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Wednesday, 4 May 2011

Matthew 18:15-20 - Church discipline

Immediately after dealing with lost sheep, and as if to emphasise that this does not imply "going soft" on sin, Jesus  explains how sin is to be dealt with.
Humanly we know how to either condone sin or to condemn sin, we are not very good at dealing with sin in a godly manner, neither as a society (which swings wildly between the two) or as churches. The Jesus way is to deal with the sin and sinner with a view to restoring the sinner. 
The first step is to point out the sin to the brother or sister, privately. The goal is that the person realises their error, and repents. If this can be done quietly without fuss then so much the better. 
If this does not work then take one or two friends along. This will mean that there is someone else there to test whatever you say, and whatever the "sinner" says. 
If this still fails, then it can be made an "official" church matter. If the person still fails to repent, then they are to be treated as a "pagan or tax collector". What this means is that they are no longer part of the church. Paul talks about handing someone over to satan. If the person does not want to live in obedience to God, then they take the consequences. Hopefully this will bring them to their senses and they will repent, but that is between them and God.
We now get a reiteration of the binding and loosing promise, and the promise that whenever two or three are in agreement. Note the context, it is given in the context of church discipline. This is the primary application of these promises.

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