What Does Good Church Discipline Look Like?

Forgiveness for the Offender

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. 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 Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. 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.

Paul had written about a situation in which someone in the church needed to be confronted for behaving badly and most likely immorallyt.  It was possibly the instance of sexual immorality he addresses in 1 Corinthians 5.  This passage gives us insight into how the early church excercised church discipline for better and for worse.  The good thing was that they actually did it.  Many churches sweep issues under the carpet and it only causes more problems down the road. Or worse, it tars the reputation of the church if the sin is not dealt with.  

In this case the man seems to have repented of his sin and the congregation was not restoring him back into their fellowship.  They were being "harsh".  The punishment they gave him was enough, and now they needed to receive him back in love.  They had the power and authority to pronounce the man's forgiveness, just as Paul was given the authority to forgive for Christ's sake.  So they needed to act in forgiveness.  Why was this so important?

Paul gives a clue when he says, "So that Satan might not outwit us, for we are not unaware of his schemes."  How might Satan be involved in this?  Satan created excessive sorrow in the man's heart so that at some point the man might fall away from the faith altogether.  The man had repentedm now he needed to be reminded of God's grace.  He needed to see and experience love of Christ through the church.  He needed to be welcomed back into their fold, like the Prodigal Son who had come. He needed to hear the words of the Father in that story who said, "My son was lost and now he is found.  Let's throw a party!"  

Paul reminds us today that we need to be full of both "grace" and "truth".  When there is rampant sin we need to confront it.  First, for the sake of the person involved in it.  Second, for the sake of the church.  But when a person turns from what they know is wrong, forgiveness should abound in love.  Why? Because we all deserve the punishment for our sin, and Jesus has forgiven us, set us free, and restored us to fellowship with Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Friends let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive.  After all that is what we would want right?