Reaffirm

[Lovekr07]

Reaffirm



'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. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 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, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.' (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2CO.2.5-11


The man described in the above passage had apparently been under the scrutiny or discipline of the Corinthian church. The Enduring Words commentary explains that this could be the man in 1 Corinthians who was caught in an incestuous affair. It sounds like this man repented since Paul is advising them to forgive and comfort him. They must have been unwilling to receive him back. Paul was acting as a pastor in encouraging this church to have mercy on this man, forgive him, and love him back to restoration. Our God is a merciful Father and when a person repents, He truly forgives and restores. We are to do the same for others as He does. If we remember how merciful He has been toward us and how He truly forgave us, it is not very difficult to do the same for others. Lord, Your heart is so beautiful and there is noone like You. Change us so that our heart is like Yours that You may be glorified in us. Thank you, Jesus! Amen!!

 

[Hidden In Him]

'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. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 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, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.' (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

The end of this passage says a lot to me. It says that Satan tries to pull us in two different directions. If he cannot get us to compromise our Christian standards where holiness is concerned, he moves to make us overly condemning, judgmental and unmerciful of others, so that one way or the other the Christian faith is presented as sinful and evil.

The proper response is to maintain the high standards of Christian morality and holiness while remaining merciful of sinners if they should repent and seek forgiveness. It is a constant balance, and if we do not maintain it we leave the door open for the enemy.

Blessings, and always good to cover scripture together.