As far as taking unbelievers to court, that's something we always have to use discernment for as well as of course asking the Lord about it at the time. We'd have to know for sure that we weren't doing it to get revenge or to enforce our own "rights" or something like that. We're to do all things in love, including taking them to court if that's what needs doing. Again, I'm talking about God's kind of love, not the world's kind. God's kind of love says that we need to be told when we sin so that we will know not to do it again. His love says that if we do continue to do it, that we'll then have to pay the consequences of it, such as being taken to court. However, the Lord tells us that if we can avoid taking the unbeliever to court, that we should do so. It's only to be done when we absolutely have to do it and there's no other way around it.
The Lord has a number of reasons for telling us that. One main reason is that He wants us to remember that everything we say and do reflects on Him. We represent Him to the world regardless of whether they're aware of it or not. His main interest is saving the soul of that person, and making them part of our family. Therefore He wants us to act and speak in ways that will cause that person to want to be part of our family.
As you know, being a part of the family of God is very different then being a part of a family here on earth. Just as God's love is different from the world's kind of love, so how it's expressed in His family is different from the way the world defines and perceives families and the way they get along and the way they deal with problems.
One difference between being in God's family is that once you become a member of His family, you can never be thrown out or abandoned as happens here in some families. While we may tease each other about being God's "favorite", we also know that God has no favorites. He loves us all equally and His love for each and every one of us individually is so great that He died for us personally. You simply cannot love someone more then that. That too is different then what we see in the world. In the world when problems arise between family members, they react in the same patterns that Adam and Eve did with that first sin. Remember when we discussed that? God's family is very different - or should be. Instead of reacting by hiding, or blaming, or running away, or any of a number of other sinful reactions, bring problems and disagreements out into the Light in love and work them out in a way that's acceptable to everyone. How can we stay angry with a brother or sister that we love and are going to spend eternity with, especially when we know how sinful we are and what the Lord had to do to save us and make us part of His family? There's a number of other differences too but it would take too long to cover them all.
The problem is that especially during these last days, the body of Christ, our real family, isn't acting the way the Lord has told us to. Instead, many are still acting like the world because they don't know any better. Those who do know and are doing their best to love the way the Lord tells us to though, make a big impression on the unsaved just because it's so different from how the world lives.
One of the biggest differences between God's love and the world's idea of love is that God's kind of love isn't self seeking, instead it's self sacrificing. (1 Cor 13) That's how God wants us to love unbelievers too so that they will hopefully want to be part of our family and are one day saved. It's certainly not the easy way to love someone, as self sacrifice never is, especially when the world has taught us since birth to be the opposite.
The bottom line though is that we're to be loving the unbeliever with God's kind of love when we consider taking them to court for something they did that wronged us. There are legitimate reasons to do so as I've said. One legitimate reason is if an actual crime has been committed. In a case like that it would not be right to try and prevent the person from paying their debt to society. Even Paul said that even if he'd committed a crime that was worthy of death, he wouldn't try to get out of it. (Acts 25:11) He didn't say he'd just repent and ask forgiveness and be done with it. To understand why they have to pay the consequences for their crime, we have to remember that God is the one who instituted human government, and He's the one in control. Daniel 4:25b —Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. * Of course, we know that He's in control of everything. Realizing this, we can then understand that whatever sentence the court hands down for the unbeliever to serve, is divine justice and not just human justice or vengeance. Yes, sometimes justice is perverted because people choose to sin, but that doesn't mean that God isn't in control because we know that ultimately God will make sure that justice is served. For the purposes of this, all we need to know is that if a crime has been committed, that is one time when the person would have to be taken to court. For that one we don't even need to use discernment since the Lord tells us that straight out.
It's outside of that reason that discernment would be needed. I would think too that it would help if we keep our minds focused on the fact that God wants us to do everything within our power to live in peace with this person and to be an example to them of how He loves us. Romans 12:18 —If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. * We have to also remember that we cannot expect unbelievers to act like us or to have the same morals and ethics etc. and because of that, we can't expect to always have good results. Instead we should simply do our best to please the Lord by making sure we've done all we can to live in peace with this person. That way, if there isn't peace between you when it's over, it will be only because of the unwillingness of the unbeliever and not because of something you've done or failed to do.
