“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” – Matt. 18:15-17
In our continuing study of fellowship issues in the Bible, let us begin with a passage in Matthew in which Jesus outlines for us the process of resolving conflicts in the church. Remember to go back and read previous articles to get a feel for where we are in this study. The easiest way to do this is to follow along by clicking on the Fellowship category, since all articles dealing with fellowship and Todd Deaver’s book Facing our Failure are contained in this category.
While we will not attempt an exhaustive study of each passage, it is important to note certain features of this passage. First, we should note that Jesus says, “Moreover if a brother sins against you…” What we are dealing with here is a sin that one commits that is “against” his brother. This could be any of a number of sins, such as lying, stealing, etc. Such a sin would also be a sin against God, of course, and a sinner is responsible for repentance before God, as well. If an offended brother does not initiate this resolution process, it does not mean the sinner is okay with God. Just being in fellowship with the brethren does not necessarily mean one is in fellowship with God (see the situation in 1 Cor. 5, for instance, where the brethren in Corinth were keeping fellowship with one who obviously was not in fellowship with God due to his continual sin).
Now, Jesus says that if your brother sins against you, go to him and tell him about it. If he agrees and confesses the sin, then fellowship is maintained. We are talking here about a state of repetance before God, one that we can see explained more in 1 John 1:6-10. But if he will not hear, then other steps are to be taken.
After the third step of “telling it to the church,” if no resolution is found then the sinner is to be withdrawn from and treated as a “heathen and a tax collector.” The word “heathen” (NKJV) is literally “Gentile.” Tax collectors were often seen as traitors against God because they were collecting taxes for the Roman kingdom, and thus hindering the coming of God’s kingdom. So to treat the sinner as a heathen or tax collector would mean a separation from the community.
Some have alleged that since Jesus says, “Let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector,” Jesus ony meant the sinner was to be separated only from the offended one, and not the church in general. This seems highly unlikely, however, in light of the position of a heathen and tax collector in Jewish society. Such a one would not be in fellowship with the larger community, and only shunned by one. Likewise, once the habitual and unrepentant sin was exposed before the congregation, it would then become encumbent upon them to separate themselves anyway (1 Cor. 5:9). Additionally, one who is carrying on a habitual sin and refuses to repent is not walking in the light, as John says in 1 John 1:6-10.
Bottom line: A member of the body who sins against another should be withdrawn from if he has been approached personally by the offended brother and refuses to repent, approached by two or more brothers about the sin and refuses to repent, and is exposed before the church and refuses to repent. Such a condition shows an unrepentance heart that will not confess his sins, and thus he is not walking in the light. It is important to remember that the resolution process seeks to reform, not condemn. Condemnation and separation is a last resort, and the hope is always that reconciliation will take place, as in the case of 1 Cor. 5.
In a sentence: Fellowship can be broken when, after following all efforts outlined by Jesus in this passage, the offender who commits an actual sin is unrepentant.
by Dell Kimberly
28 Mar 2009 at 15:37
Matt,
Is the situation in 1 Corithians 5 a special case? Is this just an example of a “run of the mill” case? Is there anything to be considered concerning the fact that this sin was even repulsive to those outside the church? No hidden agenda, just an honest question. dell
by Matt Clifton
28 Mar 2009 at 18:57
Dell,
Yes, to some extent the situation in 1 Corinthians 5 is a special case. The uniqueness of it is not in the result (withdrawal), however, but rather in the offense. Paul mentions this case specifically because of the severity of the sin, i.e. sin that not even the Gentiles would name. We have to remember that Paul had already warned them not to keep company with sexually immoral people who claimed to be Christians (1 Cor. 5:9), and in v. 11 Paul will add other offenses to the ones that warrant withdrawal. Anyway, we’ll visit that in an blog entry very soon, Lord willing.
God bless you!
Matt