A Sinner Forgiven

If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate(A)—to all of you. This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. As a result, you should instead forgive(B) and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. I wrote for this purpose: to test your character(C) to see if you are obedient(D) in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we may not be taken advantage(E) of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

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Forgiveness for the Offender

If anyone has caused grief,(A) he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment(B) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,(C) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you(D) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.(E) 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan(F) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.(G)

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