When You Have Been Wronged

    We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in dispair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast, down but not destroyed; (2 Cor. 4:8-8)

     Some people at Corinth did not like Paul. They were infuriated by his insistence on christian morality and his daring to correct those whose lives proved to be contradictions to their profession. These worldly church members and the judaizers joined forces against him. The man who seemed to be the ringleader was the same man Paul reprimanded in 1Corinthians (5:1-5) for having an affair with his stepmother. Apparently this man was influential. He persisted in his sin, leading an open revolt against Paul and and taking some of the leaders with him.
    Because of Paul's second letter, the church came back into line. They recognized the evil of this man and disciplined him. But in the process Paul was grieviously wronged, both by this man and others in the church. They said Paul had no authority to advise them, that he carried no letters of commendation from the leaders in Jerusalem as they did, and that he had a weak and unimpressive appearance. They also accused him of going back on his word by not visiting Corinth when he said he would. If ever a man was wronged, Paul certainly was. But because of his strong christian witness even under fire, he has provided us with three basic truths that we can apply to our own lives when we have been wronged.

    1. Lessons to learn (2Cor. 2:14)  Any time we are wronged we can learn a lesson from the experience and emerge stronger and wiser. When Paul was wronged he learned three valuble leasons from his experience.
    A. How to triumph over wrong (2:14).  To triumph over wrong does not mean to overcome it or defeat it. Rather, it means to refuse to be overcome or defeated by it. We may not be able to control what others do, but we can control how we respond to the wrong done. There is both a human and a divine side to this victory. If we do our part, God will be faithfull to do His part.
  1. Human endurance. " And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings: (2Cor 1:6)
    An old mule, thought to be of no further use, was put into a deep ditch, and shovel after shovel of dirt was thrown down to bury him. The old mule refused to be buried. He would shake the dirt off his back, pack it down under his feet, and gradually but surely stand higher and higher until, after enough dirt was thrown on him, he simply stepped out of the ditch and galloped away!
    2. Divine comfort. "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ." (2Cor. 1:5). We are not left to face our trails with sheer human endurance alone. The comfort of God sustains us. Between verses three and seven the word comfort ( or consolation) appears nine times.  " The God of all comfort" (v3) uphold us with His compassion and care.
    B. How to comfort others who have been wronged. Our God is the one "Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God." (2Cor. 1:4) Once we have endured suffering and sorrow, we are better able to help others who are struggling with the hardships of life.
    C. How dependant we are on God. "...that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we dispaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead:" (2Cor. 1:8-9)  We have no information about the terrible experience that Paul went through at Ephesus. But he recognized the experience had been beneficial--it had driven him closer to God. It proved to him his utter dependence on God.

    2. Attitudes to display. (2Cor. 1:13; 2:5-11; 3:1-2).   Anytime we are wronged we must realize that real injury is not the wrong itself but the attitude that it creates. Rarely does being wronged cripple us. But we can cripple ourselves by our attitude toward those who have wronged us. Paul portrays the kind us attitude we must whenever we suffer an injustice.
    A. An attitude of openness. " For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we had have our conversation ( conducted ourselves) in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. For we write no other things to you, than what you read or acknowledge; and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end." (2Cor. 1:12-13)
    Some claimed that  Paul in his letters didn't quite mean what he said. Paul replied that there were no hidden meanings in his words. He had maintained an attitude of absolute openness during his entire experience. He had told nothing but the truth, being honest with everybody involved. In the language of today he " called it the way he saw it."
    What are we suposed to say when we have been wronged? We just need to tell the truth. we are not to be vindictive or accusative; we are to be open. And an attitude of openness is always the right attitude during troubling times.
    B. An Attitude of Forgiveness. (2Cor. 2:5-11) When Paul came to Corinth he encountered the ringleader of the opposition. Paul's short visit had been poisoned by the efforts of one man. This man had insulted Paul. Although the man had been disciplined, some church members felt that it had not been severe enough and wanted to impose a still greater punishment.  It is at this time that Paul's greatness shone through. Paul said that enough had been done. The man had repented, and to add more discipline now would do more harm than good. It might even drive the man to dispair.
    Our job is not to render sinners harmless by beating them into submission. Instead, our job is to gather them back into the kingdom of God.
    C. An attitude of innate integrity. (2Cor. 3:1-2). There are two kinds of integrity. "Infused " integrity is the reputation we hope to gain by what others say about us. "Innate" integrity, is the character that is ours because of the persons we are. One is counterfeit, the other is genuine. One is assumed, the other is inherent.
    When we have been wronged, we should display the attitude of innate integrity. We don't have to answer every charge leveled at us. Our life and character are answer enough.

    3. Ministries to fulfill (2Cor. 4:1).  Paul says, "Therfore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." (2Cor. 4:1). In essence, Paul is saying,"In spite of the terrible wrong that has been done to me, I will not be discouraged and I will not quit--I have a minisrty to fulfill!
    Too many people give up when they are wronged. If Paul had been easily discouraged, he would have quit the ministry long before he reached Corinth. We cannot allow the criticisms and ill will of others to distract us from our calling--we have ministries to fulfill. And the more quickly we begin to fulfill our ministry, the more quickly we will recover from the wrong done to us.
    A. The ministry of Proclaiming Jesus Christ (2Cor. 4:5, 7-11; 5:18-20)
    B. The ministry of separating ourselves from the world ( 2Cor. 6:17). Even when we are wronged by professing christians, we have a ministry to fufill. We must not allow offenses to cause us to give up and return to the world. We are called to separate ourselves from the world.
    C. The ministry of dedicating our possessions (2Cor. 9:7) Even if we have been wronged by others in the church, we are still called to dedicate our possessions to God. Our christian stewardship is not unto men but unto God.
    D. The ministry of celebrating our sufferings. ( 2Cor. 12:7-10). Paul says, "...therfore I willl rather glory in my infimities ( weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities (weaknesses), in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:  for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2Cor. 12: 9-10) Paul is saying, " If I am suffering in any way, for the gospel's sake, It will become a ministry of celebration because my suffering will be a living demonstration of the love of God as He delivers me from it.

    When we have been wronged we have (1) lessons to learn, (2) attitudes to display, (3) ministries to fufill. Whatever wrongs we may have faced, we can say with Paul, "Now thanks be to God, which always cause us to triumph in Christ,....." ( 2Cor. 2:14).