Among the saints, holding each other accountable for our actions is important. We are one body and when one part suffers, we all suffer. When you wrong one of the members, you wrong them all. Unfortunately, in this day and age of the Laodicean church which only serves God in name, many will not take this act of love and just move to another assembly that will not hold them accountable. However, for those who do accept the correction and repent (change their mind), we, as an assembly, need to be gracious to them.
In the first letter to the assembly in Corinth, Paul had to deal with a situation where the church was boasting about allowing one within their members that was doing something so heinous that even the Gentiles would not do – and that is setting the bar really low.
Actually, it is heard among you a fornicator and such a fornicator that would not even be named among the Gentiles, so that someone to have the wife of the father – 1 Corinthians 5:1
Paul rebukes that assembly for not dealing with this situation properly and even boasting about it.
And you are high-minded and not rather mourn in order that he should be taken out from your midst, the one doing this work – 1 Corinthians 5:2
Having followed Paul’s instructions and rebuking this one and not permitting him to assemble with them anymore, after this one repented – that is truly change the mind and therefore ceased the sin, they refused to allow him back. Paul then addresses this issue in the second letter to the assembly.
This punishment to such a one was sufficient, which [punishment] was by the many, so that rather on the contrary you should be gracious and to come alongside, lest too much grief should devour this one – 2 Corinthians 2:6-7
We do not want to give Satan an advantage over us. Yes, there are times where punishment has to be administered by the assembly to one who refuses to stop sinning. Whether stealing, lying, causing divisions, involvement in fornication, or any other work that is contrary to the Christian life and refusing to stop when corrected, the assembly, out of love, should reject this one until they repent.
Now to whom you are gracious concerning something, I also. For also since I was gracious concerning something to whom I was gracious because of you in the presence of Christ, in order that we should not be taken advantage of by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his way of thinking. – 2 Corinthians 2:10, 11
The point of correction should always be to restore. It should never be to reject. There are times where we mess things up really bad and need to be called out for our actions and corrected, but we as an assembly should never take it so far that a brother is swallowed up by grief because of the punishment upon them. We should seek to restore this one and assist with overcoming the temptation that has caught them, while not forgetting we ourselves are not immune.
Brethren, if also a man is overtaken in some trespass, you, the spiritual ones, restore (knit together) such a one in a spirit of objectivity of mind, scoping out yourselves lest you are tempted – Galatians 6:1
Being gracious to someone does not mean you forget what they did nor allow a person to be in a position where they can do it again. Grace is an attitude whereby we give a benefit without consideration of merit. When it comes to being gracious concerning another saint’s sin, when they have repented of that work, and we are talking true repentance, not saying sorry, but an actual change of mind, meaning they will never do that again and will even seek to correct the situation if God permits, we need to treat that saint as a member of the body and care for them so that Satan does not use our unwillingness to be gracious to them against us, or them. This may include permanent separation from certain areas and people within the assembly, and certainly does not excuse them from the consequences of their actions, but as part of the body of the Christ we are to still allow them to benefit from the fellowship and grow in their Christian life with the saints.
