God has a path for us to walk on. Yet there is a ditch on either side of His pathway.
Almost every person who turns to this site realizes that we are saved by grace. But some people think that we mature through our own works. They think that in order to grow, to become more spiritual, we must earn it through good works. This is the error we see in Galatians.
Many fall into the ditch on the other side of the road. They don’t realize that true grace produces good works, which God expects true Christians to walk in Eph. 2:8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Also see James 2.
If we really understand God’s grace then we should not over look and fellowship with Christians who are continuing in unrepented sin. The Corinthian church fell into looking at God’s grace wrongly. They thought it was good to fellowship with people in sin. Today the church has fallen into this same pit. And God Almighty has something to say about it.
As we will see in the Scriptures, ignoring sin is not best for the person in sin. Nor is it best for the lost people the church is trying to reach. Nor is it best for the families and individuals attending the church. Instead of leaning on our own understanding, or following our pastor, or our denomination, we ought to give heed to the instruction of God. He cares about everyone. And only God is wise enough to know how to help everyone involved. He knows how to keep anyone from being hurt.
As a church, we don’t understand everything. But by the grace of God, and in the spirit of love, we are trying to walk out everything we see in the scriptures. We know God’s ways are higher than ours. And we know that serving Him with less than 100% is sure failure. So we are making an attempt to serve Him in faith, according to our present understanding of His Word.
Matthew 18
The context of church discipline as found in Matthew 18 is that God cares very much about sin. It’s easy for us to make light of sin, but it is by no means a little thing to God. Listen. 6) But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7) Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8) Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Verses 6-10 show us the seriousness and danger of sin in people’s lives. Verses 11-14 tell us to make every effort to seek and help those who have gone astray. Verses 15-17 tell us the steps to take when we see a brother in sin. The context reminds us to go to them because we want them to have God’s best. God wants sinners to be restored.
15) Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16) But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17) And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.
If we walk out verses 15-17 with the right attitude, God tells us in 18-20 that we will see the power of God loosed to give us discernment. Jesus Christ will be with us. God wants to miraculously help us establish the truth.
Verses 21-22 tell us plainly not to be surprised when we have to apply these principles repeatedly. We live in a fallen world, and we often stumble. We don’t have to sin, and there is no excuse for it, but in reality Christians do stumble. God teaches us in verses 23-35 to have compassion when we help each other out. We need to realize that we too need God’s help and forgiveness when we sin. God wants us to help each other get back up when we stumble. Let’s not ignore this important privilege, for it is the heart of God. Delivering us from sin is the very purpose of God’s grace.
Verses 21-22 remind me of 2 Thess.3:13-15 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
We all share in the responsibility of dealing with sin. Neither Mt. 18 nor 1 Co. 5 tells us to leave this responsibility to the elders. God tells us that if we see sin in the church, then we personally must deal with it. “Go, and tell him." It doesn’t say “go, and tell someone else about it." God holds us responsible for what we see. He wants us to personally go deal with it.
A lot of times we see someone doing something questionable, and we are not sure if they sinned or not. Going and talking with them about it can help clear it up.
1) They might explain something to us that will help us see that what they did was the right thing to do. This is a good thing. We can now have a clear conscious about our brother or sister, believing they are doing good with God.
2) Or we may go to them and help them see their fault, and they will in turn repent. This is also a good thing. It is worth leaving the 99 sheep to restore the 1 sheep that has gone astray (verses 12-14, our immediate context).
3) Or we may go to them, and show them their fault, and they won’t repent. This is still a good thing, in the sense that they at least have a chance to clearly see their sin. People need to be convinced they are a sinner before they can repent. God doesn’t want people being deceived. He wants us to be honest with each other. This passage doesn’t tell us whether they are lost or saved just because they won’t repent. But it is true that many people are heading for hell when they think they are going to heaven. How loving it is to stand between them and hell and show them the truth.
Even the world realizes that it is good to be open with each other. Otherwise things build up and get out of proportion. Many a divorce could be prevented if the couple practiced open communication. By open communication we mean sharing our perspective and listening to what the other has to say. Merely venting our frustration doesn’t help. And that is not what this passage is talking about.
