-2-
Forgiveness and Restoration and Spreading the Gospel
Chapter 2:4 – 3:5
Forgiveness and Restoration` 4 - 11
2Co 2:5 ¶ Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure — not to put it too severely — to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.(ESV)
From the Philips Translation:
2Co 2:5 ¶ If the behaviour of a certain person has caused distress, it does not mean so much that he has injured me, but that to some extent (I do not wish to exaggerate), he has injured all of you.
6 But now I think that the punishment which most of you inflicted on such a man has been sufficient.
7 Now is the time to offer him forgiveness and comfort, so that a man in his position is not completely overwhelmed by remorse.
8 I ask you to assure him now that you love him.
To whom is Paul is referring? All that we can see here is that Paul is talking about a person from the congregation who is being punished. And this person, according to Paul, needs to be forgiven and given a second chance.
Can we get any more information about this incident? Yes … actually, in First Corinthians 5:1-5 (Philips Translation)1Co 5:1 ¶ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and immorality of a kind that even pagans condemn — a man has apparently taken his father’s wife! 2 Are you still proud of yourselves? Shouldn’t you be overwhelmed with sorrow? The man who has done such a thing should certainly be expelled from your fellowship!
3 I know I am not with you physically but I am with you in spirit, and I assure you as though I were actually with you that I have already pronounced judgment 4 in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done this thing. As one present in spirit when you are assembled, I say by the power of the Lord Jesus, 5 that the man should be left to the mercy of Satan so that while his body will experience the destructive powers of sin his spirit may yet be saved in the day of the Lord.
Here is the scenario: Paul, in his First letter to them, when he heard about the terrible sin being tolerated and by some, boasted about, in the church, he passed judgment. He said to them “Cast him out of the church, dis-fellowship him, and turn him over to Satan”.
Those are very strong words of judgment and also a harsh judgment on those in the church who were arrogant about this.
Remember from the previous chapter, Paul had 'passed by' the church in order to 'spare them' the chastisement that he would be compelled to do, had they not heeded his first letter. But now, as he writes this second letter, he has by now received information. The church has indeed obeyed this command of Paul's and they have cast the young man out of the church.
If you 're-look' at Paul's command from First Corinthians, you might notice there is nothing there to indicate the length of the punishment. It is easy to assume that this evil young man will never change. Get rid of him. And perhaps, even as Paul wrote those harsh words, he may not have been thinking ahead to a 'what if?' What if he is really sorry and changes his ways? (repents)
That is missing from First Corinthians. But the young man did repent. He wants to be restored to fellowship in the church. But it seems that the church is not letting him back in. Why? Maybe just because Paul did not say anything about letting him back in, they assumed that he is out for good.
Without spending too much time on it, let's look at the subject of forgiveness.
Many believers often are guilty of reading a scripture only 'half-way'. Let's not make that mistake.
Here is a scripture often quoted, but almost always practiced 'half-way'.
Col 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
What many believers 'come away with' from this verse is … that we are to always forgive. In other words, if the offender repents OR NOT we are simply to forgive them. But the 'half verse' that is skipped over … as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Ask yourselves the question, How did the Lord forgive me? Did he forgive me without my having to repent first? If that is the case … everybody in the world is saved and going to heaven … because Christ forgave them without their having to repent.
Let's look at some often overlooked words from Jesus.
Lu 17:3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,Lu 17:4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him."
Jesus tells us to forgive. But he also tells us to rebuke. And then he adds a huge IF. If he repents .. forgive.
Let's apply the words of Jesus to the Corinthian church.
“Somebody in your church is sinning grossly. Rebuke him. If he repents forgive him.” Suppose the church ignored Paul's command to 'rebuke' the young man (put him out of the church) … and instead, they talked it over and said, Who are we to judge? Let's just tell him we forgive him, and maybe he will 'cut it out'.
Paul said … Put him out of the church. That is the ultimate rebuke. Put him out … why? So that the church would be rid of the embarrassment? Was putting him out for the churches benefit? No. Nothing is mentioned about the churches benefit.
But there is something mentioned about the young man's benefit. “his spirit may yet be saved in the day of the Lord.” The rebuke … that casting out of the young man … the punishment, was for the young man's benefit.
And it worked. He repented and wanted forgiveness.
When Jesus says that we are to forgive a person 'seventy times seven' in ONE day … don't miss that part of the verse that includes “saying, ‘I repent,” If you forgive without rebuke, and without waiting for repentance … you are hurting the individual.
Ignore what others have said: “You need to forgive for your own sake, lest you become bitter”. Forgiveness is not about you. It is about the offender who needs to come back to Christ. Let us not short circuit God's process … by 'being nice'. God only forgives those who repent and ask him for forgiveness. All the others he is not forgiving. Is it making Him bitter?
Next the apostle reveals another factor regarding his writing of First Corinthians:
2Co 2:9 My previous letter was something of a test—I wanted to make sure that you would follow my orders implicitly.
So, once again … this is why he did not stop in on the way to Macedonia as he told them he would. He had not heard that they had followed his orders. Now he has heard. So now he 'visits' them by way of a letter.
2Co 2:10 If you forgive a certain person for anything, I forgive him too. Insofar as I had anything personally to forgive, I do forgive him for your sake, as before Christ.
11 We don’t want Satan to win any victory here, and well we know his methods!
Very simply, to leave a young man outside the church when he has repented and is very sorry for his behavior and he wants to come back … is to give a victory to Satan.
Spreading the Gospel 2:12 – 3:5
After I passed you by …..
Now Paul fills them in on his activities after he 'passed them by'.
2Co 2:12 ¶ Well, when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, although there was an obvious God-given opportunity, 13 I must confess I was on edge the whole time because there was no sign of brother Titus. So I said good-bye and went from there to Macedonia.
It doesn't take too much reading between the lines to see that Paul had an appointment to meet up with Titus. Where was Titus supposed to be arriving FROM? Corinth. Titus had visited in Paul's absence. Titus would determine whether or not the Corinthians had taken Paul's first letter seriously … whether they had made the changes that Paul was demanding. And then Titus would meet up with Paul and report to him. Paul says that he was on edge the whole time. He loved the Corinthians and desperately wants to hear that they have obeyed him.
2Co 2:14 Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on Christ’s triumphant way and makes our knowledge of him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume!
I think it is wonderful how Paul can look at a situation and see God at work in it. He desperately wants to meet with Titus and hear the news. That did not work out. But he did not miss a beat. He preached the gospel in Troas and then left for Macedonia and simply carried on. He preached everywhere. He said, 2Co 2:15 We Christians have the unmistakable "scent" of Christ, discernible alike to those who are being saved and to those who are heading for death.
That is an interesting term 'the scent of Christ'. Have you ever noticed how we can pick up a 'scent' simply by being in close proximity to the source? If you spend time near frying onions, you can pick up a scent on your clothing that can follow you to a different location entirely. Someone may even make the comment, “Does anyone else smell frying onions, or is it only me?”
Paul seems to be saying, it is as if Christ has a very unique scent, and the closer we get to Him, the more we pick it up. When we are around other Christians we smell it on them. It is a very good smell. It is the very best fragrance we have ever taken in. But when an unbeliever smells that scent on us, he wants to get away. He is reminded of the scent that is often in a funeral home.
So, I guess the question ought to be, how strong a 'scent' of Jesus have we picked up? Is it working like Paul said … do unbelievers feel uncomfortable around us? If not, let's get closer to Jesus.
2Co 2:16 To the latter it seems like the deathly smell of doom, to the former it has the refreshing fragrance of life itself. Who is fit for such a task! (who is sufficient for these things?) I notice that most translations, other than Philips, state the last part as a question, and I think rightly so.
I think the correct understanding is that, after Paul has mentioned the honor of picking up this strong scent from Christ … who is qualified to 'spread it around'? Because in the very next verse he explains why he himself is qualified.
2Co 2:17 We are not like that large number who corrupt the Word of God (pedal it for gain). No, we speak in utter sincerity as men sent by God, Christ’s ministers under the eyes of God.
At that early time in the history of the New Testament church, already Paul says there is a large number of ministers who are in it for the money. Second Corinthians was written in about year 55. This is about 15 years after the new church started on her mission at Pentecost.
Jesus gave this parable: Mt 13:31 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
The kingdom of heaven, (in this case, the launch of the church) … started so very small. They were just a few disciples … but on the day of Pentecost … 5000 were added to the number. The church was becoming a huge tree. But fifteen years or so later, Paul says that a large number of ministers are in it for the money. I think these are like the birds that Jesus mentioned. They are taking advantage of the tree.
We see this in our own time … multiplied. I would like to call some of these preachers, that are like birds in the branches .. buzzards.
Paul is making it clear that he is not in it for the money. He is trying to humbly assert his sincerity. Why? Because there were those in the Corinthian church who were doing there level best to discredit Paul. The followers of Apollos could criticize Paul's preaching ability. Those of the 'Peter' groups, (Also called the 'concision'), asserted that there were only twelve apostles, Judas was replaced by Matthias, therefor Paul cannot be an apostle. He is an impostor, a fake.
So Paul is addressing the 'concision':
2Co 3:1 ¶ Does this mean yet another production of credentials? Do we need, as some apparently do, to exchange testimonials before we can be friends? 2 You yourselves are our testimonial, written in our hearts and yet open for anyone to inspect and read.
The fact that Paul asks the church about the showing of credentials, lets us know that this practice existed. It exists today as well. In fact, to some people (ministers), it is so important to them, that within minutes of meeting them, they have made certain that you are aware of their credentials.
Jesus said this about credentials: Mt 20:25 But Jesus summoned them, and said, "You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. (WEB version)
But, in spite of this, many ministers go right on 'asserting' their worth by prominently displaying credentials. I am thankful for many others who earned credentials as a matter of course, and yet they serve their congregations in humility and sincerity.
Paul was actually a highly 'credentialed' person, but he does not want to display it to the world. He wants to be received simply on the merit of who people know him to be. In spite of what he is saying here, in chapter 11 he lists his credentials any way. He says that he felt forced into it.
In the next verse he points out what true credentials ought to be:
2Co 3:3 You are an open letter about Christ delivered by us and written, not with pen and ink but with the Spirit of the living God, engraved not on stone, but on human hearts.
What could possibly be a better 'recommendation' than to say … just look at my work, that says is all. And yet that sounds a bit like boasting. Paul quickly adds:
2Co 3:4 We dare to say such things because of the confidence we have in God through Christ. 5 Not that we are in any way confident of doing anything by our own resources — our ability comes from God.
What a wonderful example for each of us. Humility has been called, 'the lusterless gem'. But it is precious in God's sight.
The Apostle Peter comments on humility. Even though his words here are applying to 'wives', it underscores the importance of humility in all of our lives.
1Pe 3:3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
We began this section with Paul telling the church to forgive a young man who has repented of his sin. He has humbled himself before them. God exalts the humble. James said, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Jas 4:10
God wanted the church to value humility and repentance and forgive the man. Paul presents his ministry as sincere. He does not lift himself up. Let's allow this to sink in and learn from Paul.
So from this chapter we learn to grant forgiveness to those who sincerely and honestly repent of their sin, to forgive in such a way as to never bring it up again. We learn from Paul's example that we are not better than anyone else because all we are and have … has come from God. We learn that we do not need to put ourselves forward … accredit ourselves because the true testimony of our lives is evidenced by the 'fruit' of our lives, as Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35
2Co 2:5 ¶ Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure — not to put it too severely — to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.(ESV)
From the Philips Translation:
2Co 2:5 ¶ If the behaviour of a certain person has caused distress, it does not mean so much that he has injured me, but that to some extent (I do not wish to exaggerate), he has injured all of you.
6 But now I think that the punishment which most of you inflicted on such a man has been sufficient.
7 Now is the time to offer him forgiveness and comfort, so that a man in his position is not completely overwhelmed by remorse.
8 I ask you to assure him now that you love him.
To whom is Paul is referring? All that we can see here is that Paul is talking about a person from the congregation who is being punished. And this person, according to Paul, needs to be forgiven and given a second chance.
Can we get any more information about this incident? Yes … actually, in First Corinthians 5:1-5 (Philips Translation)1Co 5:1 ¶ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and immorality of a kind that even pagans condemn — a man has apparently taken his father’s wife! 2 Are you still proud of yourselves? Shouldn’t you be overwhelmed with sorrow? The man who has done such a thing should certainly be expelled from your fellowship!
3 I know I am not with you physically but I am with you in spirit, and I assure you as though I were actually with you that I have already pronounced judgment 4 in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done this thing. As one present in spirit when you are assembled, I say by the power of the Lord Jesus, 5 that the man should be left to the mercy of Satan so that while his body will experience the destructive powers of sin his spirit may yet be saved in the day of the Lord.
Here is the scenario: Paul, in his First letter to them, when he heard about the terrible sin being tolerated and by some, boasted about, in the church, he passed judgment. He said to them “Cast him out of the church, dis-fellowship him, and turn him over to Satan”.
Those are very strong words of judgment and also a harsh judgment on those in the church who were arrogant about this.
Remember from the previous chapter, Paul had 'passed by' the church in order to 'spare them' the chastisement that he would be compelled to do, had they not heeded his first letter. But now, as he writes this second letter, he has by now received information. The church has indeed obeyed this command of Paul's and they have cast the young man out of the church.
