Galatians 7

CHAPTER 7

Paul’s Joy and Comfort (7:1-7)

1 When Paul says, we have these promises, he is referring to the promises mentioned in 2 Corinthians 6:16,18. Since God is our Father and we are His children, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. God is holy; therefore, we too must be holy (see 1 Peter 1:14-16). There are sins of the body and sins of the spirit;¹⁹ we must be cleansed from both types of sin. Our holiness must be “perfect.”

2-4 Paul here continues the thoughts he wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:11-13. We can see from these verses what a great love Paul had for the Corinthians. Paul is ready both to live with the Corinthians and to die with them.

5 Why is Paul so joyful? Because he has just heard good news about the Corinthians from his colleague Titus (verse 6).

According to 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, Paul had gone to Macedonia (northern Greece) to meet Titus. Titus was returning from a visit to Corinth, and was bringing with him news of the Corinthian church. Titus earlier had taken to the Corinthian Christians a severe letter that Paul had written, and Paul was very worried about how the Corinthians had reacted to his letter (2 Corinthians 2:3). Had the Corinthians become angry and rejected Paul completely? Or had they repented and agreed to obey Paul’s words—as they used to do in the beginning when Paul first worked among them. These were the questions in Paul’s mind as he journeyed to Macedonia to find Titus.

6-7 Titus had brought with him good news from Corinth: The Corinthians longed for Paul and cared for him! Not only that, they felt deep sorrow for the distress they had caused him.

Sorrow That Leads to Repentance (7:8-16)

8-9 Paul’s first thought had been: “I wish I hadn’t sent that severe letter to the Corinthians; it has hurt them.” But after he had received the good news from Titus, Paul was happy. He was happy because even though his letter had caused them sorrow, it had also led them to repentance (see 2 Corinthians 2:2-4).

Here we can see the purpose of disciplining and punishing Christians within the church. Such discipline is never given in order to hurt or harm a person; rather, it is given to lead that person to repentance and greater holiness. True Christian discipline is never harmful; it is always beneficial—if it is accepted in the right spirit.

10 Godly sorrow is discipline from God, and it leads men to REPENTANCE. And repentance leads to forgiveness, and then to salvation.

Godly sorrow comes because of our sin.

On the other hand, worldly sorrow comes because of worldly troubles and disappointments. If we harden our hearts and reject God’s discipline, our sorrow will turn to worldly sorrow, which gives no benefit. Instead, such worldly sorrow brings despair and eternal punishment—death.

11 Here we see what the Corinthians thought after receiving Paul’s severe letter, and how they then reacted to it. In that letter, Paul had warned the Corinthians about a man in the church who had committed a great sin. According to this verse, the Corinthians had then given this man some kind of punishment, or had in some way removed his sin from their midst. So they had now become innocent of any involvement in this man’s sin. That bad situation had now been corrected.

12 The Corinthians had at first refused to follow Paul’s instructions; they had rebelled against Paul’s authority. They at first didn’t give that sinful man any discipline or punishment; they tolerated his sin (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-2). The Corinthian Christians were proud. Therefore, Paul wrote them that severe letter in order to bring them to repentance. Paul hoped that they would respect his authority and obey his words (see 2 Corinthians 2:9). Now his hope had been fulfilled.

Godly sorrow and the repentance that comes from it always lead in the end to joy for all concerned. Paul was joyful; Titus was joyful; and the Corinthians were also joyful. Let us not be surprised at all this joy. Jesus said: “… there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7).

13 Paul is particularly delighted at the way the Corinthians treated Titus; they had treated him with kindness and respect. As a result, Titus’ spirit had been refreshed. One of the most important things we can do for one another as Christians is to encourage and refresh each other.

14-16 Paul had told Titus many good things about the Corinthian Christians. He had boasted about them (verse 14). Paul is happy that the Corinthians have not embarrassed him by behaving badly to Titus. They had proven by their good behavior that the good things Paul had said about them were indeed true. They had behaved towards Titus just as Paul had predicted they would.

The Corinthians had received Titus as if he had been Paul himself, that is, with fear and trembling (verse 15). From this, we can see what a great change had taken place in the hearts of the Corinthians!