Forgiveness - 2 Corinthians 2:1-10

If I was to give an overview of chapter 2, it would probably seem scattered, because yet again, I have no idea what Paul is talking about. He clearly was distraught when he had to send 1 Corinthians to them and the harsh, rebuking letter in between. He details his inner turmoil of sending correspondence that he knew would upset people, but being morally obligated to do so. Paul says, “for out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears.” The IM quotes Brigham Young as teaching, “At times I may to many of the brethren appear to be severe. I sometimes chasten them; but it is because I wish them to live so that the power of God, like a flame of fire, will dwell within them and be around about them.”



This is consistent with the counsel given in D&C 121:43 which says, “reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him who thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy.” It’s interesting because in my patriarchal blessing, it says specifically that I will be called up at times to rebuke. This wasn’t really a big deal to me because I have always been pretty hostile, but it has been taught to me pretty consistently that this is only to be done when the Spirit directs.



I have heard of other people who’s blessings have said something similar, so they start all kinds of trouble “rebuking” people for all types of stuff. Watching a girl do this and really irritate everyone was the catalyst for me to really start to think about what my use of this instruction will be and I’m determined to be obedient to the Spirit when I consider being harsh or blunt with someone. Interestingly, I have significantly decreased my hostility toward other people by holding my tongue in check because I wasn’t moved upon by the Spirit to say something. I haven’t had to do it yet, and I’m not super excited about it in the future, but I’ll do what I’m told. The article on this chapter by gospeldoctrine.com quotes Elder Neal A. Maxwell as noting, “But sharp reproof should come as a matter of inspiration, not to meet an ego need which requires putting someone else in his place!”



A man is referred to as receiving “punishment” but it’s not clear about whom Paul is speaking. The IM explains, “We do not know whether the transgressor Paul referred to is the one mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:1 or another offender- perhaps one of the false teachers in Corinth who had opposed Paul and his teachings.” We don’t know who Paul’s talking about, but it’s clear that some sort of church discipline had been administered by the local Corinthian priesthood authorities. Whoever this person was, and really, this should be a general procedure for anyone who might be feeling disenfranchised, not only for the priesthood leadership but the congregants in general, Paul encourages them to “forgive,” “comfort,” and “confirm your love toward him.”



There are so many times when something happens in a ward or stake and the members take sides, I myself have been guilty of this. Then there is conflict between those who have differing opinions, and that conflict drives away the Spirit. I understand that it can be very difficult when it comes to some of the issues, like abuse, adultery, etc. but this is a case for boundaries and love. It is possible to show love to someone without condoning what they did. In fact, many times there are people who are shown kindness through a smile, a friendly greeting, a genuine concern for their feelings, a meal, etc. None of those actions say, “it is ok that you beat your wife.” But they do say, “I’m glad that you’re here, and the future can be bright for you.”



I would imagine that there would be instances in which people who are called to repentance do actually repent, and then there would be instances of those who decline an invitation to repentance. I’m trying to think if our response would be different for people who repent and those who don’t. I don’t think so, I would imagine that it’s all about taking our cues from them. I think part of learning how to connect with people is about having a discussion that is positive not doesn’t bring up stuff that is uncomfortable. This instance is probably for when someone is not in a counseling type of priesthood leadership position or is not moved upon by the Spirit to say something. We have to remember what is our own business, and what is helpful. Don’t get my wrong, I am not an expert on this, but I do think that I can have a conversation with pretty much anyone, and that’s a skill that I learned because I certainly wasn’t born or raised with it.



We all have different roles in someone’s disciplinary process. Some are in the leadership positions, and their role is very defined, some of us are directly affected by what happened and need to create boundaries to protect both ourselves and the offender. And the rest of us, our job is to be kind, and this is absolutely a lesson for me because I can think of several instances when I have not necessarily been rude to someone at church because of something that happened, but I definitely have not been “kind” to them. So this is absolutely a lesson that I need to learn and remember.



At this point in time, Paul seems to be the presiding priesthood authority over the area, and he says that he is going to uphold the decisions of the local authorities. He says, “to whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ.” Again, no idea what Paul is saying here. The article says, “As a general authority (Paul) forgives any individual who has been forgiven by the local authorities in Corinth. He sustains the decisions of the local leaders… Not only that, he has the boldness to grant forgiveness ‘in the person of Christ.’ As an apostle of the Lord, he has the right to declare forgiveness on behalf of the Savior.”



The concept of being forgiven for your sins was always complex for me until I learned more about the plan of salvation and God’s love for us. The article cites a repentant person’s penchant for not forgiving themselves even after working through the issue with priesthood leaders. This is definitely something that I experienced many times in my life. When I first came back to church in 2012, I had to work through some stuff but even after I was back in good standing, and even after I had a temple recommend, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why Jesus wanted me back. After all the terrible things that I had done, all the betrayal, why would he not just be willing to take me back, but actively want me back. It took a while for me to learn who God really is and who I am to him before I could understand and be comfortable with the concept of forgiveness of sins.