⁵But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree—in order not to say too much—to all of you. ⁶Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, ⁷so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.

Commentators have debated what incident Paul refers to that caused so much sorrow. Clearly it affected Paul and by extension all the Corinthians. In the past, Bible teachers thought he was referring to the individual who sexually assaulted his stepmother, whom the believers were to excommunicate—“to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5). More recently this connection, although worthy of Paul’s writing in our passage today, is seen somewhat tenuously for a variety of reasons. Paul, it is now generally thought, refers to a different incident that was more of a personal affront to him, which would certainly fit into the flow of his present letter. In this case, the issue was dealt with in one of his lost letters to them.

Regardless of the precise identification of the incident, notice the grace with which it is being handled. First, while on the surface the offense seems to have been against Paul principally, it had a spillover effect on all the Corinthian believers—so much so that the “majority” of them joined in censuring the offending individual. Paul certainly appreciated their support in this matter, but he cautions them about excessive punishment. Discipline is needed, but it needs to be moderated by grace.

Too often Christians continue their punishment of offenses in their midst to the extent that a stigma is forever associated with the individual. How many today are treated as “class B” Christians by those who see themselves as “class A” church members, who have supposedly never sinned as badly as the “class B” individuals? In reality, we are all members of that genus of individuals who, along with the apostle Paul, claim for themselves the moniker, “sinners, of whom I am foremost of all” (1 Tim. 1:15).

Discipline must have a gracious, humble end game in mind—a completion, a restoration of the person to full fellowship again, including forgiveness, comfort (help in their daily walk of recovery), and ongoing affirmation of love. This is not just a suggestion but an urgency. There is no time to waste on this, lest the individual be completely overcome and unable to ever recover!

Lord, but for Your grace, there go I. Therefore, Lord, help me to be gracious to others who sin.