Church Discipline

“The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is
sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that
he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to
reaffirm your love for him” (2 Corinthians 2:6-8).

This may be the man spoken of in 1 Corinthians 5. If not, he
is still a man who has been under church discipline. This discipline has
worked, and the man is repentant. What is the instruction to the church?

·      
Forgive him.

·      
Comfort him.

·      
Reaffirm your love for him.

Why? So that he will not be “overwhelmed with excessive
sorrow.”

We do not see much church discipline today. When we do, we
do not see the restoration of the repentant man as described above. Not to do
this is sin on the church’s part. The church is made up of individual
Christians who do the forgiving, comforting, and loving.

This post coordinates with today’s reading in the To
the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,
please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.