The Lord has a number of reasons for telling us that. One main reason is that He wants us to remember that everything we say and do reflects on Him. We represent Him to the world regardless of whether they're aware of it or not. His main interest is saving the soul of that person, and making them part of our family. Therefore He wants us to act and speak in ways that will cause that person to want to be part of our family.
As you know, being a part of the family of God is very different then being a part of a family here on earth. Just as God's love is different from the world's kind of love, so how it's expressed in His family is different from the way the world defines and perceives families and the way they get along and the way they deal with problems.
One difference between being in God's family is that once you become a member of His family, you can never be thrown out or abandoned as happens here in some families. While we may tease each other about being God's "favorite", we also know that God has no favorites. He loves us all equally and His love for each and every one of us individually is so great that He died for us personally. You simply cannot love someone more then that. That too is different then what we see in the world. In the world when problems arise between family members, they react in the same patterns that Adam and Eve did with that first sin. Remember when we discussed that? God's family is very different - or should be. Instead of reacting by hiding, or blaming, or running away, or any of a number of other sinful reactions, bring problems and disagreements out into the Light in love and work them out in a way that's acceptable to everyone. How can we stay angry with a brother or sister that we love and are going to spend eternity with, especially when we know how sinful we are and what the Lord had to do to save us and make us part of His family? There's a number of other differences too but it would take too long to cover them all.
The problem is that especially during these last days, the body of Christ, our real family, isn't acting the way the Lord has told us to. Instead, many are still acting like the world because they don't know any better. Those who do know and are doing their best to love the way the Lord tells us to though, make a big impression on the unsaved just because it's so different from how the world lives.
One of the biggest differences between God's love and the world's idea of love is that God's kind of love isn't self seeking, instead it's self sacrificing. (1 Cor 13) That's how God wants us to love unbelievers too so that they will hopefully want to be part of our family and are one day saved. It's certainly not the easy way to love someone, as self sacrifice never is, especially when the world has taught us since birth to be the opposite.
The bottom line though is that we're to be loving the unbeliever with God's kind of love when we consider taking them to court for something they did that wronged us. There are legitimate reasons to do so as I've said. One legitimate reason is if an actual crime has been committed. In a case like that it would not be right to try and prevent the person from paying their debt to society. Even Paul said that even if he'd committed a crime that was worthy of death, he wouldn't try to get out of it. (Acts 25:11) He didn't say he'd just repent and ask forgiveness and be done with it. To understand why they have to pay the consequences for their crime, we have to remember that God is the one who instituted human government, and He's the one in control. Daniel 4:25b —Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. * Of course, we know that He's in control of everything. Realizing this, we can then understand that whatever sentence the court hands down for the unbeliever to serve, is divine justice and not just human justice or vengeance. Yes, sometimes justice is perverted because people choose to sin, but that doesn't mean that God isn't in control because we know that ultimately God will make sure that justice is served. For the purposes of this, all we need to know is that if a crime has been committed, that is one time when the person would have to be taken to court. For that one we don't even need to use discernment since the Lord tells us that straight out.
It's outside of that reason that discernment would be needed. I would think too that it would help if we keep our minds focused on the fact that God wants us to do everything within our power to live in peace with this person and to be an example to them of how He loves us. Romans 12:18 —If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. * We have to also remember that we cannot expect unbelievers to act like us or to have the same morals and ethics etc. and because of that, we can't expect to always have good results. Instead we should simply do our best to please the Lord by making sure we've done all we can to live in peace with this person. That way, if there isn't peace between you when it's over, it will be only because of the unwillingness of the unbeliever and not because of something you've done or failed to do.
