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A Brother's Rebuke (2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11)

Scott Kercheville
07/13/14 - Sun PM

How should we approach rebuking a brother or sister in whom we do see sin? The Corinthians had been led astray by boasters who spoke highly of themselves and spoke viciously of Paul. Because of this, Paul’s second visit to Corinth did not go well. One or a few of these boasters seem to have maligned Paul and his motives to his face. What is worse is that we can see from 2 Corinthians 12:11 that the Corinthian Christians sat by quietly. They gave no defense of the one who had fathered their faith and did nothing to the one(s) who harmed Paul. So Paul left Corinth and did not return on a third visit as he had originally promised. Instead, Paul wrote a strongly worded letter to the Corinthians calling them to repent and to separate from the one(s) who had harmed him. This is a letter I do not believe we have in our possession. Last week we saw Paul explain the meaning of his afflictions. Now, as Paul continues his defense, he defends his decision to write a painful letter of rebuke instead of coming as he had promised. 

Rebuking a brother or sister who has sinned is difficult, especially if they have sinned against us. We desire the relationship to be over. We are disappointed and hurt and we are tempted to lash out. But we all know the way we rebuke our brother or sister could be the difference between repentance and rebellion. Paul’s discussion is extremely valuable for us because Paul reveals to us the heart, approach, and words we should have as we rebuke a brother or sister in Christ.