Introduction Forgiving others is imperative for spiritual growth. Thoughts of resentment, anger, and hatred will weaken a person spiritually if he/she continues to let those thoughts occupy space in their mind. How do we as the people of God deal with the discipline of a person within the church or in one’s life which causes controversy, disturbance, criticizing, even attacking the ministers in the church or members in your family? Also, after judicial discipline has occurred and the person has repented of his/ her actions, how do we as the people of God restore such one? Paul shows in 2 Cor. 2:5-11, how to first allow the Spirit of God to help strengthen a person or the whole church when pressures are all around and within. The Corinthians
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The offending believer should be restored to a point that he loves God and the people of God whether it’s in a congregation, a person or a family member. Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to restore the offender because the person had repented of the sin and he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. There may be a danger of holding bad feelings and not be willing to forgive by other members but the church as a whole must forgive. It’s not profitable for believer to be hard and unforgiving. The result from that type of behavior would drive the person away from God in bitterness and sorrow. Any individual believer which has been hurt, that has strife, or any grievance between two individuals must forgive. Eph. 4:32 states, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you,” (KJV). Forgiveness involves bringing the person back into fellowship with church, person or family members if the person is banished. This would be the only way the believing offender would be comforted and relieved of guilt. The foundation and nature of the church is forgiveness. The church exists because God forgives us. The believers are the church (Eph. 2:20-22; Matthew
The offending believer should be restored to a point that he loves God and the people of God whether it’s in a congregation, a person or a family member. Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to restore the offender because the person had repented of the sin and he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. There may be a danger of holding bad feelings and not be willing to forgive by other members but the church as a whole must forgive. It’s not profitable for believer to be hard and unforgiving. The result from that type of behavior would drive the person away from God in bitterness and sorrow. Any individual believer which has been hurt, that has strife, or any grievance between two individuals must forgive. Eph. 4:32 states, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you,” (KJV). Forgiveness involves bringing the person back into fellowship with church, person or family members if the person is banished. This would be the only way the believing offender would be comforted and relieved of guilt. The foundation and nature of the church is forgiveness. The church exists because God forgives us. The believers are the church (Eph. 2:20-22; Matthew