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Job 23:1-27:23; II Corinthians 1:12-2:11; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 22:5-6
“If anyone has caused pain, he has not caused pain to me, but in some degree – not to exaggerate – to all of you. The punishment by the majority is sufficient for such a person, so now you should forgive and comfort him instead; otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. Therefore, I urge you to confirm your love to him. It was for this purpose I wrote: so I may know your proven character, if you are obedient in everything. Now to whom you forgive anything, I do too. For what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, it is for you in the presence of Christ, so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his intentions.” (II Corinthians 2: 5-11)
Thank God for the Corinthian church. We can learn so much about human behavior and Godly remedies through Paul’s letters to them. The Corinthians were a scary lot, haha, trying to come into this new way of life. Like all of us they needed a lot of direction. This letter starts off with them thinking Paul is flippant. He was due to visit them but changed his mind because there was some discrepancy about his apostolic leadership over the church. In his first letter he corrected some things, and they didn’t receive it well. They questioned his character but didn’t deny what he was writing about, they just didn’t want to listen.
At this point he’s trying to allow them to correct some things on their own, so their next visit won’t be uncomfortable. Apparently, there is an individual that needs to be dealt with. He’s caused a problem, and Paul is telling them that he doesn’t need to be in the middle of that. The discipline they have issued is enough. As a matter of fact, he encourages them to forgive and comfort him.
The goal of any discipline is to restore the individual. We sometimes get angry, embarrassed or fed up with the mistakes or sins of others and we don’t know how to move beyond our emotions. What is the right way to deal with this situation? Again, Paul stated that the leaders addressed the wrong, and then he really promoted restoration through love and forgiveness.
Most of the time people know when they have done wrong. When we in the Body of Christ, whether as a parent, boss, friend, etc. deal with an issue it would be best to follow the leadership of Jesus and Paul. Neither of them lashed out. Their emotions were contained in order to see things clearly. Emotions blind us and sometimes cause us to overact or do something we may regret.
Jesus and Paul both protected the sinner. Jesus with the woman caught in adultery, took the focus off of her and brought to light everyone else’s sins. Jesus then told her to go and sin no more. Paul with the person in the scripture above asked for mercy. He didn’t, as the apostle, desire to inflict any additional punishment.
Jesus and Paul both knew that a person can only take so much. If we go too far, then it opens a door for Satan to destroy the person’s spirit through condemnation and shame to the point they just don’t care anymore. We never want anyone to feel castigated to the point they give up. God loves people and they need to know they are never so far from His grace that they can’t repent and get back up. (Proverbs 24:16) Satan also whispers into the ear of the lost, “See, Christians shoot their wounded. Do you really want to be like ‘God’s people?'” Addressing situation, yes. Done in love, for sure. Restored, absolutely, the ultimate goal.
PRAYER:
Lord, I ask You to help me when dealing with a person who has sinned. I pray to be in control of and not led by my emotions. Help me to see the process through to restoration. Lord, help me to be more like You in every situation. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
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