August 6-8, 2010
2 Corinthians 7
Pastor Paul Glenn
I think that many people naturally hesitate to correct one another lovingly. They may be concerned about hurting the other individual or the relationship, but are most often concerned about looking bad or being disliked.
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he needed to correct several matters in love: church divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits between believers, concerns about food sacrificed to idols, propriety in worship and even taking Communion.
In his second letter (2 Corinthians 7:8-11) we find that his loving correction brought Godly sorrow (conviction) rather than worldly sorrow (condemnation). The end results were healthy change within the church and thankfulness for the truth among everyone involved.
So how do we know if we are correcting other persons lovingly? Your motives are pure if your concern is for their welfare and the possible Godly sorrow that they may feel.
Be bold and encourage them back to the truth of God’s Word.
Pastor Paul points to Joseph and Nehemiah when asked about favorite Bible characters, noting that “…they were gifted leaders and administrators who were raised up by God to do miraculous works that brought hope and help to His people.”