If you 're-look' at Paul's command from First Corinthians, you might notice there is nothing there to indicate the length of the punishment. It is easy to assume that this evil young man will never change. Get rid of him. And perhaps, even as Paul wrote those harsh words, he may not have been thinking ahead to a 'what if?' What if he is really sorry and changes his ways? (repents)
That is missing from First Corinthians. But the young man did repent. He wants to be restored to fellowship in the church. But it seems that the church is not letting him back in. Why? Maybe just because Paul did not say anything about letting him back in, they assumed that he is out for good.
Without spending too much time on it, let's look at the subject of forgiveness.
Many believers often are guilty of reading a scripture only 'half-way'. Let's not make that mistake.
Here is a scripture often quoted, but almost always practiced 'half-way'.
Col 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
What many believers 'come away with' from this verse is … that we are to always forgive. In other words, if the offender repents OR NOT we are simply to forgive them. But the 'half verse' that is skipped over … as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Ask yourselves the question, How did the Lord forgive me? Did he forgive me without my having to repent first? If that is the case … everybody in the world is saved and going to heaven … because Christ forgave them without their having to repent.
Let's look at some often overlooked words from Jesus.
Lu 17:3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,Lu 17:4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him."
Jesus tells us to forgive. But he also tells us to rebuke. And then he adds a huge IF. If he repents .. forgive.
Let's apply the words of Jesus to the Corinthian church.
“Somebody in your church is sinning grossly. Rebuke him. If he repents forgive him.” Suppose the church ignored Paul's command to 'rebuke' the young man (put him out of the church) … and instead, they talked it over and said, Who are we to judge? Let's just tell him we forgive him, and maybe he will 'cut it out'.
Paul said … Put him out of the church. That is the ultimate rebuke. Put him out … why? So that the church would be rid of the embarrassment? Was putting him out for the churches benefit? No. Nothing is mentioned about the churches benefit.
But there is something mentioned about the young man's benefit. “his spirit may yet be saved in the day of the Lord.” The rebuke … that casting out of the young man … the punishment, was for the young man's benefit.
And it worked. He repented and wanted forgiveness.
When Jesus says that we are to forgive a person 'seventy times seven' in ONE day … don't miss that part of the verse that includes “saying, ‘I repent,” If you forgive without rebuke, and without waiting for repentance … you are hurting the individual.
Ignore what others have said: “You need to forgive for your own sake, lest you become bitter”. Forgiveness is not about you. It is about the offender who needs to come back to Christ. Let us not short circuit God's process … by 'being nice'. God only forgives those who repent and ask him for forgiveness. All the others he is not forgiving. Is it making Him bitter?
Next the apostle reveals another factor regarding his writing of First Corinthians:
2Co 2:9 My previous letter was something of a test—I wanted to make sure that you would follow my orders implicitly.
So, once again … this is why he did not stop in on the way to Macedonia as he told them he would. He had not heard that they had followed his orders. Now he has heard. So now he 'visits' them by way of a letter.
2Co 2:10 If you forgive a certain person for anything, I forgive him too. Insofar as I had anything personally to forgive, I do forgive him for your sake, as before Christ.
11 We don’t want Satan to win any victory here, and well we know his methods!
Very simply, to leave a young man outside the church when he has repented and is very sorry for his behavior and he wants to come back … is to give a victory to Satan.
Spreading the Gospel 2:12 – 3:5
After I passed you by …..
Now Paul fills them in on his activities after he 'passed them by'.
2Co 2:12 ¶ Well, when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, although there was an obvious God-given opportunity, 13 I must confess I was on edge the whole time because there was no sign of brother Titus. So I said good-bye and went from there to Macedonia.
It doesn't take too much reading between the lines to see that Paul had an appointment to meet up with Titus. Where was Titus supposed to be arriving FROM? Corinth. Titus had visited in Paul's absence. Titus would determine whether or not the Corinthians had taken Paul's first letter seriously … whether they had made the changes that Paul was demanding. And then Titus would meet up with Paul and report to him. Paul says that he was on edge the whole time. He loved the Corinthians and desperately wants to hear that they have obeyed him.
2Co 2:14 Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on Christ’s triumphant way and makes our knowledge of him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume!
I think it is wonderful how Paul can look at a situation and see God at work in it. He desperately wants to meet with Titus and hear the news. That did not work out. But he did not miss a beat. He preached the gospel in Troas and then left for Macedonia and simply carried on. He preached everywhere. He said, 2Co 2:15 We Christians have the unmistakable "scent" of Christ, discernible alike to those who are being saved and to those who are heading for death.
That is an interesting term 'the scent of Christ'. Have you ever noticed how we can pick up a 'scent' simply by being in close proximity to the source? If you spend time near frying onions, you can pick up a scent on your clothing that can follow you to a different location entirely. Someone may even make the comment, “Does anyone else smell frying onions, or is it only me?”
Paul seems to be saying, it is as if Christ has a very unique scent, and the closer we get to Him, the more we pick it up. When we are around other Christians we smell it on them. It is a very good smell. It is the very best fragrance we have ever taken in. But when an unbeliever smells that scent on us, he wants to get away. He is reminded of the scent that is often in a funeral home.
So, I guess the question ought to be, how strong a 'scent' of Jesus have we picked up? Is it working like Paul said … do unbelievers feel uncomfortable around us? If not, let's get closer to Jesus.
2Co 2:16 To the latter it seems like the deathly smell of doom, to the former it has the refreshing fragrance of life itself. Who is fit for such a task! (who is sufficient for these things?) I notice that most translations, other than Philips, state the last part as a question, and I think rightly so.
I think the correct understanding is that, after Paul has mentioned the honor of picking up this strong scent from Christ … who is qualified to 'spread it around'? Because in the very next verse he explains why he himself is qualified.
2Co 2:17 We are not like that large number who corrupt the Word of God (pedal it for gain). No, we speak in utter sincerity as men sent by God, Christ’s ministers under the eyes of God.
At that early time in the history of the New Testament church, already Paul says there is a large number of ministers who are in it for the money. Second Corinthians was written in about year 55. This is about 15 years after the new church started on her mission at Pentecost.
Jesus gave this parable: Mt 13:31 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
The kingdom of heaven, (in this case, the launch of the church) … started so very small. They were just a few disciples … but on the day of Pentecost … 5000 were added to the number. The church was becoming a huge tree. But fifteen years or so later, Paul says that a large number of ministers are in it for the money. I think these are like the birds that Jesus mentioned. They are taking advantage of the tree.
We see this in our own time … multiplied. I would like to call some of these preachers, that are like birds in the branches .. buzzards.
Paul is making it clear that he is not in it for the money. He is trying to humbly assert his sincerity. Why? Because there were those in the Corinthian church who were doing there level best to discredit Paul. The followers of Apollos could criticize Paul's preaching ability. Those of the 'Peter' groups, (Also called the 'concision'), asserted that there were only twelve apostles, Judas was replaced by Matthias, therefor Paul cannot be an apostle. He is an impostor, a fake.
So Paul is addressing the 'concision':
2Co 3:1 ¶ Does this mean yet another production of credentials? Do we need, as some apparently do, to exchange testimonials before we can be friends? 2 You yourselves are our testimonial, written in our hearts and yet open for anyone to inspect and read.
The fact that Paul asks the church about the showing of credentials, lets us know that this practice existed. It exists today as well. In fact, to some people (ministers), it is so important to them, that within minutes of meeting them, they have made certain that you are aware of their credentials.
Jesus said this about credentials: Mt 20:25 But Jesus summoned them, and said, "You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. (WEB version)
But, in spite of this, many ministers go right on 'asserting' their worth by prominently displaying credentials. I am thankful for many others who earned credentials as a matter of course, and yet they serve their congregations in humility and sincerity.
Paul was actually a highly 'credentialed' person, but he does not want to display it to the world. He wants to be received simply on the merit of who people know him to be. In spite of what he is saying here, in chapter 11 he lists his credentials any way. He says that he felt forced into it.
In the next verse he points out what true credentials ought to be:
2Co 3:3 You are an open letter about Christ delivered by us and written, not with pen and ink but with the Spirit of the living God, engraved not on stone, but on human hearts.
What could possibly be a better 'recommendation' than to say … just look at my work, that says is all. And yet that sounds a bit like boasting. Paul quickly adds:
2Co 3:4 We dare to say such things because of the confidence we have in God through Christ. 5 Not that we are in any way confident of doing anything by our own resources — our ability comes from God.
What a wonderful example for each of us. Humility has been called, 'the lusterless gem'. But it is precious in God's sight.
The Apostle Peter comments on humility. Even though his words here are applying to 'wives', it underscores the importance of humility in all of our lives.
1Pe 3:3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
We began this section with Paul telling the church to forgive a young man who has repented of his sin. He has humbled himself before them. God exalts the humble. James said, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Jas 4:10
God wanted the church to value humility and repentance and forgive the man. Paul presents his ministry as sincere. He does not lift himself up. Let's allow this to sink in and learn from Paul.
So from this chapter we learn to grant forgiveness to those who sincerely and honestly repent of their sin, to forgive in such a way as to never bring it up again. We learn from Paul's example that we are not better than anyone else because all we are and have … has come from God. We learn that we do not need to put ourselves forward … accredit ourselves because the true testimony of our lives is evidenced by the 'fruit' of our lives, as Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35