What does 2 Corinthians 2:8 mean?

Paul's last visit to the Corinthians was uncomfortable because of the actions of one individual. This man's sin caused Paul great distress and brought even more pain to the rest of the church in Corinth. It kept Paul away from Corinth for longer than he planned, required him to write a corrective letter to the church with great sadness and tears, and strained his relationship with the Corinthians even more than it had already been.

It's both surprising and unsurprising to hear Paul now begging the Corinthians to affirm their love for this very man. They had apparently received Paul's heartsick letter in the right spirit (2 Corinthians 2:2–3). They had responded by disciplining this man, and he had apparently repented. Paul now urges them to forgive the man; he even asks them to comfort him to keep his sorrow over his own sin from overwhelming him.

Paul's insistence that this man now receive expressions of love from the church community is surprising only because it is not a normal human reaction. It is—or at least, it should be—normal for Christ followers. Those who have been forgiven ought to embrace those who have truly repented from their sin. It's exactly what God does for all who come to Him through faith in Christ.