If the person we think is in sin doesn’t receive us, and turn from their sin, then we are to ask one or two other people to become involved. We are not told exactly who we should ask. We need to seek God about who should be involved. They don’t need to be elders. But they do need to be faithful people, who only want to take the side of truth without partiality.
One reason this second step is done is to establish words. We can all misunderstand things and make wrong judgements. If the person is in sin, let it be established so that they have a clear chance to see their sin and repent. Establishing words will also help protect us from slander.
We may need help to see we are missing something. Maybe the person is doing fine, and God can use this step to show us see they are doing fine, and thus relieve our burden for them. It doesn’t mean we did something wrong to ask for help, and then see that the other person is doing fine. This is a much better scenario than to walk away wrongly judging them as doing bad.
Don’t allow fear to stop you from fulfilling the Word. And don’t shirk your responsibility, hoping someone else will do it. Lots of people don’t go at all, or else they speak behind the person’s back, hoping that someone else will do their work.
If you think someone is doing bad, it will probably come out in a negative remark about them anyway. It is usually just a matter of how and when it will come out. Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. If they did do something wrong, and you talk about them without talking to them, then you are writing them off without giving them a chance to be helped. And you are ruining their witness in front of others. If the person is innocent, you would then be guilty of slander. Besides, if they are doing fine spiritually, they should appreciate your care for them.
Sometimes people don’t do their best the first time, when going to the person privately. They are too vague, and wait until they have another witness to speak their concern clearly. This is not good. From start to finish, we should be loving, yet straightforward. We must use graciousness and humility. It boils down to loving your neighbor as yourself. Practicing the golden rule will answer most questions about how to do the particulars.
God has told us what to do in Mt. 18 and 1 Cor. 5. We should not ignore this and lean on our own understanding. We should obey in faith knowing that God is a rewarder of them that trust Him.
The last step is also important. We don’t know who God might use to help the person change (1 Cor. 12:14-31). We should never give up hope until a person dies. Make sure you let God help you follow all these steps, to the best of your ability. The person resisting truth today might be the person who saves your son or daughter ten years from now. They might be like the Apostle Paul who turns out to be a great teacher and evangelist.
These verses are clear instructions on how to best love our neighbor as ourselves.
When I played sports, I wanted correction because I knew it would make me better. Athletes take more correction from their coaches than the average churchgoer would ever dream of taking from the body of Christ. Most people care more about worldly pursuits than spiritual excellence.
Always remember the purpose of following Mt.18:15-17 is to help the person have true fellowship restored with God and with other believers. We do it that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 1 Co 5:5. It is never to hurt them or punish them. (God can use it to discipline them, so they might be helped in the end, but our goal is restoration.)
If the sin is known publicly, then we don’t have to go to the person privately (as we will see below). Sometimes it may still be better to go to them privately at first, and sometimes it may be better to deal with them publicly right away.
1 Corinthians 5:1-8
1) It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 2) And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3) For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6) Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven [yeast] leaveneth the whole lump? 7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: 8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals His plan to call people out of their sins. He calls us to be a holy (separated from sin) people, because He is holy.
Churches today fall into the same erroneous thinking as did the people of Corinth (verses 2 and 6). They think themselves more spiritual because they accept professing Christians who are living in sin. They think they are proclaiming God’s grace. But the grace of God is to transform a person bound by sin, and make them a new creature who will serve God in the beauty of holiness! This is the grace spoken of in the word of God. (Heb. 12:28) We must call men to receive God’s gift of grace: the power to repent from sin. It is not gracious to see a man bleeding to death and just leave him lying there in a puddle of blood. Grace is rushing him to the hospital to have his wounds mended. After reading 1 Cor. 5 or Mt. 18, no one has an excuse to ignore unrepented sin in the body of Christ.
Most churchgoers find all kinds of excuses for not following these principles. We might say we simply are not able to. God answers this many times in Scriptures. In fact, in the next chapter (chap. 6) God tells us we are able, and He ridicules any other type of thinking.
The truth is people don’t like foot washing. We don’t mind using a little soap and water on our neighbor, but I believe Jesus meant more than just physically washing feet. Washing people’s stinky feet was a lowly servant job. But Jesus, our Master and Lord gave us the example of serving one another even in the difficult tasks. And if you will remember, he was washing them of their day to day sins from walking in this sinful world. When we see our brother with dirty feet, we need to set aside our garment and help him. Jn.13
Some even twist passages like Mt. 18:21-35 to say we don’t need to follow Mt. 18:15-17.
Or a lot of people half quote Mt. 7 to say we should not judge. The problem, though, is that they quote just part of the verses, and ignore the rest of the passage. And because they don’t hold to the context, they end up with the opposite application of what God intended (and thus they end up judging falsely). God is not mocked. He tells us in Mt. 7 to first deal with our own sin, and then we can see clearly how to help remove sin from our brother’s eye. God wants to help us make correct judgements and lovingly help others out. We don’t want someone trying to remove something from our eye when their judgement is clouded because they have something in their own eye. That’s what the passage is saying.
A lot of people think we should “just pray for them". Of course we should seek God in prayer. But isn’t it sad that people would use something as wholesome as prayer as an excuse to disobey the word of God? The “so called" saints have always found religious sounding substitutes for not obeying God’s simple instructions. Mark 7:6-13. Terribly enough, a lot of gossip and slander has been committed in the name of prayer.
If we have the opportunity to help our brother in need, yet we don’t help, then we need to ask ourselves how dwelleth the love of God in us? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 Jo 3:16-18
We do not believe in separating over non-sin issues. We should not separate over personal preferences (Ro 14, 1 Cor 8). If someone wants to be a vegetarian and someone else wants to eat meat, it’s ok. Don’t judge someone as doing wrong just because they do things differently than the way you like to do them. To the contrary, we ought to be willing to flex on issues that don’t matter if it will help the other person out.
On the other hand, we are to separate over any unrepented, ongoing disobedience, to any issue spelled out in God’s Word. God in referring to disobedience to His Word when He says, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (1 Cor 5:6). The point is that leaven affects the whole lump. Thus to not deal with a person in sin is not only bad for them, but for all those around them as well. It’s even bad for lost people to see a professing Christian in hypocrisy.
When God’s Word is presented fairly to a person and they won’t receive it or hold to it, they are sinning, and they are leaven. Galatians 5:9. God will be found true concerning his warnings about the dangers of leaven. Every man that disagrees with Him will be found a liar. Don’t give into the peer pressure of accepting sin. Sins that are acceptable with men are not acceptable to God. We must choose whether we want to please God, or men. Galatians 1:10 says, For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Again, all the law is fulfilled when we truly love our neighbor as ourselves. If you really think your brother is in a bad place then you need to go try to help him. Leave the results up to God. God only requires our best effort in faith with the knowledge we presently have.
We should not go to church just to feel like everything is ok. Because the reality is I’m not ok and you’re not ok. We all need help. I don’t go to church to stay like I am, much less to get leavened. I go to church to get challenged and encouraged to keep sin out of my life (not to feel comfortable in sin).
Not that it really matters, but do you know that if you read church records from 60 years ago or more, you will see that churches practiced Mt.18 and 1 Cor.5. I think it was from these principles that the organized church thought to give a letter when someone moved and joined another church; to prove they were in good standing in the previous church. This helps keep leaven out. Today, with churches trying to impress us with their large memberships, the letter’s purpose to preserve holiness has been lost. Most churches don’t care what your life style is. But it does matter to God. And it should move us to the biblical action He has given us in His Word.
Gal. 6:1-2 reinforces the same point. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. If you’re not spiritual get spiritual and go to your brother in need. Eph. 5:18 tells us to Be filled with the Spirit. That’s a present tense command in the Greek, just as it is in the English. God tells us to go. GO! He will give us what we need to do it now.
Dealing with sin should apply to all men. Most pastors don’t mind quoting 1 Tim 5 where it tells us to honor them and pay them for their spiritual service to us. But few quote the next verse where we are told to confront pastors who sin. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. “Sin" is in the present tense, which pictures on going sin that a person has not repented of yet. God tells is in dramatic terms there are to be no exceptions in who we confront. Sin is too dangerous.
Some try to twist the verse about not receiving an accusation against them but before two or three witnesses. But realize brethren, it does not say we shouldn’t go to the pastor to discern whether or not he is in sin. Receiving means you take it as fact. This passage uses different words but is teaching the same thing as Mt. 18:15-17. In fact in this passage about elders it goes on to tell us in clear, unmistakable words that we must deal with everyone the same. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. (1 Tim. 5:21)
Many people fall for the idea that it is the pastor’s church and no one has the right to correct him before all. This is wrong. The church is to be God’s house.
Let’s use an extreme example to help us see the importance of obeying these scriptures. When church leaders have been caught committing sex with children, and they have not been dealt with, they in turn can continue to hurt others. Other people need to be warned about this man so they can protect their children. The one who refuses to tell others is a coward and is responsible for any future damage.
Even still we shouldn’t rush in to deal with another person’s sin, until we have made sure that there is no unrepented sin in our life, and we get God’s wisdom. Gal. 6:1. But God goes on to say in 1Tim that if we don’t deal with sin in others, we are in essence partakers of their sins. We must keep ourselves pure when dealing with sin in the church. We have this responsibility whether we want it or not. We can’t be neutral with sin, because it’s too deadly.
He tells us that dealing with sin helps everyone have a good fear of sin. And we need godly fear because it is so easy to take sin lightly. (Heb. 12:1). We easily blind ourselves to it and don’t see it for what it is. We could have seen Adam and Eve sin and not think a thing about it. They just ate a piece of fruit they weren’t supposed to eat. Yet every murder, rape, and cruel act came from it. We can not afford to desensitize ourselves to sin by ignoring it in any way.
Dealing with sin also applies to family members. But when you apply this to your family, watch out, because some people will get upset. They might even say you are in a cult. Mt. 18 and 1 Cor. 5 apply to everyone without partiality. Luke 14:25-35. How can we trust God even less with our own family members who are Christians? The cost, unfortunately, turns out to be more than most people are willing to pay.
The church needs to learn the lesson in Joshua 7:1-26. Unrepented sin in our brother’s life can stop us, and the rest of the church, from experiencing the victories God has for us. In fact if we don’t deal with the sins of family members, that we know are hid in our family’s secret dwelling, then we are responsible and have to share in the discipline of the Lord.
We see the opposite of this in 1 Kings 15:11-13 and 2 Chron. 15:12-17. King Asa was perfect all his days. Why? It’s because he went all the way, and dealt with the sin in front of him. He went so far as to destroy his mother’s idol and remove her from being queen. Asa was rewarded with a long and prosperous life, and outlived 7 kings of Israel who did evil in the sight of the Lord.
A casual observer reading through the bible will see, if he is honest, that we should apply these principles starting at home. In the Law, if someone in your own family tried to persuade you to follow other Gods, they were to be killed. (Deut 13:6-11) When Gideon was called to deliver Israel, God told him to start by destroying his Father’s idols. (Judges 6:25,26). In the OT if someone had leprosy they were to be separated from others so that the leprosy would not spread, even if it was your very own mom. Even this was a picture of dealing with sin.
When you see happy children that are well behaved, it is because the parents spend a lot of time with them dealing with their mess ups (in love). All parents want their children to be in control, yet most parents aren’t willing to pay the price. Good relationships require good maintenance. “Not dealing" with things causes bigger problems later on. Ignoring problems is a great way to make them impossible to ignore.
We understand that it takes a lot of work to deal with the errors of our children, and we can see the wonderful difference it makes. But we don’t realize the same thing when it comes to adults in the church. A lot of people try to start a home church and then wonder why it doesn’t work. If people do not take the risk and effort, by faith, to apply these passages, then they will never have the dynamic healthy church family God wants to give them. We see this in Revelation, in the letters to the churches.
Even with Christians, it takes time to work through things. But it really helps people to become better communicators. If your concern turns out to be nothing, then you can receive help to have better discernment. If they are wrong, and they are humble, they will appreciate your help. But most importantly, you will be fulfilling the commandments, by obeying God and loving your brother.
We should not make waves over non-biblical issues. But we should not compromise any clear biblical teaching. We must choose God’s commands over any person, no matter what their relationship is to us: government, boss, parent, mate, etc. If a husband tells his wife not to fellowship with Christians but instead attend the Mormon temple, she must obey God instead of her husband. She should try to appeal in love, but she must obey God.
Concerning marriage, please don’t misunderstand us. We don’t believe a spouse should leave their professing Christian mate because of 1 Cor. 5. God tells us in 1 Cor. 7:14 that He has a special provision for the believing mate so they won’t be leavened by the unbelieving mate.
