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2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
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. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 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, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
(ESV)
The man Paul is referring to in this chapter was most likely the same man who was having an incestuous affair when Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians. There are a few important details to consider regarding Paul’s response to this situation.
First, Paul gave the Corinthians time to address the situation. Often, we pressure and bully people into repentance when they don’t really mean it. Paul could have gone to Corinth and confronted this man face to face, but he didn’t.
“Paul wisely considered that considering all the circumstances, a letter would be better than a personal visit. A letter would lay out Paul’s heart, yet not give as much opportunity for the deterioration of their relationship. It would give them room to repent and get right with God and Paul again.”
David Guzik
Second, Paul’s intention is clear. He wants to love the people of Corinth, not cause drama in their relationship. There are many Christians today who allow their emotions to overrule their relationship. They view a heated confrontation as the only solution to such an issue. They believe it is their duty and “right” to lay that person out with the truth. We get a much different picture here in Paul’s writing. Everything that he did was guided by love. In fact, he even states that this incestuous man has “not caused sorrow to me, but in some degree to all of you.” Paul was urging the church to forgive this repentant man as he already had.
Finally, Paul knew this was a plot of the enemy to divide and destroy the church. Satan would love nothing more than for the church to tolerate such a sin. On the flip side, Satan would be equally pleased if this church cast this man from their body and never accepted him back, even after repentance. Paul understood the church needed to exercise both grace and truth.
When we look around, it seems as if the enemy is winning the majority of these battles. This should never stop us from following the instruction of Paul. Satan cannot win because he’s already been defeated. He may win the battles but he has lost the war and this is why we must cling to Jesus. His victory assures us that even in the darkest times sin and death cannot defeat those who patiently endure in the Name of Jesus Christ!