If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. Matthew 18:15 WEB
Chapter eighteen of Matthew’s gospel begins with a question from a disciple to Jesus., “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus’ response is recorded in Matthew 18:3-4, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. WEB”
When we follow Christ, God adopts us as his own children. Paul teaches in Romans 8:15, “For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ WEB” Also, in Galatians 3: 26 Paul teaches, “For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. WEB” As children of God, we are brothers and sisters in faith. In love, we take on the humble nature of a child, living in obedience to the will of our heavenly Father.
Loving Correction
Like children, we are subject to mistakes and correction. But it is important to note that it is truly God that corrects us. We read in Hebrews 12:6, “for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and chastises every son whom he receives. WEB” And so, if your brother sins, he has a conscience and the Holy Spirit to correct him. And yet, if your brother sins against you, we remember that we too are flawed while we humbly and in private share our grievance with our brother.
Jesus does not teach us to publicly declare one another’s sins to humiliate them. Rather, he promotes unity by first having a private conversation with a fellow believer who has offended us. Remembering that we are children of God, if your brother sins against you, we are most likely to have a positive outcome if we approach our brother with the love and concern of a brother or sister in Christ, a fellow child of God.
Gain Back Your Brother
God does not want any of his children to fall away from him because of sin. And so, if your brother sins, it is a loving act to address that sin out of concern for a fellow believer. But also, Jesus teaches us to forgive, saying in Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. WEB” Genuine concern and an attitude of forgiveness have great potential to resolve a problem between sincere believers whether the offense was personal or an issue with sin in general. As Christ says, “if he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.”
If the issue is not resolved, Jesus teaches to take one or two people with you to establish the validity of the offense. This is based on scripture from Deuteronomy 19:15 which reads, “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established. WEB” If this fails, Christ teaches us to bring the matter before the assembly of believers.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the clarity of your holy word. Thank you for loving me and correcting me. Give me strength to confront the difficult issues of life. Soften my heart with your love and guide me to humbly share the truth with my brothers and sisters. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: The Lord Our God
