To Encourage You

2 Corinthians 2:5 “Now if anyone has caused pain . . .”

Have you ever heard someone criticize others who would have the audacity to voice concerns about certain actions between “two consenting adults”? This attitude is rooted in an idea that was articulated by the British philosopher John Stuart Mill in the 1800’s called “Mill’s Harm Principle.”  This principle holds that the actions of individuals should only be limited to prevent harm to other individuals.  It’s this kind of thinking that many people use to justify certain behaviors for which there is a moral aspect such as the use of alcohol or drugs or various sexual behaviors.  But do such things actually cause no harm to others? 

To answer this, we should ask ourselves who these “others” are.  If “others” refers to unknown persons who are in no way related to or associated with the person(s) involved in the actions, perhaps there is a sense in which certain behaviors don’t actually inflict harm.  However, regarding friends or family members we deeply love, actions that may be viewed as not bringing physical harm to others can nevertheless bring great emotional pain. Such was the case in the community of believers who was being addressed by the apostle Paul in the passage above. 

In this case the one who had caused pain was referring to someone in the church who had been involved in a pattern of sin against God.  Indeed, there was a lot of such behavior in the Corinthian church, as Paul’s first letter to them attests.  Such behavior within a church brings sorrow to the hearts of the other believers, as it does to God Himself (for the Holy Spirit can, indeed, be grieved (Ephesians 4:30)).  In addition, it can harm the testimony of the entire church body, for haven’t you heard unbelievers say, “that church is full of hypocrites!” 

The pain of a believer, when anyone they love is involved in sin – be it another believer or an unbeliever – is rooted, in part, in the believer’s understanding of the truth that no one ever gets away with any sin in the end.  The believer knows that God’s Word states clearly that “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:7-8).  And the greatest sin that brings the most grief to a believer that loves others is the sin of unbelief, for that unbelief, if not repented of, will result in eternal destruction in the end.  It was this pain that Jesus expressed as He wept over the city of Jerusalem, for He saw their coming destruction because of their refusal to repent (Luke 19:41-44). 

Yes, love is a risky thing, for anytime someone loves another person, there is always the risk of pain from either a break in that relationship or actions and decisions that may bring harm to the one loved.  That’s why Mills Harm Principle is based on a lie, for those who love with the love of Christ know that so much of what passes in this world as “that which causes no harm to others,” knows nothing of such a relationship of love.