Journal: Puritan Reformed Journal
Volume: PRJ 04:2 (Jul 2012)
Article: Forgiveness In The Church: A Sermon On 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
Author: Maarten Kuivenhoven

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PRJ 4:2 (July 2012) p. 19

Forgiveness In The Church:
A Sermon On 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Maarten Kuivenhoven

But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

—2 Corinthians 2:5-11

When discipline is administered in the home, a father and mother do so to correct their children and keep the home in good order. Discipline is for the good of the children so that they learn to live within the boundaries of God’s law and the rules of the home. In the Corinthian church, discipline also needed to be exercised in order to remove sin and bring the offender to repentance. That is the goal of Christian discipline from Scripture as well as from church history. So often, church discipline is viewed in a negative light as harsh and unnecessary, but it is actually a healing measure for the church as well as for the individual involved. We often look at the front end of discipline—the negative consequences—and we say, “Is it really worth it?”

But we are forgetting what the goal of Christian discipline ought to be: the joyous restoration of a sinner with God and with his fellow believers. We miss the important work that comes when someone does repent of sin and ask for forgiveness. That work is forgiveness in the church. Paul reminds the Corinthians, and us today, of every

PRJ 4:2 (July 2012) p. 20

congregation’s duty when a person repents of sin and seeks reconciliation. The Word of God commands us to forgive that person.

Thus Christian discipline has two aspects: there is the discipline itself, but there is also the receiving back of a penitent sinner into fellowship. This sermon on 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 seeks to address this important duty of forgiveness within the church. The Word of God gives us guiding principles that we can apply specifically to life in the church, but also to every sphere of our lives.

But before getting into the reasons for forgiveness we need to define what forgiveness is. The word that ...

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