34 The Pattern of Sanctification: Repentance

(2 Corinthians 12:20–21)

For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced. (12:20–21)

The role of the pastor today is at a crossroads. As the church grows increasingly worldly, so also does the pastor’s job description. He is often viewed (either by himself or by his congregation) as a CEO, entertainer, fund-raiser, master of ceremonies, or psychologist.

None of those perspectives are in harmony with the biblical model of spiritual leadership. The primary function of a pastor or elder according to Scripture can be summed up in one word: edification. A pastor’s main concern is the spiritual maturity of the believers under his care, as Paul made clear in Ephesians 4:11–13:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

In its broadest, most significant sense, the pastor’s role is to build the church by maturing the saints, helping them become more like Jesus Christ.

The biblical emphasis on spiritual maturity contrasts sharply with that of many churches. The issues of life in this world—illness, economic problems, marital and family struggles, and political and social matters—are their main concern. But the church’s role is not to make its members more comfortable in a world in which they are “aliens and strangers” (1 Peter 2:11; cf. 1:1, 17; 1 Chron. 29:15; Heb. 11:13), but to prepare them for their true home in heaven (Ps. 73:25; Matt. 6:20; 19:21; Luke 6:22–23; 12:21, 33; 2 Cor. 4:18; 5:1–4, 8; Phil. 3:20; Col. 1:5; 1 Peter 1:4).

Like any true man of God, the apostle Paul’s passionate concern was the spiritual well being of believers. His hopes, fears, desires, and expectations focused on their sanctification. He expressed that concern in two terms that bracket this section of his epistle: “upbuilding” (2 Cor. 12:19), and “building up” (13:10). In between, he described the process of sanctification. In verses 20 and 21, the apostle outlined the first step in accomplishing that objective: repentance.

Repentance is an essential element of the gospel, since no one can come to Jesus Christ apart from the complete change of heart, mind, and will that constitutes repentance. Repentance was at the heart of the gospel message proclaimed by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2, 8), the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3, 5; 15:7, 10), the Twelve (Mark 6:12; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18), and the apostle Paul (Acts 17:30; 20:21; 2 Cor. 7:9–11; 2 Tim. 2:25). It is central to the Great Commission that Christ gave to the church (Luke 24:47).

Despite its critical importance, however, repentance is a needlessly misunderstood and controversial topic in contemporary Christianity. Some would strip repentance of any connection with sin, defining it as merely a change of mind about who Christ is. They see it as merely a synonym for faith that does not involve turning from sin. Writes one advocate of that view, “Repentance means to change one’s mind; it does not mean to change one’s life” (Thomas L. Constable, “The Gospel Message,” in Donald K. Campbell, ed., Walvoord: A Tribute [Chicago: Moody, 1982], 207).

But Scripture knows nothing of a repentance that does not involve turning from sin. In the Old Testament Isaiah cried out, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:7). In Luke 5:32 the Lord also connected repentance and sin, declaring, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” As noted above, Jesus declared in Luke’s account of the Great Commission that “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47; italics added). Paul told King Agrippa that the message he proclaimed was “that [people] should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20; cf. Matt. 3:8). Scripture characterizes unbelievers as those who will “not repent of their deeds” (Rev. 16:11; cf. 9:20–21). (I define repentance at length in my books The Gospel According to Jesus, rev. ed. [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], and The Gospel According to the Apostles [Nashville: Word, 2000].)

Repentance is the necessary first step in the sanctification process, because sin inhibits spiritual growth. Sin is anything that displeases God, and nothing that displeases Him can contribute to the process of sanctification. Like faith, repentance is not a one-time act at conversion but is characteristic of living the Christian life (cf. 1 John 1:9). Therefore, dealing with sinning Christians is an essential aspect of the pastor’s role. His deep concern must be to call them to repentance.

To motivate the Corinthians to repent, the apostle pointed out two damaging consequences of impenitence: the problems it caused for them and the pain it caused for him.

THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE CORINTHIANS’ UNREPENTANT SIN

For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; … the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced. (12:20, 21b)

Paul’s fears concerning the Corinthians’ sins were well founded, given their history. He had dealt extensively with sin in their congregation in 1 Corinthians and in the severe letter (2:3–4), and had even made a visit to Corinth to confront their sin and rebellion in person (2:1). With good reason, then, he was afraid that perhaps when he visited them for the third time (12:14; 13:1) there would still be unrepentant sin in their assembly. The apostle knew that there was great potential for that, even though the majority of the congregation had repented (cf. 7:6–11), and he had expressed his confidence in them (7:16). Sin and error die hard, and the false teachers were still around, spouting their deadly heresy. As Paul well knew, theological error inevitably leads to sin in practice.

Afraid translates a form of the verb phobe?, from which the English word phobia derives. It refers to an intense, deep-seated anxiety, fear, or misgiving, and expresses Paul’s great concern over the situation at Corinth. As he wrote in 11:29, “Who is led into sin without my intense concern?” Nothing is more painful for the faithful pastor than unrepentant sin among his flock.

Paul’s use of the term perhaps shows his restraint and tenderness. Rather than making a complete denunciation of the Corinthians, the apostle merely expressed his concern and misgivings. When he arrived in Corinth, he would determine their spiritual condition and take the appropriate action. In the meantime, he wrote this epistle to begin the process of rooting out the noxious weeds of unrepentant sin in the church.

Specifically, Paul feared first of all that he might find the Corinthians to be not what he would wish them to be. His wish, of course, was for them to be growing in grace, becoming more like Jesus Christ, and repenting of their sin; his fear was that their spiritual growth would be hindered by unrepentant sin. Should that prove to be the case, the Corinthians would find Paul to be not what they would wish. Instead of loving affirmation, he would bring stern discipline. As he asked them pointedly in 1 Corinthians 4:21, “What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?” The choice was theirs. If they repented of their sin, he would arrive in love and gentleness. If they did not, he would come with the rod of discipline.

So that the Corinthians would be forewarned, Paul listed some of the sins that could cause such a troublesome and tragic meeting. As are his other lists of sins, (e.g., Rom. 1:28–31; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Gal. 5:19–21; Col. 3:8–9), this one is not exhaustive but is typical of the sins with which the Corinthians struggled. The sins on it may be divided into two broad categories.

The first group involves sins of personal conflict that destroy the church’s unity, which Paul wanted preserved at all costs (Eph. 4:3, 13; cf. John 17:21; 1 Cor. 1:10). They were typical of the divisive, selfish, pagan behavior of Corinthian society and were exacerbated by the destructive influence of the false apostles. That such sins existed in the Corinthian church is evident from the fact that all of them were also addressed in 1 Corinthians.

Eris (strife) describes the contention, conflict, and quarrels that result from enmity and dissension. According to Romans 1:29, it characterizes unbelievers, and Paul warned the Roman Christians to avoid it (Rom. 13:13). Galatians 5:20 includes it as one of the deeds of the flesh, while in Philippians 1:15 it characterizes those who preached Christ from selfish motives. The apostle also warned of the strife caused by false teachers (1 Tim. 6:4) and false teaching (Titus 3:9). Paul had already cautioned the Corinthians against this sin in 1 Corinthians 1:11 (“quarrels”) and 3:3.

Zēlos can have the positive connotation of godly zeal (2 Cor. 7:7, 11; 9:2; 11:2; John 2:17), but here it has the negative one of jealousy, the grasping, protective, self-centeredness that causes people to be suspicious of others as potential rivals. In the New Testament it marked, among others, the high priest and the Sadducees (Acts 5:17) and the un believing Jews at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:45). Paul warned the Ro mans to avoid it (Rom. 13:13) and listed it among the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:20). James warned his readers that jealousy was a hallmark of earthly, demonic wisdom (James 3:14, 16). It, too, had crept into the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 3:3).

Angry tempers translates thumos, which means, “rage” or “violent anger,” the anger that flares up in an instant. It marked the synagogue congregation at Nazareth that became enraged at Jesus’ teaching (Luke 4:28), the pagan crowd that rioted at Ephesus (Acts 19:28), and Satan’s rage (Rev. 12:12). It, too, is one of the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:20), and hence believers are to avoid it (Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8). Though the word does not appear in 1 Corinthians, the Corinthians certainly exhibited angry tempers toward each other (cf. 1 Cor. 6:1ff.).

Eritheia (disputes) describes ambitious rivalries, factious attitudes, divisiveness, and partisanship. Paul used it of those who were “selfishly ambitious” (Rom. 2:8) and of those who preached Christ from “selfish ambition” (Phil. 1:17). Eritheia is also one of the deeds of the flesh and characterizes earthly, demonic wisdom (James 3:14, 16). It is the opposite of “humility of mind” (Phil. 2:3). Once again, although the word does not appear in 1 Corinthians, the concept does (cf. 1 Cor. 1:11ff.; 3:4ff.; 11:19).

Slanders translates the onomatopoeic word katalalia (“insults,” “evil reports”), which appears only here and in 1 Peter 2:1. The related verb katalale? is translated “speak against” in James 4:11. Using a different Greek word, Paul had warned the Corinthians not to associate with a “reviler” (1 Cor. 5:11; cf. 6:10). In contrast to gossip, which is quiet, subtle, behind-the-back defamation (the Greek verb rendered gossip means, “to whisper”), slander is open, public vilification. Both stem from arrogance (cf. 1 Cor. 4:6, 18, 19; 5:2; 8:1) and result in disturbances. The net result was the divisions that plagued the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 11:18).

In verse 21 Paul turned to three sins that destroy the church’s purity. All three refer to sexual immorality, which was rife in the idolatrous pagan culture of Corinth—so much so that in Greek the verb “to Corinthianize” meant, “to go to bed with a prostitute” (cf. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1961], 744).

