The early church set standards of admonishing those who brought grief to the church. Admonishing was easy. Apparently, receiving those back who had repented was not. Paul goes to great lengths to encourage receiving back in the fold.
"Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."
Condemnation is easy...restoration is not. Is it any different today?
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