2 Corinthians 2 -- Discipline

“I didn’t write to make you sad, but to let you know how much I love you … [there had been trouble in Corinth, and Paul had needed to be tough in what he told them] … The punishment you gave him … is enough for him.  But now you should forgive him and comfort him to keep him from having too much sadness and giving up completely … show that you love him.  I wrote you to test you and to see if you obey in everything [they’d needed to discipline a church member and Paul had told them to do it.  Now, they needed to forgive and forget] … so that Satan won’t gain a foothold.”

 

My commentary talked about how reluctant churches are to discipline and the damage that is done when they don’t.  Biblically, it’s necessary and important:  “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”, the Bible says.  “There is a big difference between hurting someone and harming him.  Sometimes those who love us must hurt us in order to keep us from harming ourselves...  True discipline is an evidence of love … Problems that are swept under the rug have a way of multiplying and creating even worse problems later on.”

 

Paul urged forgiveness for the sinner’s sake (“It’s the medicine needed to heal broken hearts.”) for the Lord’s sake (“The problem was not simply between a sinning brother and a grieving apostle; it was also between a sinning brother and a grieving Savior… most of all he had sinned against the Lord.), and for the church’s sake(“an unforgiving spirit in a congregation because sin has not been dealt with in a Biblical manner gives Satan a beachhead.”)

 

Father, that’s good advice not just for a church, but for a family as well.  Help me as a father to understand when discipline is most needed.  Help me in my anger not to sin.  And help me most of all to forgive and forget so that my sons’ hearts are not broken and unmended.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford