![]() The goal is to build the man back up and welcome him into full participation in the family of faith. If that were to happen, a main reason for the discipline would be missed. If they don't, the man may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Paul urges the Corinthians to turn back to the man who has sinned against them and to forgive and comfort him. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so. ![]() That's what Paul is describing in this verse. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. The goal of such discipline is first to protect the church from the sin involved and, second, to restore the individual once repentance has occurred. Based on passages like this, many churches feel led by God to exercise discipline when someone among them is involved in clear and obvious sin and refuses to repent. ![]() It requires the congregation to be consistent, motivated by love, and led by men who are above reproach themselves. 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measurenot to put it too severelyto all of you. Such discipline often involves removing the person from the community and having nothing to do with him or her, if not turning the person over to Satan as described in 1 Corinthians 5. It has been handled poorly by many well-intentioned congregations. Paul now writes that the time has come for forgiveness.Ĭhurch discipline is a difficult issue. They had done so using some kind of "punishment by the majority" (2 Corinthians 2:6), and the man seems to have repented from his sin. Paul had written a painful letter to the believers, explaining the need for the church to confront and deal with this sinful man. In fact, it had brought hurt to the entire congregation (2 Corinthians 2:5). Moreover, He did more than just forgive us our sins He imputed the perfect righteousness of His Son to us. In any case, this made for a painful visit for Paul when he was last in Corinth. 2 1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. Given the divisions of that church (1 Corinthians 1:10–12) he probably challenged Paul's authority as apostle and whether he had authority over the church in Corinth. 2 Corinthians 2New International Version. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. In doing so you will be outwitting Satan, our adversary.A man in the church in Corinth had apparently confronted Paul in some way. 5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extentnot to put it too severely. ![]() Instead, defeat his schemes with a willingness to forgive everyone, for everything. Don’t let him trick you into holding a grudge or holding onto a hurt. Or anything else to keep us in a state of unforgiveness. Satan will seek to convince us that forgiveness is not necessary. Our lack of forgiveness hinders our relationship with God, our spiritual well-being, and even our physical well-being. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. And Paul gives us another one here Satan is not interested in us forgiving others. 2 Corinthians 5:19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's trespasses against them. What is the consequence of a lack of forgiveness? Jesus ties our own forgiveness to our willingness to forgive ( Matt. Yet both of them were able to forgive those who were actively killing them. I have never been hurt as badly as Jesus on the cross, or Stephen at his stoning. Instead, I find clear instruction and examples concerning the need to forgive. How can I possibly be expected to forgive someone who has hurt me, and who is not interested in reconciliation? But there is no place in the Scripture that ever gives me an out an excuse to not forgive. ![]() Especially when the offense was malicious and hurtful, and there is no evident repentance. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for. There are a number of times in the Bible where we are told to forgive other people. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. And what I have forgiven-if there was anything to forgive-I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |