2 Corinthians 2:1-17

Unfortunately, sin is a reality with which believers must regularly deal.  Not only do we need to strive to keep our own sin in check, but we are called to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ by helping them in their battle with sin.  The Corinthian church was no stranger to sin.  In the first Epistle Paul wrote to this Church Paul had to admonish them because they were not taking sin seriously.  The admonition must have worked based on Paul’s comments in this chapter.
WE ARE TO CONFONT SIN IN SORROW: Sin in our own lives, the life of another believer, or in the life of the church must be confronted.  This is not usually an easy thing to do but it is a necessary part of our walk with God on this earth.  Sin should always bring about sorrow.  When we sin or observe others sinning, our immediate response should be sorrow.  Too often, it seems that the sorrow people experience is not sorrow over sin, but sorrow over having been caught.  On other occasions, when a believer sees his brother sin, anger or even arrogance is the response.  This is not the way God intended for us to deal with sin.  When sin occurs, it must be faced with a sorrow that leads to repentance.
WE ARE TO FORGIVE SIN IN LOVE: When the confrontation of sin is met with repentance, God calls us to forgive.  The goal of confrontation and discipline as a whole is to bring about restoration.  There is no place in our fellowship for grudges or bitterness over sin from days gone by.  Satan would have us reject the repentant so that he can more easily tempt them to return to their sinful ways.  When we restore the repentant, we bring them back into the fellowship and protection of the body and help to ensure that they will be able to walk faithfully as we move forward together.  The truth is that all of us will have need of this forgiveness on the part of our brothers and sisters in Christ at some or several points in our walk with God.  Since we have experienced the forgiveness of Christ, it should be only natural for us to forgive one another.
WE ARE TO REPROVE SIN WITH TRUTH: It may be hard for us to identify that which is truly sin as opposed to attitudes and actions that go against our personal preferences and traditions.  God’s Word is the standard of truth to which all of us must be held.  Whenever reproof is necessary, it must take place in the context of truth and not just according to the traditions that men have established.  God’s Word never changes and is our only reliable standard for truth.  If we are going to be successful in our efforts to bring about repentance and restoration during times of sinfulness, we must faithfully study and skillfully communicate the Word of God.  Any time we depend on our own experience, human reasoning or our own arguments, we will usually end up complicating the situation.  We must look to the Scriptures and use them effectively if we are going to win the battle against sin in our lives and churches.

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