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Forgiveness for the Sinner

I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. 10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

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Forgive the Person who Sinned

But if anyone has caused grief, he didn’t cause me any grief. To some extent—I don’t want to emphasize this too much—it has affected[a] all of you. This punishment by the majority is severe enough for such a man. So forgive and comfort him, or else he will drown in his excessive grief. That’s why I’m urging you to assure him of your love. I had also written to you to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in every way. 10 When you forgive someone, I do, too. Indeed, what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I did[b] in the presence of the Messiah[c] for your benefit, 11 so that we may not be outsmarted by Satan. After all, we are not unaware of his intentions.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 2:5 The Gk. lacks much—it has affected
  2. 2 Corinthians 2:10 The Gk. lacks I did
  3. 2 Corinthians 2:10 Or Christ