Go to Offenders

15 “Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Matthew 18:15).

The New Century Version says it this way ~ 15 “If your fellow believer sins against you, go and tell him in private what he did wrong. If he listens to you, you have helped that person to be your brother or sister again.”

Good morning and welcome to the Panhandle, glad you’re here, come on in and hangout awhile. This morning my prayers go out to all those in harms way in Ukraine, and those who have lost loved ones. Also I want to pray a special prayer for our brothers and sisters there serving our Lord and Saviour in many different ways there in Ukraine. May our Lord keep His arms around you special.

Have you ever wronged a brother or sister in Christ either intentionally or unintentionally. Maybe you have had a brother or sister in Christ wrong you. Today’s General Command of Christ Jesus deals with just that, so let’s open our Bible and dig in.

We don’t always practice humility. There are times when, deliberately or unconsciously, we offend others and hurt them. Even the Old Testament Law recognized “sins of ignorance” (Numbers 15:22), and David prayed to be delivered from “secret faults” (Psalms 19:12), meaning “faults that are even hidden from my own eyes.” What should we do when another Christian has sinned against us or caused us to stumble? Our Lord gave several instructions.

Brothers (18:15). Believers are family as well as flock. In any family, brothers do sin against and hurt one another. Here Christ Jesus emphasizes the necessity of reconciliation. The one who is hurt is to confront the other in an effort to win reconciliation. If the offender will not acknowledge his fault others are brought in because there can be no reconciliation without confession by the one at fault and forgiveness by the one offended. In going to another person we show our readiness to forgive. To preserve “little oneness” in the church we must insist the offender face his or her fault.¹

Keep the matter private. Approach the person who sinned and speak with them alone. It is possible that he or she doesn't even realize what they have done. Or, even if they did it deliberately, your own attitude of submission and love will help them to repent and apologize. Above all else, go to them with the idea of winning back your brother or sister, not winning an argument. It is possible to win the argument and lose your brother.²

We must have a spirit of meekness and gentleness when we seek to restore a brother or sister ~ Brothers and sisters, if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin, too. By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ. (Galations 6:1-2). We must not go about condemning the offender, or spreading gossip. We must lovingly seek to help the person in the same way we would want them to help us if the situation were reversed. The Greek word restore in Galatians 6:1 is a Greek medical word that means “to set a broken bone.” Think of the patience and tenderness that requires!³ When I think about restoration I think about old cars. I have watch my brother-in-law slowly and painstakingly restore old cars back to their original “glory.” When he works on a car it can take a year or better to get it looking and running good and it definitely takes a lot of work. But here’s the thing each time he restores a car it is a labor of love.

This is how it is when God restores us and it will most likely be that way when we try to restore our relationship with a brother or sister in Christ. So don’t get frustrated or discouraged, just keep working at it, knowing that that is what Christ Jesus has called us to do.

Thanks for dropping by and I pray that our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus’ blessings on you and yours.

Biblesurfer

1 Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible reader’s companion (electronic ed., p. 620). Wheaton: Victor Books.

2 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 65). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

3 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 65). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.