2 Corinthians 2:1–8 (NIV): So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
Hippocrates (ca. 460–375 bc) brought medicine out of the realm of the superstitious and into the light of testing and observation. But he didn’t lose sight of the patient’s humanity. “It is far more important to know what person the disease has,” he said, “than what disease the person has.”
The apostle Paul cared for a church with multiple problems, yet he saw the humanity of each member—including a man who’d committed a sin “that even pagans do not tolerate” (1 Corinthians 5:1). Paul dealt strongly with the “disease,” and the man repented. (Tim Gustafson, Our Daily Bread 15 December 2025)
The quote from Hippocrates is interesting because we always tend to look at the disease and illness, and less the person. Not so much what person the disease had. There is the humanity behind the illness that we sometimes overlook or forget. It’s the same with sin and bad behaviour. We want to get rid of the sin, but we must save the person so we don’t end up throwing away the bath water together with the baby.
Practically, what this means is that in dealing with sin or bad behaviour, we forgive the person and reconcile with him or her once he or she repents. We accept them back into the fold, into the fellowship. Life goes on thereafter. No need to pick on the past or recall the past misdeeds or sins. If God wants to dial back time, there will be much for we ourselves to grieve over.
Good practice also dictates that in dealing with issues whether in church, at work or in the family, always remember the person behind the issue. For example, we save long term costs when we retrench someone but behind him are his wife and children depending on his paycheck to pay the bills and build their future. Or in a disciplinary inquiry, we shouldn’t go to extreme lengths just to secure a win unless we know for sure that what was done was really irresponsible and totally reckless. It was unprecedented that the Federal Court just a few days ago imposed a “cooling period” and requested the prosecution to reevaluate their “strategy” in Syed Saddiq’s case.
Have a good week ahead everyone! Everyone we see or meet may just be “someone else” in our eyes, but behind them are many moments, struggles and even aspirations of more. Not that we need to be entangled in everyone’s lives but be kind and forgiving and compassionate as everyone needs to put food on the table and pay bills.
Ronnie's Thoughts 