Wednesday: Forgiveness and Reaffirmation of Love
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 26th of August 2026
Rather than visiting the Corinthians a second time, Paul, after returning to Ephesus, sent what became known as “the severe letter” (see 2 Corinthians 2:3-4; 2 Corinthians 7:8,12).
Read 2 Corinthians 7:5-13. What was the result of what he wrote to them, and what was Paul’s reaction because of that result?
Image © Lars Justinen at Goodsalt.com
Paul and Titus met later in Macedonia, where Paul heard from Titus the excellent news that his strong words had caused positive results, which brought much joy to the apostle’s heart. If before, some in Corinth positioned themselves against Paul, now the church sided with him. How important it is to support our leaders. As church members, we can make their work much easier than it is.
Read 2 Corinthians 2:5-11. What is the central idea here?
This passage has to do with a case of church discipline. Scholars debate whether the offender here is the incestuous man of 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 or someone else, a person who influenced others in the church in their accusation that Paul had been inconsistent and inconsiderate of them in his traveling decisions. The context seems to favor the second option. In any case, the most important teaching of the passage regards how the church should deal with a person in sin.
This passage teaches that the purpose of church discipline is restoration through forgiveness and through reaffirmation of love for the sinner (2 Corinthians 2:6-8,10). The passage also hints that church discipline may be painful, but it is necessary. That is, however well-intentioned they may be, and wanting to be “grace”-oriented, some churches might never confront or deal with blatant or even public sin. On the other hand, others can be very rigid, unforgiving, and harsh. Sin needs to be dealt with, but in love. Thus, Paul could exhort the church to reaffirm its love for the offender (2 Corinthians 2:8) because he himself loved the church (2 Corinthians 2:4)!
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The church in Corinth could love the offender (2 Corinthians 2:8) because it was itself the object of God’s love through Paul’s love. What does this teach us about love? |
Is there any occasion to be quite sharp in how you admonish others? I often hear folk saying that we should say and do this and that in solving church problems. They talk about tough love and that it gives them the right to be sharp (or blunt, depending on your choice of metaphor).
True, there are times when such action is needed, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
I have recounted before the story of having to tell a student they have failed a course, and they needed to grow up a bit and refocus before they had any chance of passing. It helped that I had been through the same experience myself.
Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians contain many references to his experiences. He is not the guru delivering oracles of performance, but a fellow traveller, suffering and overcoming, just like his readers. We sometimes miss that aspect of Paul’s writing in our lesson study because we like to forensically analyse what he wrote (that is one reason why I like to read it as a whole in a modern paraphrase as a pastoral letter).
In life, there are countless opportunities to hold hard feelings, but the Bible says that hatred and bitterness destroy relationships, peace, health, effectiveness, and even our witness in the Body of Christ. Forgiveness does not mean ignoring wrongs or refusing to seek justice when the law has been broken; rather, it means refusing to allow bitterness to take root in our hearts. Scripture says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger…be put away from you” (Ephesians 4:31–32). Forgiveness is therefore a deliberate choice to release the offender into God’s hands, trusting Him to deal with what we cannot.
True forgiveness is also an act of reaffirmation—we reaffirm our love for God, our commitment to His Word, and our desire to live according to His character rather than our emotions. Our hearts may cry out for retaliation, but God’s love within us calls us to forgive, even when our feelings have not yet caught up with our decision. Romans 5:5 reminds us that “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.” As we forgive, we reaffirm that we belong to Christ and that His love, not resentment, will govern our responses. Jesus Himself said, “Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37
Forgiveness is an element of love. In fact, it is how true love responds when wrong is committed. Otherwise, everyone can be nice when nothing has gone wrong. Forgiveness is not simply forgiving wrongdoing but restoring the wrongdoer. “Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32, NLT).
One quick point to note is that love does not simply sit idle when wrong is committed. Love does not ignore wrong. Love confronts wrongdoers because it cares. In fact, not confronting wrongdoing is simply being indifferent. Love knows the boundary between discipline and restoration.
