In this passage of the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses several concerns. He is dealing with the situation of a man who has sinned not only against himself, but also against the Church of Corinth. Explain why he wrote a letter rather than bring them pain. Paul is sensitive to the Lord's leading and, in love, writes to the church encouraging them to discipline this man in love in order to restore him. He exhorts the Corinthians to be obedient and to love man by forgiving and encouraging him. Paul shares with them his confidence in the Lord for the outcome of this matter and how burdened he was for the restoration to take place. He warns them of the need not to allow Satan to gain a foothold in this matter. Finally, Paul places the emphasis on Christ; for it is in Him that we are adequate, thus becoming His fragrance to others. In this passage, Paul first addresses the fact that he did not want to return to the church in Corinth and bring pain upon them again. Paul had a previously painful situation with this church. We are not told the details of the current situation that prompted Paul to write to Corinth, but we know that Paul was very sensitive in dealing with the matter. He did not wish to harm them or bring them pain. The word “pain” that Paul was referring to comes from the Greek word lúpē. This word means to afflict, torment, afflict with pain, or bring pain. We see similar instances where this word is used in the Scriptures. Job said, “nights of distress are assigned to me” (Job 7:3). Jeremiah similarly said, “My sorrow is beyond repair, my heart faints within me” (Jeremiah 8:18). Paul did not want to bring undue pain to the church or cause the situation to escalate... middle of paper... and around us, we can agree with Mr. Sankey, the author of the hymn, faith is the victory that conquers the world. Works Cited Garland, David E. New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001. Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Entire Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 1996. New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987. Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983.Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1996. Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Dictionary for Word Study: New Testament. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000.