. [1.] The sin of all sins is to teach another to sin. Deuteronomy 19:15. Be careful, offenses are going to come. to forget His ancient people. How did He treat tax collectors and Gentiles? Those who depart from it, preferring some other way, do so at their eternal peril. Fourthly, The unanimous petitions of the church of God, for the ratification of their just censures, shall be heard in heaven, and obtain an answer; "It shall be done, it shall be bound and loosed in heaven; God will set his fiat to the appeals and applications you make to him." but it was far too much for the young man. The context is interpersonal conflict involving behaviors between individuals, not enforcement of denominational or group doctrinal distinctives. One thing is certain: Matthew 18 does not apply to the systemic abuse of people by ecclesial leaders. that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them to death. John Chrysostom makes this clear in his 4th century commentary: But if he shall neglect to hear them also, tell it to the church, that is, to the rulers of it; but if he neglect to hear the church, It does not seem exactly as a pictorial view of what the Lord was doing, or going to do, but rather the repeated pledge, that they were not to suppose that the evil He had judged in the elders of Jerusalem, or the grace freely going out to the Gentiles, in any way led Him. Handbook on Church Discipline by Jay Adams. The ignorance is wholly on our side: all they say or omit was owing to the far-reaching and gracious wisdom of Him who inspired them. Read the Scripture: Matthew 18:15-18. I say not how fax he had realized this profound truth; I say not that he could have defined his thoughts; but he knew and declared His command of all as truly God. He was there for the express purpose of glorifying God. It singles out seven qualities which should mark the personal relationships of the Christian. (1.) People agree to pray--and pray desperately--and do not receive that for which they pray. It was a grave step this, and in view of His rejection now. Our model for this is Matthew 18:15-18. None the less does the Lord uphold it, purged of what accretions had come in to obscure its original and proper character. Jesus takes it one step further . Jesus says, "That is perfectly true; this world is full of temptations; that is inevitable in a world into which sin has entered; but that does not lessen the responsibility of the man who is the cause of a stumbling-block being placed in the way of a younger person or of a beginner in the faith.". Answer (1 of 8): (1) Preliminary comment: Matthew 18:15-35 is often treated in isolation as the classic passage about church discipline, given to provide rules for running the church and principles for applying church discipline. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. Nothing can be simpler. If there is a mortal sin in many Matthew 18 disciplinary environments, it is alleged gossip and not following all the steps of Matthew 18 to address a problem in a local church. As Christians, we want to treat people as we would want to be treated. So, I believe now, there is no attempt ever made on the Name of the Son of God, there is not a single shaft levelled at Him, but the Spirit turns to the holy, and true, and sweet task of asserting anew and more loudly His glory, which enlarges the expression of His grace to man. Dissent or disagreement is viewed as disloyalty to the group, denomination, or an individual leader. Mt 18:21-22 correspond to Lk 17:4; the parable and the final warning are peculiar to Matthew. But at the same time it is plain, although He bore the consciousness of the vast change He was introducing, and expressed it thus fully and early in the history, nothing turned away His heart from Israel. You're talking about motivation, and the disciples were not pure in their motivations. I forgive you, but I won't forget. he is as a religious person z.''. In this passage there may well be stressed both the necessity of self-renunciation for the Christian individual and discipline for the Christian Church. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. On the other hand, it is not too much to say, that the same Scriptures which convince one unbiassed mind that pays heed to these notes of time, will produce no less effect on others. Matthew 18:17 "the church" does that mean elders/overseers or the church body? This means that it is not only a sin to put a stumbling-block in another's way; it is also a sin even to bring that person into any situation, or circumstance, or environment where he may meet with such a stumbling-block. Jesus was talking about the assembly of His disciples that He was calling out of the world to represent Him that He knew would become a large body. And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them." They sometimes gossip to their friends about the person or sin, causing further derision and disunity. ], PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ( Matthew 18:1-35 ). Besides the general regard God has to the prayers of the saints, he is particularly pleased with their union and communion in those