What does 2 Corinthians 2:5 mean?

Since his last painful visit with the Corinthians, Paul has written them a letter which caused him great anguish to send. The letter, apparently, called on them to correct a man in the church who seems to have challenged Paul's status as an apostle. Paul hated to write it because he knew it might hurt them. Also, he feared it might bring pain to their shared relationship. Whatever hurt it might have caused, it appears the Corinthians responded well to his letter and set about to deal with the man who was wrongly challenging Paul's authority over the church.

Now Paul writes about this man, carefully describing him as "anyone." If anyone has caused pain, Paul writes, it was not so much to Paul, personally, as to everyone in the church. Paul wants the Corinthians to recognize that this man's sinful challenge to Paul's authority caused a division that hurt them all, as a group. This is often the case with sin. When one believer in a group commits sin, even if it seems like the sin is directed at only one other person, everyone can suffer.

Paul wants to maintain the proper proportion about what has happened, however. He does not want to state things too severely. Apparently, the man had repented. In the following verses, Paul will encourage them to forgive and restore this previously rebellious individual.