In this section, Paul speaks about an offense that was committed against him and in some way, against the whole church. Tactfully, he does not revisit the offense, nor highlight the offender. The readers of the original letter know exactly who and what he is referring to but we are left with generalities. The offender was disciplined by the majority of the church (this implies that some may have sided with the offender or had some other issue with the chosen course of action) and it has served its purpose. The offender also has shown sorrowful repentance and Paul cautions the church against going too far. Discipline may be necessary for a period in order to bring someone to the point of realising their need to repent. But once repentance is reached, forgiveness and reconciliation must be swift to follow otherwise the offender may be left feeling hopeless and overwhelmed in sorrow. Paul wanted to know that they would be obedient in everything, first in his authority to instruct them discipline, but also in his authority to instruct them to forgive. Paul indicates that he has already forgiven the offender and trusts the Corinthians have forgiven them as well. A key reason we should forgive others is that Satan can cause even a situation of godly discipline to gain a foothold (1 Pet 5:8). Forgiveness is not only beneficial for the offender but also for the offended.

Forgiveness can be hard, especially when the offense against us is great. The only way to really grasp forgiveness towards others is to focus on the forgiveness we have received. When we fully grasp how great our offense against God was and how much He did to forgive us (Eph 4:32), then we will be more inclined to forgive others (Mark 11:25). Who do you need to forgive today?