Neville Goddard on 2 Corinthians 2:1-11 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 2 Corinthians 2 in context

Scripture Focus

1But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.

2For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?

3And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

5But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.

6Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

7So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

8Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

9For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

10To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2 Corinthians 2:1-11

Biblical Context

Paul emphasizes not coming in heaviness, forgiving those who caused grief, and confirming love to restorejoy and unity. The inner message is that obedience is expressed through forgiveness, which defeats the adversarial pull within.

Neville's Inner Vision

Within this text, the inner Paul is you—your higher self—speaking to your own consciousness that would hold onto sorrow. The 'offender' is a figure in your mind representing a belief of separation. When you forgive, you do not appease a person but release a chain of thought that keeps you heavy. The punishment mentioned is a correction of your inner state, not a punitive judgment; to forgive heals the split between your inner 'I' and the world, so that your joy becomes shared joy. Paul writes to test your obedience in all things, yet the real test is your willingness to keep the inner altar lit with love. Lest Satan should gain advantage means that clinging to grievance empowers a false sense of self; by choosing forgiveness you dissolve that power and acknowledge that love is the law of your experience. Your every relation is a mirror of your inner state; forgive, and you restore unity by recognizing the Christ in every reflection.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes, assume the state that you have forgiven and are reconciled; feel your heart lighten, and imagine the other person thriving in harmony as a reflection of your inner unity.