prayers. Let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. I get what you're saying. That is why the Catholic Church has been around for 2,000 years, and the Protestant sects continue to splinter by the thousands each year. Jesus said to him, "I tell you not up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Who are you to hold this bitterness and unforgiving spirit? However, it seems to be going too far to put the offender in a situation in which it would become impossible for him or her to repent and experience restoration later. And I am certain that He is certain that if you take the four hundred and ninety, that you'll lose count before you'll ever get there. The Book of Jubilees speaks about an eternal curse. Up to seven times?" This question is accordingly put to the proof in the ninth chapter. I'm curious about the phrase "tell it to the church." "I will build my church." The church belongs to Jesus. Matthew has already used this saying of Jesus in a different context in Matthew 5:30. He doth not say, "If you shall agree to sentence and decree a thing, it shall be done" (as if ministers were judges and lords); but, "If you agree to ask it of God, from him you shall obtain it." This sets forth not at all the way in which the Christian stands related to Christ; for even though we had known Him after the flesh, henceforth know we Him no more. When God intends special answers to prayer, he calls for a solemn assembly, Joel 2:15; Joel 2:16. At 18:6 He shifts and talks about interpersonal trespassesoffenses literally: scandals. He also gives Peter the keys of the kingdom, as we see afterwards. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. In the reception of the little children this is plain; it is not so generally seen in what follows. Great sins often amuse conscience, and for the present stupify and silence it; and there is need of help to awaken it. In the context of Matthew 18:15-20, we see that the sin is personal, private, and the person guilty of the offense is personally accessible. "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David!" And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. how is it that ye have no faith? This is a sin-stained world and a tempting world; no one can go out into it without meeting seductions to sin. The sheep might be foolish but the shepherd would still risk his life to save it. On It is the love which seeks and saves. In Matthew 18:17, Jesus' instructions on the brother who sins reach a climax: If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. "Oh, I forgive you, but you do that again, you're going to get it. This was a, In todays context, in our own various models of. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe here to receive blog publication notifcations in your email inbox. Grace forms the hearts of those that understand it, according to the great manifestation of what God is, and what man is, too, given us in the person of Christ. The Church, which is His body and bride, has a far more intimate place, even though true of the same persons. If this be a sound judgment, the comparison of the first chapter of Mark affords decisive evidence that the Holy Ghost in Matthew has taken the leper out of the mere time and circumstances of actual occurrence, and has reserved his case for a wholly different service. He had a baby son who was his heir; and, before he departed, he made his barons and nobles come and swear fealty to the little infant, in the event of anything happening to himself They came with their waving plumes and their clanking armour and knelt before the child. It is evident that the bodily presence of the Messiah is the very essence of the former scene, as it ought to be in dealing with the leper, who is a kind of type of what Israel should have been in seeking cleansing at His hands. that take and give unto them for me and thee." Their angels hold their faces before the Father continually, and He isn't willing that any perish. 2. And besides, this is given, not as a rule to the church, but as advice to the offended person, how to behave towards the offender: after he has come under the cognizance, reproof, and censure of the church, he is to look upon him as the Jews did one that disregarded both private reproof by a man's self, and that which was in the presence of one or two more, , "a worthless friend", or neighbour; as a Gentile, with whom the Jews had neither religious nor civil conversation; and a "publican", or as Munster's Hebrew Gospel reads it, "a notorious sinner", as a publican was accounted: hence such are often joined together, and with whom the Jews might not eat, nor keep any friendly and familiar acquaintance: and so such that have been privately admonished and publicly rebuked, without success, their company is to be shunned, and intimate friendship with them to be avoided. Churches that want to follow Jesus Christ desire to follow the tenets of the Bible. You are the most practical spiritual person I have known. Can we press behind it and come to the actual commandment of Jesus? The Lord is saying it's got to be more than just a forgiving of words. - Augustine Sermon 82.7. God is like that; God cannot be