swift correction showed that they had been afraid.

“‘In everything you proved yourselves to be pure in the matter.’ This means not only that they themselves had not committed such a crime, but also that they did not indulge the one who had done it. They punished him and were indignant against him.

“The Apostle feared for the whole Church. He feared that the evil might spread and, going further, embrace the whole Church. Therefore he said, ‘A little leaven leavens the whole lump’ (1 Cor 5:6).

“Now, when they had corrected themselves, he expresses the same thing differently, saying, ‘that my care for you might be made manifest among you.’ That is, that you might see how I love you.

“Since I love you greatly, I feared that you might suffer harm from this scandalous example. I feared that you would be compelled to grieve on your own account.”

According to Theodoret’s explanation, “by the offender the Apostle means the one guilty of fornication, and by the offended, his father. For even after death he was offended by the dishonoring of his bed.”

Chrysostom says, “He lets them perceive that he feared for the whole Church. He feared that the evil might spread and, going further, embrace the whole Church” (cf. 1 Cor 5:6).

Saint Chrysostom says: “Since the Corinthians had blotted out their sin, and it was therefore possible to speak to them more gently without danger, the Apostle excuses himself before them for the severity of his former epistle.

“But he also shows its benefit. He had done the same above, saying: ‘Out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have abundantly for you’ (2 Cor 2:4).

“He does the same here, only he speaks of it more fully.”

“For,” he says, “even if I grieved you,” elypisa, “by the epistle,” en te epistole, that is, in the epistle, by the words spoken in the first epistle, “I do not regret it,” ou metamelomai, “though I did regret it.”

Now, he says, I do not regret having brought sorrow into your soul. I had regretted it, or had begun to regret it.

When was this? Before Saint Titus came. Having written with rebuke and severity, Saint Paul could not but suppose that his word would bring sorrow to the Corinthians.

He wrote in that way because it was necessary. But afterward, when he saw that Titus was delayed, he likely supposed that the epistle had given the matter an unfavorable turn.

Therefore he began to grieve and to regret having written so severely. This is what he now says: though I had regretted it, or had begun to regret it, now I do not regret it, seeing the good fruit of your being grieved.

Saint Chrysostom, however, gives this sense to the phrase “though I did regret it”: even if I ought to regret having written too severely, and more severely than measure allowed, I do not regret it because of the benefit that came from it.

These are his words: “Even if what I wrote was such as exceeded the measure of fitting reproof and required repentance from me, the great benefit that resulted from it does not allow me to repent.

“He said this not because he had actually reproved them beyond measure, but to increase their praise.” He shows: you are so humble and obedient that however severely one writes, you receive it with contrition and readiness to correct everything.

Thus nothing remains for me except to boast of you. Is this understanding not closer to the course of the discourse?

“For I see that that epistle grieved you, though only for a time.” I ought to repent, he says. Why? Because I see that that epistle grieved you, though not for long.

Seeing this, I ought to repent, but I do not repent. “For the sorrow was brief, while the benefit that came from it was lasting” (Saint Chrysostom). Therefore he continues: