The Joy of Forgiveness

“You ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” – 2 Corinthians 2:7

C.S. Lewis, author of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” famously wrote: “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

In 2 Corinthians 2, God’s Word deals with Christians in the church forgiving and restoring a church member who has done the inexcusable. We’re not sure who the sinner was or what he did. But in verses 5-11, it’s clear from that there was a man in the Corinthian church who had sinned in a big way and had undergone church discipline.

 

But regardless of who the Christian was and what he did, one principle holds true: When Christians who sin in inexcusable ways truly repent, the church must forgive them and restore them to Christian fellowship. As the Apostle Paul writes in verse 7, “You ought to forgive and comfort him.”

 

And in 2 Corinthians 2, we discover 7 blessings of forgiveness in the church. Let’s focus on the first 3 of these blessings:

 

Blessing #1: Forgiveness closes the door on pride (v. 5). Did you know that pride is one of the main reasons Christians don’t forgive each other? When someone insults us or treats us unfairly, it bruises our ego – and our old nature takes pride in getting even. But when we understand that the person who hurt us has hurt God most of all … that helps us keep our pride in check.

 

And remember, there are many Christians in your church who are going through difficult stuff. How about if we do something pretty revolutionary? Let’s cut each other some slack, and show each other some grace.

 

Blessing #2: Forgiveness dispenses mercy (v. 6). The church leaders in Corinth had disciplined their sinning brother. They rebuked him and called him to repentance. Thankfully, the church discipline worked. The brother’s conscience was re-awakened by the Holy Spirit, and he began to walk in repentance. So, in verse 6 Paul says, “Okay, church! He’s been punished long enough. Now is the time for mercy to triumph over judgment.”

 

Remember, the goal of church discipline is RESTORATION—restoring a sinning brother or sister to a right relationship with God and with other Christians. So, when a sinning Christian truly repents, we must be quick to show them mercy – just as quick as Jesus was to show us mercy when we repented.

 

Blessing #3: Forgiveness restores joy (v. 7). Sin steals our joy. As King David cried out to God for forgiveness, he said: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51:12).  And Jesus says in Luke 15:7: “I tell you that … there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” The angels in heaven celebrate when an unsaved sinner turns to Christ. But there is also rejoicing in heaven when one of Christ’s followers repents.

 

Nothing in Christianity is more important than forgiveness: God’s forgiveness of us through Christ, and our forgiveness of others like Christ.  Amen?

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd., or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.