“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow”(2 Corinthians 2:7).
TEXT — 2 Corinthians 2:6-11
Message
Most people perceive sickness only as a malady of the body from which healing is required or else death follows. The truth is far more complicated. Physical healing is possible through the efficacy of medicine or prayer and faith. Emotional healing, equally important, is required after the constant grind of daily living creates wounds and strains in relationships. And then, there is spiritual healing, a result of the forgiveness that follows repentance and faith in Christ. Sin is a moral and spiritual sickness with the consequence of eternal death, if not healed.
The man in our passage today had engaged in an incestuous act, much to the chagrin of fellow believers in his assembly. Worse still, he was quite brazen about it until discipline was administered.
The same scenario played out in recent history in what became known as the Watergate Scandal. There were nefarious acts followed by inevitable cover-ups. The entire American society was mortified by the details revealed during the investigation. The burden of guilt was too much for even the exalted office of the Presidency to bear. Guilt is a blight on the conscience. Psalm 32:2-4 reveals the dark despair and emotional torture suffered by those doing battle with the pangs of a disturbed conscience. Some, like Judas, have been driven to suicide. Finally, the barefaced transgressor in Corinth began to crumble under the burden of the weight of church discipline. But even then, forgiveness was not immediately forthcoming from the believers, hence Paul’s advocacy for him.
Forgiveness of offenses ensures the healing of relationships, whether in the family, the church fellowship or even in the corporate world. This is because forgiveness opens the rusted doors of communication, giving chance to emotional reset and a fresh beginning. Perhaps you also need that new turn in your relationship with a spouse, a parent or a child, a friend or an office colleague. Take courage today and go for it. You shall soon discover that the healing benefits of forgiveness accrue to both the receiver and the giver.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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