We develop grace in community.  So what does Paul urge?  He urges that the Corinthians move towards the man who caused this grief, and aware of his need for restoration.  This is the first step.   The second is the awareness that we are also capable of the same sin this requires a level of humility and love. Look back over verses 5-10 what is the one word Paul keeps on repeating? That would be forgive which leads to restoration; and restoration begins with acknowledgement of sin, owning to that is to our own sin.

Paul tells the Corinthians to forgive the now repentant man.  This man who’d owned his sin, acknowledged his remorse, and was now seeking restoration with the Church family.  So Paul widens the scope – at church when one suffers we all suffer.  It all relates to the impact of a “sorrowful letter”   Read verse 4.

4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

This is about a letter now missing, yet we get some clues on what Paul wrote.  This was deeply personal letter to the Corinthians. A letter written with tears expressing a depth of love, and a desire not to grieve them with unnecessary pain; along with

his determination not to weaken godly standards for life in the church.

Paul’s sorrowful letter achieved what his painful visit failed in.  What we see is that when God is most present in the midst of conflict, the Church gathers around the one who has sinned with unity, one mind that seeks for God to be glorified, and for Jesus to grow deeper in each of us.  So often in conflict we don't forgive because we live with the belief “I can’t believe they did that” or “I would never do that: We put ourselves in another category of I’m not as big a sinner as you, [2] or in the case of some sins we have done we think forgiveness is beyond us because we don't think our sin is forgivable either by pride or struggle or shame or feeling unclean.

The shock of the gospel is that Christ when we were full of our sin and utterly despised and who had rejected God demonstrated the grace of God.  It is here that Jesus shone the light of his mercy to bring about the transformation of our soul.  In our church how we see and speak to each other provide the best way for our growth in looking more and more to Jesus as enough[3]

In Corinth with this mans repentance opened the way up for restoration in the relationships that had been stained Paul here calls for his forgiveness and comfort.  Also see here the spiritual warfare on view as we do battle not only in the way sin impacts our relationships, but also how Satan tries to tear churches apart; or how he will try to foster lovelessness, or bring about bitterness and division.  Come always to the feet of Christ for his mercy and love.  To be grounded in godliness holiness and repentance

Let’s pray…

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