Sorting things out

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 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. 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. 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 an heathen man and a publican. – Matthew 18.14-17

Sadly, conflict is a part of life. Even more sadly conflict is a part of Christian life. Even more sadly than that is the fact that conflict is a part of life amongst individual Christians.

It is a good thing that God tells us how to handle an offence against. What do we do when someone sins and the sins against us?

I like the fact that when Jesus tells us how to deal with it there is a theme that runs all the way through it. Our goal, each step of the way, is that we can be reconciled to the offending brother.

The plan is simple and the first one is vital. You don’t post your issue on Facebook, you don’t start texting everybody. You don’t put pictures on Instagram with subtle little digs. You go alone and address the issue with your brother.

But say he doesn’t respond. Does that give us the freedom to tell the world? What’s next?

We still don’t tell anyone. We take one or two others and try to persuade him. We still want him restored.

If that fails we still don’t tell the world. We take it to the assembly. There, brothers and sisters in Christ seek to help him be restored. But if his heart is still so hard he refuses to repent he is put out of the fellowship.

That sounds harsh, but the goal is still to see him come back. That serious step is a wake up call to help him see how serious sin is.

And it worked, at least once. There was a man involved in a heinous sin at the church in Corinth. He would not repent and was eventually put out, but by the time Paul writes his second letter the man has been restored to fellowship.

The purpose is never to hurt. There is never an occasion for us to go blabbing it to the world. Our purpose if never the hurt or shame or destroy, but to in love sort things out.