Daily Bread 2011 - 2 Corinthians 2
Daily Bread 2011 – 2 Corinthians 2
Forgiveness for the Sinner
5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
What Does This Mean?
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul had admonished the church for some sexual immorality that was going on in the body. Apparently the church had taken steps to discipline this member, and now in this 2nd letter Paul urges them not to be too harsh with the person. Though their discipline was an important step in reconciling this person to God, they still needed to re-affirm their love for him, so that he wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
Paul shares His authority to forgive sins with them, just as Jesus had given the disciples in John 21 when he said, “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven, and if you retain them they are retained.” Importantly it is not “our forgiveness” we are offering, but Jesus’ forgiveness. This is where the Catholic church gets its sense of authority in regard to forgiving men and women of their sins.
As Paul reminds them, Satan can be part of dismissing sin, or sweeping it under the rug. I.e. Cheap grace! Or, he can be part of legalism, or excessive discipline which causes people to equally stumble away from the grace of God, we all need to rely on every day.
What Does This Mean For Us?
All of us will naturally err on the side of either “leniency” or “harshness”. Only Jesus had the perfect balance of “grace” and “truth”. The Holy Spirit can guide us when we need to confront our brothers and sisters in love, or when we need to pronounce forgiveness in Jesus’ name. As James said, “Confess your sins to one another.”
The Christian community needs to be a safe place where we can come and confess our sins and receive forgiveness, because we will need it all of our lives until Jesus calls us home.
Father, we pray for the grace to forgive each other just as in Christ you have forgiven us, but also to know when we need to confront and/or discipline in Your name so that they might be restored in true fellowship when they have fallen. Send Your Spirit to help us to discern when each is needed. Amen.
Forgiveness for the Sinner
5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
What Does This Mean?
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul had admonished the church for some sexual immorality that was going on in the body. Apparently the church had taken steps to discipline this member, and now in this 2nd letter Paul urges them not to be too harsh with the person. Though their discipline was an important step in reconciling this person to God, they still needed to re-affirm their love for him, so that he wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
Paul shares His authority to forgive sins with them, just as Jesus had given the disciples in John 21 when he said, “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven, and if you retain them they are retained.” Importantly it is not “our forgiveness” we are offering, but Jesus’ forgiveness. This is where the Catholic church gets its sense of authority in regard to forgiving men and women of their sins.
As Paul reminds them, Satan can be part of dismissing sin, or sweeping it under the rug. I.e. Cheap grace! Or, he can be part of legalism, or excessive discipline which causes people to equally stumble away from the grace of God, we all need to rely on every day.
What Does This Mean For Us?
All of us will naturally err on the side of either “leniency” or “harshness”. Only Jesus had the perfect balance of “grace” and “truth”. The Holy Spirit can guide us when we need to confront our brothers and sisters in love, or when we need to pronounce forgiveness in Jesus’ name. As James said, “Confess your sins to one another.”
The Christian community needs to be a safe place where we can come and confess our sins and receive forgiveness, because we will need it all of our lives until Jesus calls us home.
Father, we pray for the grace to forgive each other just as in Christ you have forgiven us, but also to know when we need to confront and/or discipline in Your name so that they might be restored in true fellowship when they have fallen. Send Your Spirit to help us to discern when each is needed. Amen.
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