Akatharsia (impurity) is frequently associated in the New Testament with sexual sin. In Romans 1:24 Paul wrote of unregenerate mankind, “God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.” Galatians 5:19 lists impurity as one of the deeds of the flesh, while in Ephesians 4:19 it characterizes the unregenerate who “having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity.” “Impurity … must not even be named among [believers]” (Eph. 5:3); they are to “consider the members of [their] earthly bod[ies] as dead to … impurity” (Col. 3:5), because “God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:7).

Immorality translates porneia, the source of the English word pornography. Sometimes translated “fornication,” porneia refers to any sexual act outside of marriage. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality” (cf. Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5). Immorality was an integral part of pagan religion (cf. Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25). In 1 Corinthians 5:1 Paul expressed his shock and dismay that the foolish Corinthians had proudly tolerated it in their assembly: “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.” He told them plainly that “the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:13) and warned them, “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18).

Aselgeia (sensuality) describes public, unrestrained, flagrant, sexual sin. The King James Version translates it, “lasciviousness,” or “wantonness;” other versions render it “licentiousness” In Romans 13:13 Paul associated it with such public sins as “carousing,” “drunken-ness,” and “sexual promiscuity;” while Peter linked it to “lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries” (1 Peter 4:3). Sensuality is also one of the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:19), and characterizes the behavior of the unregenerate (Eph. 4:19), particularly false teachers (2 Peter 2:2, 18; Jude 4). Peter also used it to describe the unspeakably evil homosexual vice of the men of Sodom, who tried to rape angels (2 Peter 2:7).

Paul’s great fear for the Corinthians was that, influenced by the false teachers, they would fall back into the sins which they had previously practiced. Like any pastor worthy of the title, Paul’s passionate concern for his people was that they lead holy lives. That painful concern for their sanctification prompted him to call for their repentance.

THE PAIN CAUSED BY THE CORINTHIANS’ UNREPENTANT SIN

I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented (12:21a)

No pastor, of course, realistically expects his people to be sinless. Yet when they do sin, his heart yearns for them to repent and be restored to fellowship with God and other believers (cf. Gal. 6:1). To that end, he prays for them, exhorts them, and calls them to repentance.

Paul was afraid that when he came to Corinth he would find that many of those who had sinned in the past had not repented. The perfect tense participle proēmartēkotōn (those who have sinned in the past) refers to those whose sin began in the past and continues in the present. In other words, it describes those who were continuing in sin and refusing to repent. Should Paul find that in the Corinthian assembly, it would affect him in two ways.

First, it would deeply humiliate him. His credibility was at stake, for, as he wrote earlier in this epistle, the Corinthians were his “letter … known and read by all men” (2 Cor. 3:2). To have the Corinthian church, which Paul had pastored for nearly two years, marked by unrepentant sin would cause him shame. It would also give ammunition to those critics who attacked his authenticity. Paul had learned the valuable lesson of the importance of humility (12:7–10). But to be humbled by God was one thing; to be humiliated by the Corinthians’ failure to repent was something else. Unrepentant sin in his congregation is heartbreaking, distressing, and discouraging for a pastor. It crushes him, saps his strength, and may, if unchecked, drive him out of his church, if not out of the ministry altogether. Understandably, then, Paul was anxious about what he would find when he arrived in Corinth.

Second, the unrepentant sin in the Corinthian congregation was a source of great sorrow to Paul. He did not write that he would be angry with those who refused to repent, but rather that he would mourn over them. Penthe? (mourn) refers to lamenting stemming from a deep-seated sorrow or grief, not to mere superficial sadness. Paul was so sick at heart over the situation at Corinth that he became depressed (7:6). Now he dreaded the sorrow he would experience if he again found unrepentant sinners in the Corinthian church. The apostle did not want to experience sorrow like that which he had experienced on his last visit to Corinth (2:1).

The faithful pastor’s concern for the repentance of his people mirrors that of the Lord of the church. In the letters to the seven churches (Rev. 2, 3), the Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly called for repentance and warned of the consequences of failing to repent. His message to the church at Ephesus was, “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5). “Therefore repent;” He warned the church at Pergamum, “or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth” (Rev. 2:16). He declared of the false prophetess Jezebel in the church at Thyatira, “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds” (Rev. 2:21–22). He exhorted the church at Sardis, “Remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you” (Rev. 3:3). The Lord reminded the Laodicean church, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19). Thus, Jesus had to rebuke five of the seven churches for harboring unrepentant sin. Only the faithful churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia escaped His call to repentance—not because their members were not sinning, but because they were repenting.

Paul’s call for repentance not only echoed that of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also of God the Father, to whom David confessed, “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise (Ps. 51:17; cf. Isa. 57:15; 66:2). The promise to those who do repent is God’s gracious and complete forgiveness (Prov. 28:13; 1 John 1:9). Those who fail to repent face discipline, which will be the subject of the next chapter in this volume.