2 Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one.
Titus brought the good news of the repentance of the Corinthian church toward Paul and his team. The apostle had previously sent a stern letter to the church.
Verses 2-4 conclude Paul’s defense of his team’s ministry (2:14-7:4).
2 Open your hearts to us.
“Open” means to make room for. Paul asked the Corinthian church to accept him and his associates; he wanted them to make space or room for his team in their souls. This appeal is similar to the one in 2 Corinthians 6:13. Paul’s team desired to fellowship with the Corinthian congregation. They had to open their hearts to them for this to happen.
We have wronged no one,
Some in the church at Corinth had complained about Paul’s team in three areas: (1) the Corinthians were “wronged,” (2) Paul’s team had “corrupted” the church, and (3) the team had “defrauded” the church. The team wronged no one in the church. They did not exercise their apostolic authority unduly or treat the church unjustly. They were fair in dealing with the believers in Corinth.
we have corrupted no one,
Accusations against the team for corrupting the church were ill founded. Corruption here refers to both doctrinal and moral corruption. It could had been that some in the church rejected Paul’s message of grace.
we have cheated no one.
The team did not defraud the church but gave themselves freely to the ministry there (2 Co 11:3,4; 12:17). They related to the church with financial integrity. They never chiseled people out of their money. The team did not believe that money gave them happiness.
PRINCIPLE:
A minister’s integrity is the best rejoinder against accusations.
APPLICATION:
Every person in ministry faces criticism. Some people will even attempt to undermine ministers of the Word in order to gain ascendency in the congregation.
If Christians are to minister to one another, they love others first. We cannot serve others without loving them. This involves opening our hearts to people we may wish to close them to. To open one’s heart to others is to make room for other people with your time and energy.
