ESOCS Devotional 1 October 2025: We Must Forgive As Christ Forgave Us

ESOCS Devotional 1 2025 – We Must Forgive As Christ Forgave Us

MEMORY VERSE:“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow.” 2 Corinthians 2:7 KJV

TEXT: 2 CORINTHIANS 2:1-12

But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. ²For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

³And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. ⁴For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

⁵But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. ⁶This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, ⁷so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. ⁸Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. ⁹For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. ¹⁰Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹²Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,

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The only way to minister with integrity is to have relationships continually maintained by God’s Word. This must include forgiving those who have offended us.

Paul addresses a situation where forgiveness was needed. The person in question had offended the whole church. After he repented, some people in the church did not want him back. Paul wrote that they needed to receive him back into fellowship.

2 Corinthians 5:21 explains the nature of our ability to forgive and be forgiven, both personally and corporately. We have experienced a divine legal exchange of our sin for Christ’s righteousness. No one can receive forgiveness from someone else unless they first remember that they have been overwhelmingly forgiven. We must forgive as He forgave.

1 Timothy 5:19-22 addresses the process for elders. God is impartial, and He asks us to be also. A very similar process is to be followed when dealing with those who are not Pastors or elders in Matthew 18:1-17 and Galatians 6:1-2. The purpose is restoration to fellowship with God and the church.

2 John 6 defines love for God as your willingness to follow His Word. Jesus said the same in John 14:15. The whole process of discipline, forgiveness, and restoration is a test of our love for God, His Word, and the offending soul.

Jesus Christ is the foundation of the process and purpose (2 Corinthians 2:10). Paul’s heart was the same for Onesimus and for the man who offended the Corinthian church. Thinking of all we have been forgiven of, prompts us to forgive (2 Corinthians 5:21). The person of our forgiveness is immutable, omnipotent, omniscient, and impartial. God forgives us, so we forgive others. Jesus would never let this man go, so the church needed to accept him back too. A church who refuses to accept back a repentant believer keeps themselves open to the attacks of a scheming devil (1 Peter 4:8). A church that refuses to start the process does the same. Relationships need to be restored so fellowship can be enjoyed.

CHALLENGES

Does your church body practice church discipline when needed? This is a test of your corporate love for God and others.
Do you accept back repentant believers? When this is a struggle, remember how much God has forgiven you in Christ.

PRAYER POINT