Matthew 5:23, 24 If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
The relationship between people, particularly members of the Lord’s Church, is important to heaven. The duty of Christians toward one another is so important that our worship is affected by it. While the verses in Matthew 5 speak directly to the sins committed against a brother, I believe the principle of direct, honest and quick reconciliation is also taught.
The first duty a Christian has toward another Christian is to reconcile any sin that might exist between them. It’s an obligation to rectify sin before acceptable worship can be offered to God.
Vain worship results when a saint knowingly refuses to make amends for sins committed against another member of the Lord’s Church. Christ intends on harmony ruling the local congregation, and the entire Church in a broader sense. The command of Matthew 5 is very simple, “Go!” Go to your brother who has aught against you. Go to your brother when you’ve been wronged is also taught in Matthew 18:15-17. Go to your brother when you see he’s been overtaken in a fault (Galatians 6:1).
These divine instructions give us the procedure that God demands in taking care of the sins committed brother against brother. The Lord’s plan is always for there to be a direct, fast remedy for fixing sin in our lives. God’s plan prevents years of hard feelings, misunderstandings that result from various people relating who said what, and countless other problems that plague the Lord’s Church – and hurt our relationships with each other.
Matthew 18:15-20 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
There are many debates that have raged through the years as to whether Matthew 18 applies to private versus public sins. Whatever decision you make about that is unaffected if you apply these principles to all sinful situations involving saints. Suppose a public sin is committed and you go to that brother or sister to discuss their sin. Have you violated any other principle of divine instruction? Suppose a private sin has been committed and you broadcast it far and wide without going to that person. Have you violated any other principle of biblical teaching? I must answer “no” to the first scenario, but I must answer “yes” to the latter. Private correction violates no teaching in the New Testament. Public correction presupposes too many things about the sinful act of a Christian. It presupposes he knows of the sin and committed it willfully. It presupposes that somebody else surely went to them and confronted them about their sin. It presupposes that we have the facts without having ever gone to the brother or sister.
Don’t misunderstand. False teachers and the like are to be publicly rebuked and refuted. It’s hardly necessary to permit a false teacher to spread his message, wait until he’s finished and then seek him out privately before we can make public correction. Souls are at stake. The error must be quickly refuted lest others are drawn away by the false instruction. The principles of the New Testament (including examples) don’t burden us to refrain from any public correction before we can have a private conversation in such cases. Such arguments miss the point of the teaching.
It’s also ridiculous to assume that every Christian is obligated to go privately to every Christian who has committed a public sin before any correction can take place. Whenever we hear this argument it’s usually put forth by the person who sinned or the person supporting the sinful Christian. How often have we heard, “Well, he didn’t come to me” (even though others had and a local congregation may have attempted to make scriptural correction).
1 Timothy 5:20 Them that sin, rebuke before all, that others may fear.
There is no authority in this verse for omitting the first and second admonitions. That the first and second admonitions do actually apply to “public” sins as well as private ones appears from Paul’s words to Titus, “A factious man, after a first and second admonition, refuse.” (Titus 3:10). A factious man is a leader or promoter of a faction, a sin which, by its very nature, has to be public. Paul’s instructions to Titus prove that our Lord’s method, including the first and second admonitions, was honored even in cases like that.
It’s entirely possible to finally bring a matter before the Church (in a public sense) after the first and second admonition. Of course, it’s also possible to circumvent God’s plan and bring a matter before the Church without a first and second admonition. Keep in mind, bringing a matter before the Church is not the same as spreading rumors, backbiting or a host of other sins of the tongue. Bringing a matter before the Church is corrective discipline, prescribed by the New Testament. We understand the Bible pattern for corrective discipline requires us to go to the erring member to make every effort to recover them from sin. The first and second admonition are required before we rebuke the disobedient before all.
Even in the case of the false teacher we wouldn’t immediately carry out corrective discipline to mark and avoid them. We would be obligated to correct their false teaching, but that would certainly warrant that we carry out the first and second admonition before we mark and avoid them.
There is little doubt that various circumstances can exist when it comes to sinful behavior. Our obligatory care and compassion to regain and strengthen each other is captured in New Testament teaching. Christian love demands that we have sufficient concern for each other that we’ll be compelled to go to one another when we see sin.
I believe, however, another principle can be inferred – namely, the principles of making sure our relationships are honest and true. We’ve all seen situations where one Christian talked to anyone who would listen to critical comments about another Christian. This dishonest communication is contrary to the Christian standard set forth in the New Testament. Brotherly love cannot continue when brethren are backbiting and devouring one another. Ulterior motives are always behind such behavior.
How much stronger would we be, how much more united would we be and how much more peace would exist in our congregations if we simply went to one another with the problems we have? If you have a problem with a brother or sister in Christ, go to them. If you have been sinned against by another Christian, go to them. If you have sinned against another Christian, go to them. The two admonitions are clear: (1) go and (2) be reconciled to thy brother. Simple, direct admonition from God’s Word can insure that our relationships are honest and true.
Matthew 5:23, 24 If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
