So, here we are in the third step of the Matthew 18 process. If you have reached this step, you have already gone to the person one on one to share your hurt with them, in a humble way, taking the L.O.G. Out of your own eye and bringing to attention the area of sin you feel they may have committed. If they do not listen to you, you go again, this tame taking one or two other trusted, confidence keeping, wise, and discerning brothers or sisters. If, and only if that takes place does this situation become public knowledge. Let’s read the whole text again. Matthew 18:15-20
So, here we have Jesus telling us the third step of what to do if someone sins against you. You tell it to the church. This is a very difficult text to figure out in light of our culture. We live in a culture of independence and self determination. We are a country formed by rebels and self made men. We value our individualism to a fault, and I think we can often confuse the rugged individualism of the American system for a Biblical principle that has never been there.
So, we see here that the term, “no one can judge me but God” is actually not a Biblical principle. The truth is, based on our New Testament reading that when it comes to people outside the family of God, we have no right to judge, but it is for those inside the faith, our brothers and sisters in Christ, that we do have a responsibility to judge. We do not do it from a self righteous attitude. Nor do we ever judge the stance of their salvation.
Now, there is a big discussion that we are going to have about the next few verses, and what authority the church has and why that is important, but today I wanted to briefly mention a few things that have come up and address them.
We are not addressing someone who is struggling with a pattern of sin. If someone is wrestling with an addiction and they are fighting what seems to be a losing battle. They hate that they do it, but they are trying to fight, this process is not for them…
This is a process of discipline, not condemnation…