Corinthian-style Forgiveness Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Corinthian-style Forgiveness-------------------------------- Date: 10/30/2000 Keyword: "forgiveness" "repentance" "sorrow" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: 2 Corinthians 2:5-8* 5. If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent — not to put it too severely. 6. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Questions 1. How did Paul urge the Corinthians to treat their repentant church member?   2. What can we learn from his message in our struggles against Web porn?   Practical help If the last positive thing you heard come from Greece was the Corinthian leather in the old Cordoba commercials, stay tuned for this news flash. In a previous letter, Paul chastised the church in Corinth for allowing a member to bed down with his mother's wife (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). (And you thought your congregation was full of sinners.) By the time of the second letter to the same church, though, Paul congratulates the Corinthians for their disciplined and loving response to the situation. The man had repented. Now Paul recommends the church keep the rebel's feet to the fire to ensure no further transgressions, right? Wrong. Paul prescribes forgiveness and comfort for the repentant sinner, not additional condemnation and stress. But how many of us take the apostle's advice when we turn away from yet another dalliance with Web porn? Repentance is not a time for "excessive sorrow." Turn away, then move on. That's Corinthian-style forgiveness. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2000 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.