happy until the last wanderer is gathered in. Matthew 18:15-17 New International Version Dealing With Sin in the Church 15 "If your brother or sister[ a] sins,[ b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. In the next discourse we may hope to have the rest of his gospel. Gentile and a tax collector. Dont consider him now in the number The first question a leader should ask is, have you brought your concerns directly to the person?. I am so thankful I have discovered your site and books. God is one and His Church is one. 15 "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. He is talking about behaviors of a scandalous nature between individuals that would breach the community shalom: corporate well-being. If Christ (who here speaks as one having authority) say, "It shall be done," we may be assured that it is done, though we see not the effect in the way that we look for it. Is there a proper earth ground point in this switch box? Jesus further specifies what this means in the following verse: "Whoever humbles themselves like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4). On being asked why, he answered. "And He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His own city." If the person with the concern has confronted the other, and that person denies it or the sins severity, take the next step and intervene on their behalf. Anyone who thinks he or she might be prophetic, or works or lives with someone who is, should attend this seminar. How did He treat tax collectors and Gentiles? It brings me to the real crisis; that is, the final presentation of our lord to Jerusalem. When we point out someone else's sin, we are allowing ourselves to partner with God in caring for our church brothers and sisters enough to help them grow in their spiritual maturity. The people might have failed, but, surely, there were some differences surely those that were honoured and valued were not so depraved! It is only after careful prayer and consideration for the other person should we go to and point out their sin in the hopes they will be restored. He didnt blackball them. God used this love-inflicted wound to move him to repentance ( Proverbs 27:6 ). By extending grace, forgiveness, and table fellowship to them. (i) It can mean for my sake. Whatever the time may have been, whatever the incidents added by others, the account is given here for the purpose of showing, that as Israel's case was desperate, even unto death, so He, the Messiah, was the giver of life, when all, humanly speaking, was over. Peter expected to be warmly commended; but Jesus's answer was that the Christian must forgive seventy times seven. In this he had laboured, as he said, from his youth up: "What lack I yet?" If there is found in your midst, in any of your towns, which the Here is a very revealing question, followed by a very revealing answer. He that humbles himself shall be exalted"( Luke 14:11 ). Legalism merely produces further trouble. In Judaea it was tragically easy for sheep to go astray. At Matthew 5:22 Jesus refers to being called before the council. That was the Jewish Sanhedrinthe elders who adjudicated issues of the Mosaic Law. (Compare Mark 3:13-19, andMark 6:7-11; Mark 6:7-11; Luke 6:1-49; Luke 9:1-62) The mission of the apostles did not take place till afterwards. Note, Church discipline is for church members. The "you" in the Greek text is singular indicating that the initiator is a single individual and the sphere of life Jesus had in mind throughout this section was interpersonal relations (cf. It is true that in this particular instance Mark no more surrounds the leper with notes of time and place than do Matthew and Luke. If not, then Jesus words would mean little. And Jesus wanted it to be. Oh, for grace so to bow and bless God, even when our little travail seems in vain! Most churches today take a more grace-based approach to sin. When they get into trouble, we are apt to say, "It's their own fault; they brought it on themselves; don't waste any sympathy on fools." My object, of course, is to point out as clearly as possible the structure of the gospel, and to explain according to my measure why there are these strong differences between the gospels of Matthew and the rest, as compared with one another. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and he freed him, and he forgave him the debt. Surely, had he seen this, everything was there; but he saw it not, and so the Lord spread out His actual portion, as it literally was, without one word about the unseen and eternal. ., p. This verse is a tough pill for Protestants to swallow. In fact, even the mothers of the disciples sometimes got in on this. One passage, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" (16:18), has become the basis of Roman Catholic belief in the divine institution of the papacy. According to Matthew 16:18, what is the relationship between the NT church and OT church? But to talk matters over with some wise and kindly and gracious people present is to create a new atmosphere in which there is at least a chance that we should see ourselves "as others see us." Again, when we listen to another (and now it is one of His disciples), at once faith shows its feebleness. neg. Only tradition will not do this work, nor will human thoughts or feelings. Matthew 18:15-20 The New King James Version (NKJV) 15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. (iv) The love of God is a rejoicing love. Sounds like the Mafia here, but I am all for it. It is enough to meet a difficulty which many feel by the simple plea that the reason assigned is in my judgment a valid explanation, and in itself a sufficient solution of the apparent discrepancy. Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven ( Matthew 18:22 ). They confess their faith, and He touches their eyes. After this, dismissing the multitudes, He retires alone, to pray, on a mountain, as the disciples toil over the storm-tossed lake, the wind being contrary. A number of intriguing observations come up as we read through Matthew 18 more carefully. In Galatians 2:11 what is meant by "I opposed him to his face"? The sheep has no one but itself to blame for the danger it had got itself into. The Lord, however, in the same chapter, shows that it was not a question alone of what was to be done, or to be suffered, or is to be by-and-by, but what He was, and is, and never can but be. We don't want to go through the pain of it. Verse 15: "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.". 18:1-4 On that day the disciples came to Jesus. We have been forgiven a debt which is beyond all paying--for the sin of man brought about the death of God's own Son--and, if that is so, we must forgive others as God has forgiven us, or we can hope to find no mercy. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." But the mission is given here in strict accordance with what the gospel demands. Here, too, these Pharisees question and reproach His grace, when they see the Lord sitting at ease in the presence of publicans and sinners, who came and sat down with Him in Matthew's house. See 2 Chronicles 5:13; Acts 4:31. We are dealing in these passages with civil/criminal trespasses in a Mosaic context. As we have often seen, it is Matthew's consistent custom to gather together the teaching of Jesus under certain great heads; he arranges it systematically. They were the great congregation and church, in the midst of which Christ sung praise to his Father: and since the whole of this advice, and these excellent rules are given to them, and they are spoken of in the next verse, as having the power of binding and loosing, they may well be thought to be meant here; and that the design of Christ is, to instruct them how to behave, in case of offence to one another; that the reproof should be first private, and if it did not succeed, to be made before one or two more; and if that did not do, the whole body was to be acquainted with it; and which rules hold good, and are to be observed by all Christian men and churches, in all ages: though no doubt but allusion is made to the Jewish customs, in rebuking before the multitude, or carrying of a private case, after all other means used were ineffectual, to the sanhedrim. Here we have what was Jesus' favourite picture of God and of God's love. As James had it, "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy" ( James 2:13). It was for ever accursed, because it was the place where, in the days of the kingdom, the renegade Jews had sacrificed their children in the fire to the pagan god Moloch. And his lord was angry, and delivered him over to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due from him. So often we accept a man who is penitent with a moral lecture and a clear indication that he must regard himself as contemptible, and the practical statement that we have no further use for him and do not propose to trust him ever again. Of course, both do preserve chronological order when it is compatible with the objects the Holy Spirit had in inspiring them; but in both the order of time is subordinated to still greater purposes which God had in view. But here pardon dispensed on earth arouses the pride of the religious leaders to the quick, and implacably. If he were willing to follow the Lord, it was for what he could get. We are not meant to pray only for our own needs, thinking of nothing and no one but ourselves; we are meant to pray as members of a fellowship, in agreement, remembering that life and the world are not arranged for us as individuals but for the fellowship as a whole. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. All will not be the wise that understand, nor those who instruct the mass in righteousness. There Jesus says, "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. This is both a startling grant of authority and a warning to the disciples. To the Jew it was the symbol of utter destruction. Those that were priests in the house of God would not they at least receive their own Messiah? I cant tell you how much your blog posts have meant to me. The Lord now lets them know their mad folly, and warns them that this blasphemy was about to culminate in a still deeper, deadlier form when the Holy Ghost should be spoken against as He had been.
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