The person who caused grief is probably the one referred to in 1 Corinthians 5 who had committed sexual immorality. This was a sin against the whole church. It is common these days to talk about anything being OK as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. This is rubbish. Everything we do affects other people. Every person is a part of the community and as such influences the community. If I do not live in a good way then at best I deprive others of the good I could do, at worst I have a corrosive effect on others.
Paul has called for the man to be put out of the church, handed over to Satan. Now the man has apparently learnt his lesson and it is time to receive him back into the church.
In verse 9 Paul refers to a letter, this could be 1 Corinthians, or possibly the severe letter. Perhaps some people had been so stung by Paul's words that they were in danger of over-reacting. So Paul assures them that in forgiving the man they have his full support.
We are not unaware of Satan's schemes. One of the devil's tricks is to get us to tolerate sin, which is what the church in Corinth had started off doing. His next trick is to get us to become harsh and unforgiving, which is the trap that Paul is now trying to get them out of.
We need to tread a fine line between treating sin as sin and offering mercy to people. This is especially true in today's society where it is highly likely that new people who come into the church will have been involved in sexual sin of some sort, and where the pressures on Christians can be very strong.
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