“I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.” (2 Corinthians 2:9) When repentance comes, love may be reaffirmed. It must be. It is the correct and beautiful “end of the story”. In 2 Corinthians 2 the majority stand with Paul against a man who had challenged his authority. Paul does not enjoy the confrontation. “I wrote out of much distress and anguish of heart” (vs 4) He does not, however, regret the necessary confrontation. He affirms the church for having the fortitude to stand with him against this man. Thus challenged, the man seems to have apologized and stopped his campaign of opposition. When this happens, and without any trace of resentment Paul leads the church to reaffirm their love so that he would not be overwhelmed. We must be careful that we do not punish harder than necessary nor allow it to continue longer than required. When repentance comes and love is reaffirmed then the circle of spiritual healing is complete. May God give us such wisdom.
