“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” (2 Corinthians 2:7-8).
A man in the Corinthian church had publicly sinned to the degree that Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, urged them to confront him. They did. Apparently, the man repented and the others were slow to forgive him. Paul wrote this advice in his second letter to the Corinthians and it reflects his attitude toward those who sin. He asked the church not only to forgive him but to comfort him so he wouldn’t be “overwhelmed with excessive sorrow.”
It’s very easy for our emotions to get so caught up in confronting the failure of others that we don’t let them up when they repent. Religion keeps people down no matter what they do. It tries to glue us to our histories. Jesus is different. While we think in terms of punishment, Jesus thinks in terms of restoration.
When we fail, God doesn’t overwhelm us with sorrow when we repent. He forgives, comforts and reaffirms His love for us. That’s how He wants us to treat others. Who of us hasn’t failed and then found God’s grace present to pull us out of the ditch and set us on our feet again?
What keeps us from forgiving this way? Paul pointed his finger at Satan. “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive…. in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). Unforgiveness is a tool of Satan to keep us from releasing others from guilt and condemnation. If we simply treat others as God has treated us we will win and Satan will lose every time.
