2 Corinthians 2:11

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. Literally, 'That we may have no advantage gained over us by Satan'-namely, by letting one member be lost to us through despair, we ourselves furnishing Satan with the weapon, by repulsive harshness to one now penitent. The loss of a single sinner affects all. Paul had 'delivered' the offender 'to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved' (1 Corinthians 5:5). Satan sought to destroy the spirit also: to let him do so, would be to let him overreach us. NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES. "Ignorant" and "devices" are akin in sound and root [ noeemata (G3540) agnooumen (G50)]: we are...

11._That we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. _This may be viewed as referring to what he had said previously respecting excessive sorrow. For it is a most wicked (330) fraud of Satan, when depriving us of all consolation, he swallows us up, as it were, in a gulf of despair; and such is the explanation that is given of it by Chrysostom. I prefer, however, to view it as referring to Paul and the Corinthians. For there was a twofold danger, that beset them from the stratagems of Satan — in the event of their being excessively harsh and rigorous, or, on the other hand, in case of dissension arising among them. For it very frequently happens, that, under colour of zeal for discipline, a Pharisaical rigour creeps in, which hurries on the miserable offender to ruin, instead of curing him. It is rather, however, in my opinion, of the _second _danger that he speaks; for if Paul had not to...

5-11 The apostle desires them to receive the person who had done wrong, again into their communion; for he was aware of his fault, and much afflicted under his punishment. Even sorrow for sin should not unfit for other duties, and drive to despair. Not only was there danger last Satan should get advantage, by tempting the penitent to hard thoughts of God and religion, and so drive him to despair; but against the churches and the ministers of Christ, by bringing an evil report upon Christians as unforgiving; thus making divisions, and hindering the success of the ministry. In this, as in other things, wisdom is to be used, that the ministry may not be blamed for indulging sin on the one hand, or for too great severity towards sinners on the other hand. Satan has many plans to deceive, and knows how to make a bad use of our mistakes....

Verse 2 Corinthians 2:11. _LEST SATAN SHOULD GET AN ADVANTAGE_] If the man who has given sufficient proof of the sincerity of his repentance be not restored, he may be overwhelmed with sorrow, and sink into despair; and then the discipline of the Church will be represented, not as _emendatory_, but as leading to _destruction_. Of this our enemies would most gladly avail themselves, as they wish to discredit this ministry; and there is always at hand a devil to suggest evil, and prompt men to do it; for in this respect we have thorough acquaintance with _his devices_. Let us therefore be careful to remove, both from Satan and his partisans, all those occasions which might turn to the disadvantage or disparagement of the Gospel of Christ....

LEST SATAN - The devil. The name Satan denotes an adversary, an accuser, an enemy. It is the usual proper name which is given to the devil, the great adversary of God and man. SHOULD GET AN ADVANTAGE OF US - The literal translation of the Greek would be, “That we may not be defrauded by Satan.” (Ἵνα μὴ πλεονεκτηθῶμεν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ Hina mē pleonektēthōmen hupo Satana). The verb used here denotes to have more than another; then to gain, to take advantage of one, to defraud. And the idea is, that they should at once re-admit the penitent offender to their communion, lest if they did not do it, Satan would take advantage of it to do injury to him and them. It is a reason given by Paul why they should lose no time in restoring him to the church. What the advantage was which Satan might gain, Paul does not specify. It might be this: That under

EXPOSITION Continuation of his reasons for not coming to them direct from Ephesus (2 Corinthians 2:1). Their treatment of the incestuous offender (2 Corinthians 2:5). His thankfulness at the news which Titus had brought from Corinth (verses 12-17). 2 CORINTHIANS 2:1 BUT I DETERMINED THIS. The division of chapters is here unfortunate, since this and the next three verses belong to the paragraph which began at 2 Corinthians 1:23. The verb means, literally, "I judged," but is rightly rendered "determined," as in...

LEST SATAN SHOULD GET AN ADVANTAGE OF US,.... Or make gain of us, or we should be circumvented by him; a metaphor taken from covetous persons, who take every occasion, and make use of every advantage to circumvent and deceive persons in trading with them: Satan gets an advantage of the churches, when church discipline is brought into neglect and contempt, or turned into tyranny; or when he can draw off any person from a church, or keep him out of it: wherefore the apostle's argument is, that since the incestuous person had true repentance for his sin, he ought to be forgiven, comforted, and received into the church; lest by too great severity, and a too long continuance of the censure on him, he should be either plunged into despair, or be drawn into a denial of the faith, or into an open scandalous course of wickedness; and so the church entirely lose a member, that might, by the proper...

3. HIS DEEP EXERCISE CONCERNING THEM. YET OVERCOMING. CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The Burden of his Soul. (2 Corinthians 2:1 .)_ 2. Concerning the Brother who had been Disciplined. (2 Corinthians 2:5 .) 3. Overcoming. (2 Corinthians 2:12 .) In the previous chapter we read the reason why he had not gone to Corinth. “To spare you I came not to Corinth “ (2 Corinthians 1:23). He feared, that on account of their deplorable condition; exercising his God-given apostolic authority, he might appear as dominating over them. He had determined that he would not come again to them wi

Someone in the congregation at Corinth who had done wrong is now to be forgiven. There are still some scholars who think that the person here referred to is the same as the wrong-doer of 1 Corinthians 5:1, the man who had taken his father's widow (?) to wife. But Paul had solemnly adjured the Corinthian church to deliver such a one to Satan (1 Corinthians 5:5 *, p. 649), evidently expecting that his death would follow. And whether or not the church had carried out his command, it is hardly credible that he would refer to the same case as he does here, saying that the punishment has been sufficient, pleading for the offender's being pardoned, emphasizing the fact that he, the apostle, has already forgiven him. Everything points, on the other hand, to a different offender and a different kind of of

WHEN A SAINT REBUKES (2 Corinthians 1:23-24 ; 2 Corinthians 2:1-4)...