Saturday, 13 June 2015
But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 2 Corinthians 2:5
The construction of this verse is such that it can actually have one of at least three varied meanings. Regardless of which it is that Paul intended to convey, the overarching thought is that there was an offense; there was grief involved in that offense – towards Paul and towards the church; and that therefore the entire church was affected.
The word “anyone” is singular and it is most probably referring to the unnamed individual in 1 Corinthians 5. He remains unnamed here. Paul had instructed the church to bring discipline against him due to his immoral actions which had caused this grief. That occurred and now there is no strong language against him here and there are no heavy handed demands being made. Rather he is carefully and tenderly handling this situation concerning the unnamed offender in order to get it behind them.
The next six verses will continue to explain this and what should be done about it. The church had suffered and now the church needed to be healed of the matter without prolonging it any further.
Life application: Church discipline is detailed in the Bible, but the Bible also shows that if the measures of discipline are met, then reconciliation should be anticipated. Just as Christ forgives us of our offenses when we repent, so the church should act in like manner towards offenders who repent as well.
Lord, help me to remember that even the person with the strongest faith can fall into temptation and sin. I certainly know I’m not immune from it and neither is anyone else. And so help me to be wise in how I deal with a brother or sister who has made mistakes while walking with You. Help me to not overlook sin, but also to not over-charge someone for doing the same things I am prone to do. Let my heart be wise and discerning about such difficult matters as this. Amen.