Amen - the closer we get to Jesus, the Light, the more our sins are exposed, so He can cleanse us from all sin as you noted from John's verse above. Paul put the light on the Corinthians and the person who was involved in that blatant sexual sin, all too common in Greek and Roman culture back then, and the important thing is they took action, addressed the sin, and repented.
As blunt and harsh as Paul was to the Corinthians in the first letter, his second letter to them was much gentler and focused on the softer side of God, "...the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3). I remember when my dad would chasten me for bad behavior and send me to my room crying. He would let me be there in isolation feeling terrible about what I had done, but he also would come to me later, provide comfort, and explain why he had to punish me. He loved me and wanted me to become a responsible person of good character (still have a lot of work to do in this area...
).
I think we have the wrong idea about what true agape love is at times. There's this notion that it should be all hugs and praises, but love also requires correction and discipline. As Christians, we shouldn't come down hard on people we love to assert authority, generate fear, and seek to control them. The goal is to highlight sinful behavior and actions to create a sorrow that leads to repentance ultimately like Paul did with the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 1:6-7
New King James Version
6 Now if we are afflicted,
it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted,
it is for your consolation and salvation. 7
And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
We need a blend of praise and pain as Christians. If it's all praise, sin gets swept under the rug. If it's all pain, life is unendurable. Suffering and consolation should go hand-in-hand to lead us to turn from our sins and surrender our lives more fully to God:
2 Corinthians 7:10
New King James Version
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance
leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
The Holy Spirit gives us the power to have a "godly sorrow" that "produces repentance
leading to salvation." The sorrow of the world produces death because it isn't filled with hope and the chance for redemption. Often, worldly sorrow gets rationalized away, and people only feel sorrow when they are caught and punished for illegal and/or sinful actions. Godly sorrow, on the other hand, causes us to take a hard look at ourselves and seek out that change of heart and mind we need to bask in the ultimate "salvation" the gospel offers!