Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT)
Observation
I’m familiar with the phrase that closes verse 11—“For we are familiar with his evil schemes”—but don’t recall ever thinking before about the context in which it is made. The Apostle Paul writes about the evil schemes of Satan, our adversary, while discussing division among the people of God and the need to practice forgiveness.
When I think about that…when I think about Jesus’ own prayer for unity within the church (John 17)…when I think about the growing apathy and/or outright antagonism towards “organized religion” within our culture…when I think about the way we’ve individualized and privatized Christian faith in America, requiring from ourselves little or no genuine connection to other believers…well, I think Paul might be on to something here.
That is, I think he’s right to tie the heart of Satan’s evil schemes to the matter of division within the church. It seems he’s too confident, however, that we’re “familiar” with Satan’s plan. If that’s true—if we are aware—we apparently don’t care all that much about combating it.
But the reality is that the Scriptures always picture faith as practiced in community. I even read an author recently who suggested that specific spiritual giftings are offered more to churches than to individuals. I’m still thinking about that a bit, but in the Scriptures—because Christianity is always practiced in community—spiritual gifts certainly always are, as well.
Which makes the matter of forgiveness powerfully significant as well. Not carte blanche forgiveness for every offense without repentance (the language of verses 5-8 suggests this offense had been addressed), but a readiness to forgive when wrongs have been addressed and corrected. Bottom line (again), North American Christianity knows little of this kind of restorative discipline because we know so little of genuine community.
“Lord, today, help me to value community as You value it; to live aware of Satan’s efforts to divide and destroy; and to consciously pursue the kinds of genuine relationships with other believers that will reflect to my world Your great love.”
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