Did Paul offer forgiveness before or after the Corinthians?
Question:
Good day,
If Matthew 16:19; 18:18; and John 20:23 are future perfect participles, would the same logic not apply in II Corinthians 2:10?
That is, does Paul offer his forgiveness before or after the Corinthians?
What did Paul mean by "in the presence of Christ"? Does it mean that he was forgiving sins by the authority of Christ?
Would that mean that men could forgive sins against other men, and these would be forgiven by Paul and this by Christ?.
Wouldn't that be a basis for the Catholics and confession?
Answer:
"But 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. Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes" (II Corinthians 2:5-11).
One major problem in the Corinthian church when Paul wrote the first letter was the man who was committing fornication (I Corinthians 5:1ff). Paul points out that the Corinthians were more affected by this man’s sin than he was. His grief over the situation was shared with the Corinthians. Yet Paul wants to be clear that, by bringing up this matter, he is not trying to add burdens to this man or the Corinthians.
The Corinthians had carried out Paul’s command to withdraw from this sinning brother (I Corinthians 5:4-5). Not everyone did as they were told, but a sufficient majority of the brethren did, and that made their disapproval of the man’s sin clear. The implication is that the man repented of his sins, but the church has so far refused to welcome him back. Paul tells them that the punishment was enough. Now that he has repented, they should forgive him and comfort him (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13). If they don’t they might lose what has been gained as the man spirals into depression over his sins (Psalms 124:2-5; Proverbs 17:22). Withdrawal of fellowship has as its goal the restoration of the sinner (I Corinthians 5:5; II Timothy 2:25). Extending the withdrawal after the restoration has occurred does harm instead of good. They need to demonstrate to this man that their love for him endures.
A major reason Paul wrote rather than coming in person was to see whether the Corinthians would be obedient to God’s commands without being browbeaten into submission. They passed his test. Yet, if he had told them about this in advance, the challenge they faced would have proved nothing. Hence, when Paul realized he needed to change his plans, he did not tell the Corinthians in advance.
Because of his proven confidence in their faithfulness, Paul assures them – and this man who had sinned – that if they forgive someone who had sinned, Paul is willing and able to join them in that decision. Indeed, he forgives because it benefits them. The forgiveness he is telling them to offer and that he offers to join them in forgiving is done in the presence of Christ, indicating that it is done with the Lord’s authority and approval. This change in position answers Paul's earlier condemnation of the sinner: "In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus..." (I Corinthians 5:4). It is not a change in how he views the man's sin, but the man has changed and so Christ approves the change in how his brethren treat him.
Paul's phrase, "I have forgiven," is in the perfect indicative. "The Greek perfect describes an action that was brought to completion and whose effects are felt (by the speaker) in the present" [William D. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek, 2nd edition, p. 225]. Paul is saying that if they forgave the man (finished this in the past), then he also will forgive (in the present). Paul is offering his personal forgiveness, not God's. This has nothing to do with the Roman Catholic practice of confession, in which a priest tells the confessor that his sins are forgiven by God.
A lack of forgiveness on their part would give Satan an opening to damage the church. “Satan would gladly have kept the sinful man in the church; since he has repented, Satan would gladly have the church keep him out” [People’s New Testament Commentary]. Satan is full of tricks and would turn even the doing of what is right into something wrong. Every Christian must stand guard against these tricks (Ephesians 6:11-12).