Another important point to note is that forgiveness at times needs to be demonstrated visibly. “I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.” )2 Corinthians 2:8). Forgiveness needs to be expressed to give the wrongdoer an assurance and sense of acceptance. “We accept your repentance. We love you. You belong among us again.”
Perhaps forgiveness needs to be taken more seriously because it protects the church against the devil. “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11). The spirit of unforgiveness is fundamentally dangerous to the well-being of the church. The devil exploits unforgiveness to cause anarchy among believers: bitterness, division, resentment, humiliation, alienation, factions and quarrels. Forgiveness is not about the offender, but also about our spiritual growth. In essence, forgiveness is a serious spiritual strength. It is a clear demonstration of agape love.
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Hi people..yes..grow up and refocus before passing a course.. liking that Maurice Ashton. Before I leave 1989.. just one more!
Robert maywald… exerpt from freedom..
Everyday conformists
Protest in city malls
Cloned to fight for freedom
But trapped by their own walls..
Forgiveness is the principle found in the Lord’s prayer it says forgive our sins as we forgive others who have sinned against us. This is a very important issue. To forgive means not to remember that someone does wrong for us in the past but to forget it completely. That is what JESUS CHRIST does. This is the character we need to develop now as Christians to help us enter into the kingdom of God.
In 2 Corinthians, we are reminded that confronting sin in love, rather than sweeping it under the rug, is the godly approach. Loving correction can restore the offender, protect the church from the spread of sin, and remove the reproach that sin brings upon God’s people. Unfortunately, the tendency today—even among some church leaders—is to tolerate or overlook sin out of fear of offending someone or causing them to leave the church. But true love does not ignore sin; it lovingly confronts sin for the sake of the person’s salvation, restoration, and the spiritual health of the church. And when that loving confrontation produces repentance and restoration, it brings great joy—not only to the offender, but to those who lovingly cared enough to confront the problem in the first place.
The goal of Paul’s “severe letter” was restoration through forgiveness, not alienation. He loved the Corinthian people enough to risk confronting them, not merely brushing their behavior off, and ignoring it. He cared enough to confront.
I remember a time in my childhood when my Mom had to discipline me by “applying the board of education to the seat of knowledge,” if you know what I mean. She told me that she was doing it because she loved me. My response was quick witted as I said, “don’t love me so much!” 🤔😆 The reason for her disciplining me is forgotten, but the purpose of it isn’t. It wasn’t done merely to be punitive, though it was, it was done to be corrective, and done because of love.
The reason that society and it’s establishments are rotting away today is that there is little to no consequence for offenses. Serial criminal offenders are released to reoffend, and victimize again because the system and society at large has become dysfunctional. No doubt this is ideological but it is causing bigger problems than addressing the problem straight on. Whether in society or in the church we must care enough to confront aberrant behavior.
The problems in society today began in homes that parental involvement and discipline was either lacking or absent altogether. There was once a billboard visible from a Chicago expressway from the county Sheriff with his picture on it. The quote written was, “spend time with your children today, so that I don’t have to tomorrow.”
It’s not loving to ignore offenses or offensive behaviors, however it must be done with the goal of forgiveness and restoration. God himself forgives when we confess, yet there are consequences that he often doesn’t deliver us from. The principles of a functional family, church, and society are throughout the scriptures, however we have neglected to read the “Owner’s Manual” to learn what they are. If properly administered they will yield a harvest of righteousness.
Tim, l relish the way you employ much truth in humour. Makes you reflect soberly whilst smiling. Hope you don’t mind if l use some of these insightful one-liners.
Thank you, Marcia. Feel free to use whatever I share that’s useful. You may have to sift through a lot of sand and gravel before you find gold. 😉None of it is copyrighted, at least I don’t think that it is. 🤔😊 I learned many years ago that the timely and appropriate use of humor, if not over used, serves to break down resistance while delivering serious and salient information. Jesus, the Master Communicator, employed the technique often. He frequently used visual humor, irony, hyperbole, and sharp satire to land His points with first-century crowds. His audience lived in an oral culture where absurd mental images, I call them word pictures, which were memorable, entertaining, and effective teaching tools. A few examples follow.
