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The case of the notorious sinner:
v. 5. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all.
v. 6. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many,
v. 7. so that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
v. 8. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him,
v. 9. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
v. 10. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ,
v. 11. lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
This paragraph is a model of loving, pastoral tact and delicacy. There can be but little doubt that Paul is referring to the incestuous person concerning whom he wrote so sharply in the first epistle, chap. 5:1-5. And yet he writes: But if anyone has caused sorrow. He names neither the offense nor the offender, preferring to suppress the matter which had been adjusted so satisfactorily with the least possible sensation. For the offender, in causing sorrow, did not grieve him,—Paul was not the direct object of the offense,-but to some extent (lest I press too heavily upon him) you all. The apostle had felt the sin only inasmuch as it harmed the Corinthian congregation and thus grieved the entire Church of God. He does not intend to lay a greater burden upon the repentant sinner than the circumstances absolutely require. And least of all does Paul intend to continue bearing a grievance now that the sorrow of the congregation has been converted into joy by the sinner's repentance.
And therefore the apostle adds the kindly admonition: Sufficient to such a one is this penalty, his punishment, on the part of the majority. Evidently the directions given by the apostle as to the manner of dealing with the incestuous man had been carried out, the majority of the members being willing to follow the words of their teacher. Whether, however, the man had actually been excluded from the Christian congregation or had accepted the reproof of the congregation, cannot be determined. At any rate, he had been disciplined severely, he had, in some form, borne the penalty, the punishment of his sin, and was still in disgrace. So Paul calls a halt; enough has been done; the object has been attained. The time for severity is past, leniency and kindness must now be employed: So that, on the contrary, you ought rather to be kind to him and comfort him, lest with excessive sorrow such a one be swallowed. As soon as a full and free confession of sins has been made on the part of the offender, all harshness should be forgotten and nothing but comforting kindness be in evidence. For, unless this is the case, the guilty one may be driven to despair and the entire object of the disciplinary measures be frustrated. Unless the repentant sinner is given the full and unequivocal assurance of divine grace and pardon, he may give up all hope of salvation and all efforts to obtain eternal life, and turn from the Gospel with a heart forever embittered against Christ and the Christian Church. The more sorrowful and downcast a conscience is because it feels the wrath of God and the power of Satan in its state of excommunication, the more glowing should the proclamation of the grace of God in Christ Jesus be made, "Therefore the pastors should indeed emphatically and severely scold and rebuke those that have fallen; but when they notice that they grieve over their sins and want to lead a better life, they should, in turn, comfort and help them, making their sins as small and light as they possibly can, namely, in this way, that the mercy of God, who spared not His own Son, but gave Him for us all, is greater than all sin, in order that those that have fallen do not sink down into overmuch sorrow."
It is in this spirit that Paul writes: Therefore I exhort you to make good [your] love toward him. By a formal decision the guilty person should now be restored to the communion of the Church; in this way their love to the brother should assert itself; as the power to bind had been used by the congregation, the power to loose likewise should be applied. And the apostle backs up his appeal in a very skillful manner: For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in regard to all things. In giving them the instructions of the first epistle, his object had been to make a test of them, whether they would willingly accept his apostolic authority and act accordingly. Now that the purpose of the disciplinary measures had been fully realized, not a trace of vindictiveness would dare remain, and they would surely carry out also the present instructions with equally obedient cheerfulness, they would prove as loyal as he expected them to be.
In order to make them feel that he was united with them in their public act of forgiveness, Paul adds: But to whom you forgive anything, I also; for also I, what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything), for your sakes before the face of Christ, lest we be taken advantage of by Satan; for his devices are not unknown to us. The congregation's willingness to forgive as also the consolation of the repentant sinner are here strengthened by the apostle. The members of the Corinthian church should rest assured that they are using their power, the Office of the Keys, properly in following his instructions, for his own forgiveness in this case is spoken. And they could remember for all times that he would not presume upon an authority over them, he would not exercise lordship over them in such matters. In the form of a principle he states his position that he, in case forgiveness was in order, would concur with them in the absolution. For their sakes and in the presence, in the sight, of Christ, the Redeemer of the world, he would forgive the repentant sinner. And in order not to contradict himself, v. 5, he adds, in a parenthetical sentence: If we assume, granted that I have forgiven anything. It is so necessary to use all evangelical lenience on account of the many snares of the devil, who would be sure to take advantage of the situation by making an earnest attempt to capture the guilty person. Despair would lead him straight into the arms of the devil, the apostle writes, and he had some experience and knowledge of this matter; he was acquainted with the designs of the adversary of men's souls. Far from yielding the repentant offender as a welcome victim to the wiles of Satan, he wanted to use every precaution to foil his advances and frustrate his devices. Note: This same spirit of loving mercy should characterize every pastor and every congregation with reference to every repentant sinner, no matter how great the original offense may have been.