Just as a reminder of where we left off....Someone has sinned against us and it's such a big sin that we feel that it must be brought to their attention so they can repent and we can forgive them. Did you notice why we're bringing it to their attention? It's not at all the way the world does things. If we were doing it the world's way, we'd be bringing it to their attention to make them feel badly about how they treated us. The world's way is all about us. God's way is all about them. Doing this God's way, our hearts will be broken not because they hurt us, but because they hurt their relationship with the Lord and we desperately want to see their relationship with Him restored. Of course, when their relationship with Him is restored, our relationship with them will also be restored.
When you are dealing with another believer, you already know certain important things about them. You know:
1. They love the Lord just like you do
2. They would never intentionally do anything to displease Him
3. That they will be together with you in Heaven for eternity
4. And you probably have some idea of where they are in their walk with Him..whether they're more or less mature in their faith then you are of maybe at about the same level.
The more mature someone is in their faith, the quicker they'll be to admit their sin and repent of it. (Unless of course there really wasn't a sin but instead a misunderstanding which they're able to explain to you) It's the sin nature that wants to defend ourselves and say we didn't sin, or make excuses for it or blame it on someone else, and the more mature we are, the better control we've gained over that because as we mature we realize more and more just how sinful we really are. Knowing this will help us know how to confront the other person about their sin. We'll know that if they're pretty mature in their faith that we can be more straightforward with them, whereas with someone who's still young in their faith, we'll have to be more tactful so they don't feel like we're attacking them.
As I've had to do this a number of times, and have made many mistakes in the process, hopefully I can help you guys and you can learn from my mistakes. At least that way they won't have been for nothing. i think maybe one of my biggest problems was forgetting that the person I was confronting couldn't read my mind. That may sound silly, but it's true. We tend to think that everyone understands what we're saying and why we're saying it, but a lot of times that simply isn't true. That can cause problems anytime, but when dealing with sin, it can cause even bigger problems because the person may feel that their faith is being attacked or their character is being attacked, even though that's the very last thing you'd ever think of doing. Those of us who live with pain have to be extra careful here as the pain affects our memories too and we may think we told someone things we didn't. This is especially true in this area because we've likely been thinking and praying about it for some time before we actually confront the person, so we need to be careful to always make ourselves very clear. Better to assume that the person doesn't know anything and you haven't said anything then to assume they do know.
In fact, I've made it a rule for myself that no matter what, each time I have to confront someone about their sin, that I do so assuming that they don't know anything at all and that I haven't said anything at all to them before. That way there's less likely a chance of them taking it the wrong way.
Another rule I've made for myself after many errors is that when I've decided that a sin is something that has to be confronted rather then simply covered with love, that I have to wait and pray about it again before taking any steps to confront the person. During that time I check my motives for making that decision and try to put myself in the other persons shoes...I remind myself that the reason for confronting someone is so their relationship with the Lord and with me can be restored and ask myself if there's any way my relationship with this person could be restored without me confronting them about this particular sin. If there is, then I know I don't need to confront them about it.
Keep in mind that while you are not obligated to forgive someone when they don't repent, and in fact, can't forgive them if they don't repent, you ARE obligated to try and bring them to repentance. That's what this whole thing is really about. Plus the whole time this is going on, you're also obligated to have a genuine desire to forgive them and be reconciled with them. OK, now let's say we've gotten to the point of having to "tell it to the Church".
Matthew 18:17–20 —If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. *“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. *“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. *For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” *
Step 4 when the person still hasn't repented. Now you and the whole congregation must treat this person as though they are not a brother in Christ. No more invites to dinner, or going out to play golf or whatever. The point is to treat the person more like an acquaintance. You obviously know them, but you're to treat them as though they were someone you're not emotionally close to. That doesn't mean you can't talk to them at all. You can let them know you'll be praying for them and that you care, but that's about it. The whole point is to cause them to feel the separation from the rest of the family and to cause them to want to return, which can only happen if they repent. Now, it's not just you involved though. If it was, this probably wouldn't work since your relationship with them was already strained because of the sin between you so you weren't talking to them a lot anymore anyway. Now though the entire church is involved. The whole congregation is treating them as though they're just an acquaintance instead of a beloved member of the family.
That can be humiliating and painful if the church members are normally really close and loving with each other like they're supposed to be. In our day though, that's usually not the case, but still, for now we're looking at how it's supposed to be done and assuming that the church does act the way they're supposed to toward each other. What has to be remembered here is that this isn't a power play by the church. It's not done to make the person do what the pastor wants them to. It's done to heal the relationship between the sinner and God and between the sinner and every member of the church. It's to remind them and everyone else that what happens to one member affects all members of the Church.
1 Corinthians 12:26–27 —If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. *Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. *
We don't normally think about ourselves being part of the body of Christ. We're used to thinking of ourselves as individuals and that's what the world encourages us to do. God tells us though that we are each a part of the Body of Christ and that Jesus is the head of that body. Therefore, what one person does, affects everyone else in that body. This is a big deal.... it's much bigger then belonging to a private club. there is an actual connection between each and every believer, just as there's a connection between your hand and your arm. The problem is that we can't see the connection physically so to us it doesn't exist. But it's there, we know it is because God says so. We are one body in Christ. The reason we can't see the connection is because it's spiritual. Look at these two verses:
Romans 12:5 —so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. *
1 Corinthians 7:4 —The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. *
We're not used to thinking of the body of Christ this way or ourselves, but it's true. Just as the wife's body doesn't belong only to her, but to her husband too, so our body doesn't just belong to us, but to all who are saved! Amazing isn't it? That's one reason we're told to submit to one another and put each others needs before our own.
It helped me to think of it the way I do my real physical body. When I get an infection, I'm contagious and that infection can spread to other people if I'm not careful and don't take care of myself and get it treated properly. In fact, even just in my body, an infection can spread from one small area to my blood and my entire body can become infected. Sin is a lot like an infection in our body. When one of us sins against another believer, it can spread if not taken care of properly. That sin can spread in us, becoming bigger, nastier and harder to cure and it can spread to others, causing yet more sin. When we or someone else sins, we lose connection with Jesus, our relationship with Him is affected and so not as close as it should be. Because of that, we can't grow until we've taken care of the problem and repented of it. If we can't grow, that affects the other members negatively too.
Colossians 2:19 —He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. *
This is the part of the whole procedure where those other verses come into play. The ones about binding and loosing and about when two or more agree that it'll be done. That doesn't mean that we make the rules and God follows them by the way. In fact, it's the opposite because neither you or the pastor or anyone involved in this would consider doing something contrary to God's Word.
Matthew 18:17–20 —If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. *“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. *“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. *For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” *
The two agreeing is referring to you and the witnesses you originally called to help you with this and of course the Pastor. (they're still involved as they went to the pastor with you, remember?). To bind or loose here is talking about forgiving or not forgiving sin. What the church decides will be determined by what the person does and what God's Word says is to be done because of their decision. Obviously the sin would be forgiven if the person repented, as that's what God tells us to do. If the person doesn't repent, God tells us to excommunicate them and treat them as though they were someone to be evangelized. So nowhere is this about making up new rules or anything like that. It's simply about applying God's Word in this situation. If the person still refuses to repent then the church says that the person is bound in sin - it agrees with God's Word that the person is bound in sin and put them out of the congregation so that they won't contaminate the rest of the members.
Again, this is not about deciding if we should or shouldn't forgive.... we always forgive when the person repents. Binding and loosing is just repeating what God has already said. When the sinner does repent, then He will be loosed from sin and can rejoin the congregation as a member in good standing for he will be forgiven. When that happens the Pastor will then announce that he has been loosed from sin and welcome him back, inviting the congregation to welcome him back as their brother.
Do you remember when Paul was telling the Corinthians what to do about a man that had sinned and wouldn't repent? Let me show you those verses. You might see them a bit differently now in light of what we've just learned.
1 Corinthians 5:4–5 —When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, *hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Do you see it? Paul illustrates for us here, what these verses we've been talking about mean. He told them that when they were assembled together, so there's obviously be more then two or three of them there, that they were to declare the man bound in sin and excommunicate him so that he wouldn't contaminate the rest of the congregation.
