“… on the other hand, you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a person might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.”
Last week we talked about love. This morning let’s examine a tough characteristic of love - forgiveness. Buckle up because this is “graduate level” love, and it’ll be challenging.
The person Paul’s probably discussing forgiving in this passage, had committed incestuous sins, publicly known, and referenced in Paul’s first letter. So, we’re not talking about minor indiscretions, but vile immorality, no doubt wounding others, and giving the church in Corinth a blackeye. Paul did not ignore his sin, but instead demanded church discipline, which led to repentance, … So, what now?
What do I do when someone repents, and needs my forgiveness? Apparently, I am to not only forgive, but restore them. I am supposed to comfort the one who made me so uncomfortable, joyfully reaffirming my love for them to prevent them from having excessive sorrow.
That’s a problem. When I forgive, I tend to strut around, puffed up at my own spiritual maturity. I expect the “forgiven” to be amazed at my graciousness. I’m willing to pardon those who hurt me, but I want them to have a scar… I want them to limp, so they will remember my grace toward them. But Paul wants them to run faster than they did before. He insists on restoration and reinstatement.
That level of forgiveness seems alien to me. That’s a product of the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13 that always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails.
Come on Boyd, be realistic. Surely God doesn’t expect me to completely forgive others like He forgave me? (Ephesians 4:32). Surely, I am not expected to forget the pain this person caused me (Hebrews 8:12)… If I forgive and forget, I could get hurt again…
Yep, sort of like we hurt Christ with our repeated sin.
Limited forgiveness is not forgiveness. So, choose your path. Hold a grudge… or set yourself, and the offender free, with full blown forgiveness. The kind that values them and comforts them as though they were more important to you, than you are…
It’s hard, but it’s not complicated.
“Forgive, forget. Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours.” - Phillips Brooks
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