Knowing The Word in 2 Corinthians: Forgive the Sinner, 2:5-11

Forgive the Sinner

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Apparently, an unnamed man in the church has caused pain to all, and the church voted to punish him. Now they need to play the role of reconcilers and bring the man back into the fold. Punishing this man was part of the previous tearful letter, and it was to test the character of the church—that they would actually discipline one of their own in love. Christ is present when the community takes action and deals with sinful behavior. Paul is now in a positive and forgiving mood. In the Greek, Paul has a word play, saying he is “mindful” of the devil’s mind.

O God that art the only hope of the world,

the only refuge for unhappy men,

abiding in the faithfulness of heaven,

give me strong succor in this testing place.

O King, protect thy man from utter ruin

lest the weak faith surrender to the tyrant,

facing innumerable blows alone.

Remember I am dust, and wind, and shadow,

and life as fleeting as the flower of grass.

But may the eternal mercy which hath shone from time of old

rescue thy servant from the jaws of the lion.

Thou who didst come from on high in the cloak of flesh,

strike down the dragon with that two-edged sword,

whereby our mortal flesh can war with the winds

and beat down strongholds, with our Captain God.

Bede, c. 673-725