It's very unlikely that any of us will ever have to do something like this, but it could happen.
When you are dealing with another believer, you already know certain important things about them. You know:
1. They love the Lord just like you do
2. They would never intentionally do anything to displease Him
3. That they will be together with you in Heaven for eternity
4. And you probably have some idea of where they are in their walk with Him..whether they're more or less mature in their faith then you are of maybe at about the same level.
The more mature someone is in their faith, the quicker they'll be to admit their sin and repent of it. (Unless of course there really wasn't a sin but instead a misunderstanding which they're able to explain to you) It's the sin nature that wants to defend ourselves and say we didn't sin, or make excuses for it or blame it on someone else, and the more mature we are, the better control we've gained over that because as we mature we realize more and more just how sinful we really are. Knowing this will help us know how to confront the other person about their sin. We'll know that if they're pretty mature in their faith that we can be more straightforward with them, whereas with someone who's still young in their faith, we'll have to be more tactful so they don't feel like we're attacking them.
As I've had to do this a number of times, and have made many mistakes in the process, hopefully I can help you guys and you can learn from my mistakes. At least that way they won't have been for nothing. i think maybe one of my biggest problems was forgetting that the person I was confronting couldn't read my mind. That may sound silly, but it's true. We tend to think that everyone understands what we're saying and why we're saying it, but a lot of times that simply isn't true. That can cause problems anytime, but when dealing with sin, it can cause even bigger problems because the person may feel that their faith is being attacked or their character is being attacked, even though that's the very last thing you'd ever think of doing. Those of us who live with pain have to be extra careful here as the pain affects our memories too and we may think we told someone things we didn't. This is especially true in this area because we've likely been thinking and praying about it for some time before we actually confront the person, so we need to be careful to always make ourselves very clear. Better to assume that the person doesn't know anything and you haven't said anything then to assume they do know.
In fact, I've made it a rule for myself that no matter what, each time I have to confront someone about their sin, that I do so assuming that they don't know anything at all and that I haven't said anything at all to them before. That way there's less likely a chance of them taking it the wrong way.
Another rule I've made for myself after many errors is that when I've decided that a sin is something that has to be confronted rather then simply covered with love, that I have to wait and pray about it again before taking any steps to confront the person. During that time I check my motives for making that decision and try to put myself in the other persons shoes...I remind myself that the reason for confronting someone is so their relationship with the Lord and with me can be restored and ask myself if there's any way my relationship with this person could be restored without me confronting them about this particular sin. If there is, then I know I don't need to confront them about it.
Keep in mind that while you are not obligated to forgive someone when they don't repent, and in fact, can't forgive them if they don't repent, you ARE obligated to try and bring them to repentance. That's what this whole thing is really about. Plus the whole time this is going on, you're also obligated to have a genuine desire to forgive them and be reconciled with them. OK, now let's say we've gotten to the point of having to "tell it to the Church".
Matthew 18:17–20 —If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. *“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. *“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. *For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” *
Step 4 when the person still hasn't repented. Now you and the whole congregation must treat this person as though they are not a brother in Christ. No more invites to dinner, or going out to play golf or whatever. The point is to treat the person more like an acquaintance. You obviously know them, but you're to treat them as though they were someone you're not emotionally close to. That doesn't mean you can't talk to them at all. You can let them know you'll be praying for them and that you care, but that's about it. The whole point is to cause them to feel the separation from the rest of the family and to cause them to want to return, which can only happen if they repent. Now, it's not just you involved though. If it was, this probably wouldn't work since your relationship with them was already strained because of the sin between you so you weren't talking to them a lot anymore anyway. Now though the entire church is involved. The whole congregation is treating them as though they're just an acquaintance instead of a beloved member of the family.
