Fathers

2 Corinthians 6

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We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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What the Fathers say

2 Corinthians 6:10

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

"As having nothing, and yet possessing all things." And how can this be? Yea rather, how can the opposite be? For he that possesseth many things hath nothing; and he that hath nothing possesseth the goods of all. And not here only, but also in the other points, contraries were to have all things, let us bring forth this man himself into the midst, who commanded the world and was lord not only of their substance, but of their very eyes even. "If possible," he says, "ye would have plucked out your eyes, and have given them to me."

Homily 12 on 2 Corinthians ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

"They grieve us, yet we are always rejoicing": though in outward appearance, he says, we seem to be grieving, we enjoy the most perfect joy; for it is not the case that we sometimes rejoice and sometimes do not, but we always rejoice. "We are poor, yet we enrich many": the Apostle enriched many with both spiritual and material wealth. For, having the homes of all open to him, he was the wealthiest and was able to bestow upon and feed others, such as, for example, the saints in Jerusalem. He shows the same thing further on as well. …

Commentary on 2 Corinthians ↗

Clement of Alexandria

But there is that species of knowledge which is characteristic of the herald, and that which is, as it were, characteristic of a messenger, and it is serviceable in whatever way it operates, both by the hand and tongue. "For he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. …

The Stromata Book 1 ↗

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

It could happen that some public official would say to a Christian: "Either you will stop being a Christian, or, if you persist in being one, you shall have no house or property." That will be the time when those rich men, who had decided to keep their riches in order to win merit with God by using them for good works, will choose to give them up for Christ's sake rather than Christ for their sake.… Thus they become as men "having nothing, yet possessing all things"— and everlasting life in the world to come, lest by giving up Christ …

Letter 157, To Hilarius ↗

Thomas Aquinas

Then he discusses the things which pertain to the concupiscence of the eyes, and in regard to this he mentions two things. One of these is in relation to others, and according to this the right hand in riches consists in a man abounding, so that he can minister to others from his riches. But the left hand consists in a man's being so poor that he must beg from others. Hence he says that in these temporal things we are as poor, i.e., receiving from others; but as to spiritual things, yet making many rich. …

Commentary on 2 Corinthians ↗