If one mate goes to a different church than their spouse, they are sometimes looked at as being too critical. If both of them are doing well with the Lord, they should be able to agree about where to go to church. But if one person is not doing well with the Lord, they may want to go to a church where they “feel comfortable" (where no one cares about how they live their life). In this case the spouse who is doing good should attend a church that is not compromising the Word of God. We are commanded to meet in a body that puts away leaven. The believing spouse needs to fulfil that command and go to a biblical church.
People in the organized church understand that a wife should not go to the Mormon temple to worship. But they are not consistent to apply this same principle further for other situations. We must go all the way with God, allowing His Word to be our guide.
We need to do our best to find a solution that does not create conflict. But when we can’t avoid it, we should still do our best to communicate love and honor to the other person. Yet all the while not compromising God’s Word. We, as the church, need to help each another walk this out with God’s wisdom.
Read the Gospels and you will see love walked out in perfection in the person of Jesus Christ. His love compelled him to confront people with sin, and offer them help to get free. This is real love.
We have taken a lot of slander and ridicule from others, that we are cultish, because we follow Mt. 18 and 1 Cor. 5. But let’s get real. Bob Jones and other independent Baptist churches don’t fellowship with Southern Baptists, citing the leavening principle, and the need to be separated from sin unto holiness. And there are other denominations that also do this today. In fact, denominations come about because people draw a line in the sand and say “if you don’t believe the way we do, then we won’t fellowship with you." I ask people who go to church, “do you pass other churches on your way to the church you attend?" For most, the answer is yes. So let’s get real. It is not normally good stewardship to drive past one church to go to another that is farther away, unless there is a valid biblical reason to not fellowship with the one closer to your house.
Sure these verses have been, and will be misapplied. But that is true of all biblical principles. Even lost people admit that two wrongs don’t make a right. We can’t let the fear of failure stop us from trying. It is sure failure to not even try. Believe God and don’t be doubled minded. James 1:5-6.
The main reason people don’t practice these verses is because they know it will bring them persecution. Most so-called Christians don’t really want to get rid of the sin which doth so easily beset us Heb 12:1. Athletes will take correction to improve their game. But most so-called Christians don’t care that much about pleasing God.
When the Corinthian believers did not deal with the member in sin, Paul did. He did this even though he was not as close to the situation as them. 1 Cor. 5:3 For I truly, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed. Notice the most important thing was not where Paul was physically, but where he was spiritually. Paul, in his spirit, was right with them. Most churchgoers do the opposite, and distance themselves from difficult situations.
One excuse I’ve heard often is “they don’t go to my church." If you are both involved in God’s church then you ultimately go to the same church. Let’s not be like Cain who tried to excuse himself saying he was not his brother’s keeper. Gen. 4:9. Neither let us try to justify ourselves asking, “who is my neighbor?" In Luke 10:29-37 we see a picture of those who want to justify themselves for not helping whoever it is that God sends across their path. Jesus taught that who the other person is, or where they come from, does not determine “who is my neighbor". Instead it comes down to who we are in our heart. Are we willing to stop what we’re doing and help? If we have the right heart attitude, then everyone is our neighbor.
And we need to help all the way. We need to believe a person has really repented. If a man stole your wallet, and said he was sorry when you confronted him, you would at least expect him to give back your wallet if he was really sorry. It is good for us to look with open eyes to make sure we don’t see contradictory indicators. We want to see if their actions line up with their words of repentance. We’re not saying you should wait a long time before you forgive someone. We’re just saying we shouldn’t be naïve when there are indicators that the person hasn’t really changed.
Please help us anywhere you see us missing it. Don’t hold back. In love, obeying God’s word, come seek us out with God’s help. We think we are doing our best with what we see. But we want to learn if we have any blind spots.
We have changed on things in the past and will continue to do so as God sends His servants our way. Mostly we hear a lot of criticism behind our backs from people who are not willing to come in love and work slowly through the Scriptures in order to show us what we are missing.
One of the reasons we are laying out our beliefs on this site is so that others can see what we believe, and help us. We like having an open service where any man can speak up if they have a message from God’s Word for us. And this includes showing us our errors. In the average church, someone has to go through the pastor privately, who has total control. We realize that we need openness, where people can easily approach us, to help protect us from error.