The Plank in the Eye (Matthew 7:3–5): “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
The Joke: An intentionally ridiculous visual slapstick—picture of a man walking around trying to perform delicate eye surgery on a friend while a 6-foot wooden beam swings out of his own face.
Straining a Gnat, Swallowing a Camel (Matthew 23:24): “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
The Joke: A satirical jab at the over-scrupulous Pharisees who used cloth to carefully filter a tiny insect out of their wine to remain ritualistic, only to nonchalantly gulp down a 1,000-pound, non-kosher mammal whole.
The Camel and the Needle’s Eye (Matthew 19:24): “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich someone to enter the kingdom of God.”
The Joke: A piece of absurd hyperbole highlighting an impossible task by taking the largest animal in the region and squeezing it through the smallest opening imaginable.
Casting Pearls Before Swine (Matthew 7:6): “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.”
The Joke: An absurd picture of someone serving high-end jewelry as feed to farm animals, who then get angry because they can’t eat it.
Trumpeting Your Charity (Matthew 6:2): “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do…”
The Joke: Satirizing self-righteous donors by imagining a performative rich person hiring a brass band to play a fanfare every time he drops a coin in an offering box.
The Blind Leading the Blind (Matthew 15:14): “They are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
The Joke: Physical comedy reminiscent of a slapstick routine where a tour guide who can’t see confidentially marches a whole line of people right over a ledge.
Jesus wasn’t being a comedian, rather he was strategically using entertaining word pictures to break down resistance, while teaching important life lessons. I believe that we can do the same. “A merry heart does good like a medicine.” Some medicine goes down easier with a smile on one’s face. 😊
I have not seen anyone summarize Christ’s humor like this. Thanks, Tim!
The church should be a place for comfort and forgiveness it’s important for the church to discipline church members 🙏🙏🙏
It is important to forget and forgive once the offender has corrected the situation, by seeking forgiveness. That means to refrain from ostracizing them. Continue to be their friend, without condemnation. Christ said “where are thy accusers, gone. Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” No we may not have quite as dramatic issue as brought to Christ or to Paul by Corinth. But just the same we too can have joy when our acquaintances reconcile and desire to put past sin behind them. Remember they are the ones that need friends. Make effort to forgive and forget, and be friends. Friends don’t bring up the past. Love is:
1 Corinthians 13:5.
“Love is never rude nor does it behave disorderly. It’s not interested in itself, does not become angry or keep a record of wrongs.” The Clear Word. I like that love does not keep records of wrongs.
John, I agree that we should not ostracize offenders who have repented and that we should not bring up past offenses when repentance is evident.
But “forgive” does not equal “forget” – even with God. When a sinner returns to the same sins previously forgiven, he also returns to the responsibility for all those sins. This is taught in the sanctuary services, where the sins are transferred to the sanctuary until the sanctuary is cleansed in the Day of Atonement. (Also see Eze 18:24, 26; Eze. 33:12, 13)
This is an important distinction – especially with sins such as sexual molestation. Forgiveness does not mean restoration of relationship in such cases. And churches need to continuously monitor such individuals. Basically, it’s a matter of not putting an alcoholic in charge of the bar. Child molesters sign an agreement to stay away from children and families with children, and the church is responsible for monitoring that agreement.
Likewise in personal relationships. As a friend once put it, after being seriously betrayed by another long-time friend. “It’s like this,” he said. “I have invested many years in that relationship. It’s like a costly vase that is broken. It’s glued back together so that only I can see where the break once was. But I handle the vase with care, every mindful of the cracks. The same with this relationship. I am careful to ensure that the same situation cannot rise again.”
This is also an encouraging distinction, leaving people free to forgive serious abuse, while not forgetting what happened and taking care it can’t happen again.
The first person set free by forgiveness is the person who does the forgiving.
I agree, remember in your mind, yet I had in mind the kind of forgetfulness that Paul mentions in Philippians 3:13. We don’t want to badger our members of their past sins. That leads to loss of members. Thank-you for your thoughts on this issue it helps to look at all aspects of forgetting. Not bring to the forefront the things that hinder our and others pushing towards the goal of sanctification in Christ.