NOTES for Co2 2:10-11

For two thousand years of the Christian history many were said and written about forgiveness. And in pre-Christians times, even in the gentile world, the capacity and the will to forgive were a sign of righteousness. The same thing, even in a higher degree, concerns righteousness as understood it the authors of the biblical books: without forgiveness it is inconceivable, and that was known in the people of God for a long time before the coming of Christ. But there is all the same in the words of the apostle something that in pre-Christians times was still inconceivable, so inconceivable that it even came to speak about nothing like that. "to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ". Of course, before the coming of Christ such thing could not be.

And it is of course about not only because the risen Christ becomes the witness of any act of forgiveness, as the moment of the restoration of these relationships, without which the life of the Kingdom is impossible. The words of the apostle suppose something much bigger: it is about the Church, about the body of Christ, its wholeness and integrity. Indeed, it is impossible to retain and assure the unity and the integrity of the body of Christ by any external means.

The laws of the non transformed world admit the existence of human communities, members of which are bound by common opinions or interests, not forming in more a spiritual unity. However in the Kingdom, such kind of communities are impossible, and especially the Church, the body of Christ cannot exist under such form. Here it is in particular the spiritual component of any relationship that comes to the fore. And if someone has something against one of his neighbors, something that can bind the both within the framework of the not transformed world, he will not enter the Kingdom.

Whatever are their relations in the not transformed world, no matter how depth and fertile they may be, without elimination of what prevents these people on a spiritual level, on the level of personal relationships, which is not conditioned by anything earthly, they will not become part of the Kingdom. And on the level of personal relationships the problem is solved only in the act of forgiveness. That is probably why Paul speaks about the intrigues of satan, which are destroyed by forgiveness: indeed, it is in particular the mutual non-forgiveness that separates people from the Kingdom. And the apostle reminds it to the addressees of his message. Remind so that in daily vanity they do not forget the main thing. Do not lose the Kingdom.