Micah Bemenderfer

September 22, 2023

Mark Mark

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 12-13
Meditation Verses: 13:1-4

Thought

Sin should not be so difficult to discern, if every matter can be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. But it requires a clarity of God's Word. If we don't know what God requires or expects, we cannot know if someone has violated that standard, in which case it doesn't matter how many witnesses there are, we can't convict anyone of sin! But Paul is basically stating that if we're clear on what God desires, then it shouldn't be that difficult to determine if someone has sinned (and remained unrepentant). Discipline shouldn't be so long in coming. There is power in Christ, not only to see clearly, but to bring discipline. We hurt ourselves, our communities and the perpetrators and victims of these crimes by not acting quickly.

Application

The only thing that hinders discipline is a community unwilling to cooperate with the discipline. Paul previously said that he was ready to punish the wrongdoers, as soon as the Corinthians' obedience was complete. Not that they become prefect, but that they are ready and willing to carry out sentence against the unrepentant sinner. In which case, the problem is not with the judgment or the judge, but with the community, which values keeping everyone together rather than keeping everyone holy. I have to be willing to lose everyone in order to protect those whom God has called, and to protect the name of Christ. How do I know who is truly called of God and saved by Him? To be afraid of "driving" someone away by upholding godly standards is to pave the way to turning the grace of God into a license for immorality. It's to deny the power of God to convict and save those who are truly His. I need to trust God and deal with the unrepentant.

You should also read: