SUMMARY
With deep emotions, PaulThe Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was the author of several New Testament letters and the founder of many Christian communities. More appeals to the Corinthians to open their hearts to him. To buttress his plea, he quotes biblical passages concerning the prophets’ vision of renewal and restoration after exile that echo themes he has been presenting so far in the letter.
ANALYSIS
Paul has spoken frankly to the Corinthians, with a mouth that is open to them. His heart is open as well, as it stands in the roominess or “broad” that the Lord creates between us and our enemies (2 Corinthians 6:11; cf. Genesis 26:22; PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. More 18:36). What he feels for them in the “bowels” of his very being is not constrained; whatever constraint there is in their relationship lies only with them (2 Corinthians 6:12). In turn, speaking to them as his children, he wants them to open their hearts to him as well (2 Corinthians 6:13).
He then urges them not to be unevenly yoked with those who are unfaithful (2 Corinthians 6:14a). Echoing many of the themes he has discussed in the letter so far, he intensifies this appeal with five sets of contrasts: Can there be partnership between righteousness and lawlessness? Communion between light and darkness? Agreement between the MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified... More and Belial (another name for Satan)? A portion between the faithful and the unfaithful? And, finally, agreement between the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More of God and idols (2 Corinthians 6:14b-16; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6).
Paul’s plea is rooted in the concluding premise that “we are the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:15). As grounding for this premise, he lists a string of biblical quotations from texts dealing with covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God's people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. More renewal that have served as the basis for much of his argument in the letter (2 Corinthians 6:16-17). The first—”I will place my dwelling in your midst. . . And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Leviticus 26:11-12) contains phrases that are repeated in verses right next to those containing images Paul appropriates from the prophets to portray the “ministry of the new covenantBecause Israel had broken the old covenant, the prophet Jeremiah declared that God would establish a new covenant, one that would be written on the heart. The New Testament is often referred to as the New Covenant because Jesus came to fulfill the law and... More” as a “ministry of the Spirit” (2 Corinthian 3:1-11). These include the contrast between hearts of flesh versus hearts of stone (2 Corinthians 3:3; cf. EzekielEzekiel was a priest and prophet who was raised in Jerusalem and exiled to Babylon in 597 BCE. More 36:26-28) and to his allusion to the law being written on our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:1-6; cf. JeremiahProphet who condemned Judah's infidelity to God, warned of Babylonian conquest, and promised a new covenant. More 31:31-33).
The next four quotations, which continue this theme of renewal and restoration, also address emphases Paul has developed in the letter. The second—”Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no uncleanIn Hebrew law many regulations warned against impurity. Unclean things were numerous and included leprosy, menstruating women, dead bodies, shell fish, and pigs. More thing; go out from the midst of it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD” (IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 52:11)—not only comes right before the passage on the Suffering Servant that has served as the basis for Paul’s understanding of God’s reconciliation of the world through the Messiah (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21), but it also contains words that Paul uses to depict how we have this treasure in clay “vessels” as we “carry around” Jesus’ death in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).
The third—”I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered”—speaks of the in-gathering, when God will “welcome” (eisdechomai, also “receive” or “gather”) the people of Israel from all the nations (Ezekiel 20:34a; cf. Jeremiah 23:3), a central theme in the prophetic texts Paul draws on to speak of a new age of restoration that God will bring about for all people. The fourth—”I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me” (2 SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. More 7:14)—is from the passage on God’s covenant to DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More, which has served as the basis for understanding the Messiah’s identity and, for Paul, the basis for the identity all people can now can have through the Messiah.
Finally, the fifth—”your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms”—comes from yet another passage dealing with the final in-gathering, which Paul uses to expand the messianic promise to all people (cf. Galatians 3:28).
Paul concludes with “Since we have these promises” (2 Corinthians 7:1a)— a phrase that draws a connection between this section of the letter, which introduces his second narrative concerning his tearful letter and cancelled visit (2 Corinthians 7:5-16) and his mention of “God’s promises” in the “Son of God, JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:19-20) in his earlier introduction to the first narrative about these circumstances (2 Corinthians 1:23-2:13). In light of these promises, he exhorts them to cleanse themselves from all defilements of the “flesh” and of the “spirit” so that they might completely fulfill in their lives the “holiness in the fear of God” that they have in the Messiah—a theme that will be central in the latter parts of the letter (2 Corinthians 8:6-11; 2 Corinthians 10:6).
Paul returns to the emotional tone that he had at the beginning of this section. He appeals to them to make room in their hearts for him and his associates, saying that he has not wronged, corrupted, or taken advantage of anyone (2 Corinthians 7:2). Later in the letter, Paul will associate this behavior with his rival apostleDerived from a Greek word meaning "one who is sent," an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person's idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus... More and express his frustration to the Corinthians for putting up with it (see, e.g., 2 Corinthians 11:20). But here, his tone is primarily conciliatory. He does not want to condemn them; as he has already told them, they are in his heart (2 Corinthians 7:3a; cf. 2 Corinthians 3:2). He is not only filled with consolation and overjoyed in his affliction, but he also has much praise for them, even as he boasts about them to others (2 Corinthians 7:3b-4).
RELATED PASSAGES
Leviticus 26:11-13 — Rewards for Obedience
2 Samuel 7:1-17 — God’s Covenant with David
Isaiah 52:1-12 — Let Zion Rejoice
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 — The Suffering Servant
Ezekiel 20:33-48; Jeremiah 23:1-4 — Restoration after Exile
Jeremiah 31:31-34 — A New Covenant