5 Now if anyone has caused pain… to all of you. 6 …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.
When someone comes out and asks for forgiveness, that is to say, they are repentant, you don’t need to drag it out any longer or any more public than it already is. The idea of “Church Discipline” (as it is sometimes called) is not to enact a “punishment” on someone, as though we are their parents, no, it is to help them acknowledge their mistake, ask forgiveness from God and those whom they’ve wronged, and then rejoin the fellowship of their church family. Love keeps no record of wrongs… forgiveness is key to the Christian life. Only forgive if Jesus has forgiven you. Has Jesus forgiven you?
