QT 5/12/2025 2 Cor 2:5–11, Be careful of the enemy

2 Corinthians 2:5–11 (ESV) —

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

 

NOTE: Satan is a deceiver, and he can play both sides of a conflict to his advantage. In the one case, he deceives and convinces the believer that his actions are not really sin. In the other case, he convinces the body to be harsh and not forgive the person for his grievous sin.

 

Therefore we should be wary because Satan can be at work even in attempts to purify the church. A situation that requires forgiveness is the time when Satan can work his worst and is the most dangerous. Satan fans the flames of hurt into an inferno of hostility. The next verses demonstrate how Satan schemes through the conflict between fellow Christians to undermine their preaching in the world. [Garland, D. E. (1999). 2 Corinthians (Vol. 29, p. 132)].

 

Church discipline is to designed to bring the person back.

 

I do remember one time when a member who had an affair with a music minister's wife was 'cast out' by the church. He came back to the elders some months later in tears asking to be reinstated. But the problem was, he had done nothing to ease the pain of his former wife nor the music minister. His life was good and he was trying to fix the last part of it. We gave him suggestions (somewhat painful) of things to do, but did not allow him back. To my knowledge, he did not follow through or return.

 

We don't want to be outwitted by Satan. Yes, we desire repentance, but also actions consistent with true repentance.

 

The best defense against the enemy is God's word. We need to be awash in God's word. It won't prevent us from falling into one of the enemy's trap, but it will give us a much better chance of seeing it and avoiding it.

 

PONDER:

Is there a sin in my life that the enemy has tricked me into justifying as okay?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray as David did, search me O God and know my thoughts, try me and test me. Help me to see if there be any wicked way in me. Lead me along righteous paths.