That can be humiliating and painful if the church members are normally really close and loving with each other like they're supposed to be. In our day though, that's usually not the case, but still, for now we're looking at how it's supposed to be done and assuming that the church does act the way they're supposed to toward each other. What has to be remembered here is that this isn't a power play by the church. It's not done to make the person do what the pastor wants them to. It's done to heal the relationship between the sinner and God and between the sinner and every member of the church. It's to remind them and everyone else that what happens to one member affects all members of the Church.
1 Corinthians 12:26–27 —If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. *Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. *
We don't normally think about ourselves being part of the body of Christ. We're used to thinking of ourselves as individuals and that's what the world encourages us to do. God tells us though that we are each a part of the Body of Christ and that Jesus is the head of that body. Therefore, what one person does, affects everyone else in that body. This is a big deal.... it's much bigger then belonging to a private club. there is an actual connection between each and every believer, just as there's a connection between your hand and your arm. The problem is that we can't see the connection physically so to us it doesn't exist. But it's there, we know it is because God says so. We are one body in Christ. The reason we can't see the connection is because it's spiritual. Look at these two verses:
Romans 12:5 —so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. *
1 Corinthians 7:4 —The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. *
We're not used to thinking of the body of Christ this way or ourselves, but it's true. Just as the wife's body doesn't belong only to her, but to her husband too, so our body doesn't just belong to us, but to all who are saved! Amazing isn't it? That's one reason we're told to submit to one another and put each others needs before our own.
It helped me to think of it the way I do my real physical body. When I get an infection, I'm contagious and that infection can spread to other people if I'm not careful and don't take care of myself and get it treated properly. In fact, even just in my body, an infection can spread from one small area to my blood and my entire body can become infected. Sin is a lot like an infection in our body. When one of us sins against another believer, it can spread if not taken care of properly. That sin can spread in us, becoming bigger, nastier and harder to cure and it can spread to others, causing yet more sin. When we or someone else sins, we lose connection with Jesus, our relationship with Him is affected and so not as close as it should be. Because of that, we can't grow until we've taken care of the problem and repented of it. If we can't grow, that affects the other members negatively too.
Colossians 2:19 —He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. *
This is the part of the whole procedure where those other verses come into play. The ones about binding and loosing and about when two or more agree that it'll be done. That doesn't mean that we make the rules and God follows them by the way. In fact, it's the opposite because neither you or the pastor or anyone involved in this would consider doing something contrary to God's Word.
Matthew 18:17–20 —If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. *“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. *“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. *For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” *
The two agreeing is referring to you and the witnesses you originally called to help you with this and of course the Pastor. (they're still involved as they went to the pastor with you, remember?). To bind or loose here is talking about forgiving or not forgiving sin. What the church decides will be determined by what the person does and what God's Word says is to be done because of their decision. Obviously the sin would be forgiven if the person repented, as that's what God tells us to do. If the person doesn't repent, God tells us to excommunicate them and treat them as though they were someone to be evangelized. So nowhere is this about making up new rules or anything like that. It's simply about applying God's Word in this situation. If the person still refuses to repent then the church says that the person is bound in sin - it agrees with God's Word that the person is bound in sin and put them out of the congregation so that they won't contaminate the rest of the members.
Again, this is not about deciding if we should or shouldn't forgive.... we always forgive when the person repents. Binding and loosing is just repeating what God has already said. When the sinner does repent, then He will be loosed from sin and can rejoin the congregation as a member in good standing for he will be forgiven. When that happens the Pastor will then announce that he has been loosed from sin and welcome him back, inviting the congregation to welcome him back as their brother.
Do you remember when Paul was telling the Corinthians what to do about a man that had sinned and wouldn't repent? Let me show you those verses. You might see them a bit differently now in light of what we've just learned.
1 Corinthians 5:4–5 —When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, *hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Do you see it? Paul illustrates for us here, what these verses we've been talking about mean. He told them that when they were assembled together, so there's obviously be more then two or three of them there, that they were to declare the man bound in sin and excommunicate him so that he wouldn't contaminate the rest of the congregation.
It's very unlikely that any of us will ever have to do something like this, but it could happen.
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