We’re used to thinking about forgiveness in terms of how it benefits us and the person we forgive. As Paul writes to the church at Corinth, though, he says that there is a further, even greater dimension to forgiveness: how we forgive affects the entire body of Christ, and it is a significant front in our war against Satan.
Paul opened his letter with the theme of comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-7)—not patting-the-shoulders, soft-and-squishy comfort, but biblical comfort that comes alongside and cheers a person on to the finish line, offering the strength needed to do what Christ calls us to do. It is comfort that is rooted in the comfort and encouragement Christ has given to us, even as we share His sufferings. Why comfort? Because Paul and the Corinthians were both in urgent need of comfort! Paul had faced persecution in Ephesus, to the point that he wasn’t sure he’d make it out alive (1:8-9). Even more painful, the church at Corinth had nearly split, and influential members had pushed Paul away. His last visit had been a painful one, followed by a sharp letter that moved both sides to tears (1:23-2:4). Paul was writing to bring consolation for their shared grief, even as he built on what had been gained through their repentance (2:1, 7:6-13).
We don’t know exactly what the offender mentioned in this passage had done. He could have been the man mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5; if so, Paul’s command to excommunicate him had been disobeyed, and the man had gone on the offensive, protecting himself and gaining support by publicly humiliating Paul.[1] Or he could be the unnamed ringleader of the so-called “apostles” mentioned in chapter 11, who had been trying to take over the church by their displays of power and rhetoric.
Regardless, Paul is less worried about the personal offense against him (though real) than the effect this offense has had on the Corinthians (v. 5). The minority that had followed this man in rebelling against their father in the faith, one who had faithfully preached and lived out the gospel with them, presented a real danger to the church. If such a group took over, the church would be “won” to a false gospel of prestige and showmanship, and would reject the true gospel of Christ. If they failed and were driven out, the church would face the sorrow of seeing professing brothers and sisters fall away.
But now the offender has repented. Paul doesn’t say, “He’s sad, so let’s cheer him up;” forgiveness comes with confessing sin and turning to obey (see 2 Cor. 7:8-13).[2] The penalty imposed by the church (even if a minority resisted) has had its desired effect, and the man has come back (v. 6). Notice Paul’s command: “forgive and comfort him” (v. 7)! Not, “prove my point and seal my victory by crushing him once and for all.” Not, “put him on probation for the next few years to see if he means it.” Forgive him and encourage him to protect him from drowning in too much (it’s the same word as “abound” and “abundant” in 1:5, 1:12) sorrow! He’s a brother, so keep him safe!
But notice that Paul gives two more reasons for forgiving the offender, neither of which is directly about Paul or the offender. First, he says forgiving is about bodybuilding (v. 8-10). Forgiveness affects the whole church. When they love this man who has hurt the church but has repented, they are obeying the Word of Christ, given in this case by His apostle (v. 9). And as they publicly forgive him, Paul also forgives him “for your sake”—for the good of the church (v. 10). Forgiving those who have done us wrong[3] benefits the body by reminding us that we are a community of the forgiven. We are part of the church, not because we did no wrong, not because we’re good at getting it right, but because Christ is very patient and gracious in forgiving us. Forgiving reminds us that we aren’t our own—we belong to Christ, and we have no right to hold on to sin that Christ has forgiven in others. Forgiving reminds us that we are part of a larger family—we welcome as we are welcomed, putting our brothers and sisters ahead of ourselves. Forgiving the repentant is a picture of the gospel—it is good news lived out.
Second, Paul says forgiveness is spiritual warfare (v. 10-11). It is carried out in the presence of Christ, and it is done with the awareness that Satan lurks nearby to snap up the despairing and the proud. As he will later write to the Ephesians, spiritual warfare isn’t about naming demons and spraying holy water. It’s preaching the gospel and living it out in the context of the local church (Eph. 3:8-10). Satan’s goal isn’t to hurt people or get them to do bad things. His goal is to dilute, discredit, and distract from the gospel. It’s no coincidence that, as Paul describes walking the gospel life in the context of marriage, children, and work in Ephesians 5-6, he then turns to warn of Satan’s ambushes and our war against principalities and powers; where the gospel is pictured, Satan will be at work to tempt us to deny the gospel by sinning against those closest to us. If we publicly refuse to forgive the repentant, we announce that grace isn’t enough—that there is no repentance. If we will not love a repentant sinner, we announce that the gospel isn’t real, whatever else we may say. If we will not welcome back a restored sheep, we will tear Christ’s church apart. Unforgiveness preaches an anti-gospel.
Have we been offended? Passages like Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 remind us of the eternal stakes of ongoing, unrepentant sin—so we go to our brother, our sister, for their good. But when the sinner repents, when by grace they step back from the cliff and come back, we have the opportunity and the privilege to preach the gospel to the watching world, to principalities and powers, by forgiving and reconciling—in love for the body and in victory over Satan.
Grace and peace, Mike Yates
A shorter form of this post may be found on the Facebook page of Bible Baptist Church, Huntington, IN, dated Sept. 10, 2014.
[1] See the helpful discussion in David Garland, 2 Corinthians, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1999), 117-123.
[2] The New Testament knows of no other grounds for forgiveness. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, but it is a faith that confesses that Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9-10) and therefore turns from sin to obedience (1 Thess. 1:8-10).
[3] Again, full forgiveness happens in the context of repentance; for the unrepentant sinner we are called to a willingness to forgive, but there cannot yet be full reconciliation. Chris Brauns, Unpacking Forgiveness (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008) is tremendously helpful for thinking through this topic.
Life and Godliness 