IF YOUR BROTHER SINS / MATTHEW 18:15

(KJV) Matthew 18:15

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus provides the proper method of confronting, correcting, disciplining and restoring a professing Christian who sins (violates God’s standards of conduct) against another member of the church in a private manner. Neglecting Christ’s instruction will spiritually compromise the purity and purpose of a congregation (1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 5:13) and can destroy a church’s effectiveness. 

1.  The purpose of church discipline is to protect God’s reputation (Matthew 6:9; Romans 2:23-24) and to guard the moral purity and doctrinal (dealing with foundational beliefs and principles) integrity of the church (1 Corinthians 5:6-7; 2 John 1:7-11). This discipline is also aimed at saving members who drift away from the path of righteousness and restoring them to Christlike character and behavior (1 Corinthians 5:5; James 5:19-20). 
2. The offender must first be confronted and challenged privately about his or her actions. If the person listens and responds positively, he or she must be forgiven (Matthew 18:15). If the offender refuses to acknowledge and change his or her behavior after being confronted by the first individual (the one offended, if appropriate, Matthew 18:15-16) and by one or two others, if necessary (Matthew 18:16), then the issue should be brought to the local church community. If the person still refuses to change, they must be released to their own way as “a pagan” (like one who is not part of God’s kingdom) because they have refused Christ’s mercy and broken their relationship with Him (Matthew 18:17; Galatians 5:4). This does not mean that people should treat the offender with cruelty, but the person should not be given the right to church membership and should be removed from the congregation. 
3. This practice of maintaining purity in the local church is important not only in areas of sin and immorality, but also in cases of false teaching and unfaithfulness to the original New Testament message (Galatians 1:9; Jude 1:3). 
4. Church discipline must be carried out with an attitude of humility, love, regret and self-examination to ensure that those who would confront the individual are not also guilty of some offense against God or the church (Matthew 22:37; 2 Corinthians 2:6-7; Galatians 6:1). 
5. Sins within the church involving continued and open sexual immorality must be dealt with according to the instructions in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and 2 Corinthians 2:6-11. These types of spiritual offenses should be matters of grief and regret by the whole congregation (1 Corinthians 5:2). They must include “punishment…sufficient” for the offender (2 Corinthians 2:6). The person who has defied God in this way must be expelled from the church (1 Corinthians 5:2, 13). After a while, if it is evident that the person has truly repented (changed his or her attitude toward God, admitted and turned from sin and submitted and turned back to God), the individual can be forgiven and restored to participation in the church (2 Corinthians 2:6-8). 
6. Sins involving a church leader, after being dealt with privately, must also involve public exposure and discipline – “rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning” (Galatians 2:11-18; 1 Timothy 5:19-20).

Leaders within the church and pastors of local congregations must remember their duty to “keep watch over…all the flock”. Spiritual leaders will be accountable to Christ for “the blood of all men” (Acts 20:26) who are lost because they failed to discipline, expel and restore people according to God’s plan and purpose (Ezekiel 3:20-21; Acts 20:26-27).

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1. ANGELS / MATTHEW 18:10
2. WOE TO THE MAN / MATTHEW 18:7
3. MILLSTONE … AROUND HIS NECK / MATTHEW 18:6
4. UNLESS YOU CHANGE / MATTHEW 18:3
5. FAITH … NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSIBLE / MATTHEW 17:20
6. UNBELIEVING AND PERVERSE / MATTHEW 17:17
7. WAS TRANSFIGURED / MATTHEW 17:2
8. COMING IN HIS KINGDOM / MATTHEW 16:28
9. KEYS OF THE KINGDOM / MATTHEW 16:19
10. PETER … ROCK … CHURCH – THE GATES OF HADES WILL NOT OVERCOME / MATTHEW 16:18
11. BE ON YOUR GUARD AGAINST THE YEAST / MATTHEW 16:6
12. YOU HAVE GREAT FAITH / MATTHEW 15:28
13. FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR TRADITION / MATTHEW 15:5-6
14. DON’T BE AFRAID / MATTHEW 14:27
15. PRAY ALONE / MATTHEW 14:23-24
16. LOAVES AND FISH / MATTHEW 14:19
17. DANCED FOR THEM / MATTHEW 14:6-7
18. SEPARATE THE WICKED FROM THE RIGHTEOUS / MATTHEW 13:49
19. KINGDOM … A NET / MATTHEW 13:47
20. KINGDOM … TREASURE / MATTHEW 13:44-46
21. THE FIERY FURNACE / MATTHEW 13:42
22. WEED OUT … EVERYTHING THAT CAUSES SIN / MATTHEW 13:41
23. LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER / MATTHEW 13:30
24. GOOD SEED … WEEDS / MATTHEW 13:24-25
25. PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM / MATTHEW 13:3
26. AN EVIL SPIRIT / MATTHEW 12:43
27. JONAH / MATTHEW 12:40
28. BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE SPIRIT / MATTHEW 12:31
29. THE KINGDOM OF GOD / MATTHEW 12:28
30. SABBATH / MATTHEW 12:1
31. COME TO ME / MATTHEW 11:28
32. FORCEFUL MEN LAY HOLD OF IT / MATTHEW 11:12
33. GREATER THAN HE / MATTHEW 11:11
34. JOHN / MATTHEW 11:7
35. PROPHET … RIGHTEOUS MAN / MATTHEW 10:41
36. I DID NOT COME TO BRING PEACE / MATTHEW 10:31
37. ACKNOWLEDGES ME BEFORE MEN / MATTHEW 10:32
38. HELL / MATTHEW 10:28
39. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM / MATTHEW 10:26
40. CITIES OF ISRAEL / MATTHEW 10:23
41. GIVEN WHAT TO SAY / MATTHEW 10:19-20
42. PREACH … THE KINGDOM / MATTHEW 10:7
43. AUTHORITY TO DRIVE OUT EVIL SPIRITS / MATTHEW 10:1
44. ASK THE LORD TO SEND / MATTHEW 9:38
45. THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL / MATTHEW 9:37
46. NEW WINE INTO OLD WINESKINS / NEW WINE PRESERVED / MATTHEW 9:17
47. THEN THEY WILL FAST / MATTHEW 9:15
48. EAT WITH ‘SINNERS’ / MATTHEW 9:11
49. THEY PLEADED WITH HIM TO LEAVE / MATTHEW 8:34
50. LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR OWN DEAD / MATTHEW 8:22
51. GREAT FAITH / MATTHEW 8:10
52. DON’T TELL ANYONE / MATTHEW 8:4
53. JESUSE TOUCHED THE MAN / MATTHEW 8:3
54. I NEVER KNEW YOU / MATTHEW 7:23
55. MANY WILL SAY LORD, LORD / MATTHEW 7:22
56. DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER / MATTHEW 7:21
57. BY THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THEM / MATTHEW 7:16
58. SMALL IS THE GATE … AND ONLY A FEW FIND IT / MATTHEW 7:14
59. YOUR FATHER … GIVE GOOD GIFTS / MATTHEW 7:11
60. ASK … SEEK … KNOCK / MATTHEW 7:7-8
61. DO NOT JUDGE / MATTHEW 7:1
62. SEEK … KINGDOM … RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 6:33
63. IF THAT IS HOW GOD CLOTHES / MATTHEW 6:30
64. DO NOT WORRY / MATTHEW 6:25
65. EYE IS THE LAMP OF THE BODY / MATTHEW 6:22
66. WHEN YOU FAST / MATTHEW 6:16
67. IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE / MATTHEW 6:15
68. IF YOU FORGIVE / MATTHEW 6:14
69. DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE / MATTHEW 6:13
70. FORGIVE AS WE ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN / MATTHEW 6:12
71. DAILY BREAD / MATTHEW 6:11
72. YOUR KINGDOM COME – YOUR WILL BE DONE / MATTHEW 6:10
73. THIS THEN IS HOW YOU SHOULD PRAY / MATTHEW 6:9
74. PRAY IN SECRET / MATTHEW 6:6
75. ‘ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS’ BEFORE MEN / MATTHEW 6:1
76. DO NOT RESIST AN EVIL PERSON / MATTHEW 5:39
77. LOOKS LUSTFULLY / MATTHEW 5:28
78. ANGRY … RACA … FOOL / MATTHEW 5:22
79. UNLESS YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 5:20
80. GREAT IN THE KINGDOM / MATTHEW 5:19
81. THE LAW TO FULFILL / MATTHEW 5:17
82. LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD DEEDS / MATTHEW 5:14-16
83. PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 5:10
84. THE PEACEMAKERS / MATTHEW 5:9
85. THE PURE IN HEART / MATTHEW 5:8
86. THE MERCIFUL / MATTHEW 5:7
87. HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 5:6
88. THE MEEK / MATTHEW 5:5
89. THOSE WHO MOURN / MATTHEW 5:4
90. BLESSED POOR IN SPIRIT / MATTHEW 5:3
91. SERMON ON THE MONT / MATTHEW 5-7
92. THE KINGDOM AND HEALING / MATTHEW 4:23
93. FISHERS OF MEN / MATTHEW 4:19
94. IT IS WRITTEN / MATTHEW 4:6
95. FASTING FORTY DAYS / MATTHEW 4:2
96. JESUS … TEMPTED / MATTHEW 4:1-11
97. THE TRINITY IN EXAMPLE / MATTHEW 3:17
98. SPIRIT … ON HIM / MATTHEW 3:16
99. JESUS … BAPTIZED / MATTHEW 3:13
100. WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / MATTHEW 3:11
101. FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE / MATTHEW 3:8
102. PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES / MATTHEW 3:7
103. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN – REPENT / MATTHEW 3:2
104. WARNED IN A DREAM / MATTHEW 2:22-23
105. ESCAPE TO EGYPT / MATTHEW 2:13
106. CHIEF PRIESTS AND TEACHERS OF THE LAW / MATTHEW 2:4
107. HEROD – MAGI / MATTHEW 2:1
108. NO UNION WITH HER UNTIL / MATTHEW 1:25
109. VIRGIN … GIVE BIRTH TO A SON / MATTHEW 1:23
110. JESUS / MATTHEW 1:21
111. MARY … JESUS / MATTHEW 1:16
112. CHRIST – SON OF DAVID / MATTHEW 1:1
113. GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST / MATTHEW 1:1-16
114. I AM WITH YOU / MATTHEW 28:20
115. KILL ALL THE BOYS / MATTHEW 2:16
116. FORGIVENESS OF SINS / MATTHEW 26:28
117. SATAN / MATTHEW 4:10
118. DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS / MATTHEW 25:41
119. MONEY / MATTHEW 6:24
120. GO … MAKE DISCIPLES … BAPTIZING / MATTHEW 28:19
121. SALT OF THE EARTH / MATTHEW 5:13
122. YOU ARE WORTH MORE / MATTHEW 10:31
123. GUIDED BY GRACE HOME

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Summary

Article Name

IF YOUR BROTHER SINS / MATTHEW 18:15

Description

In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus provides the proper method of confronting, correcting, disciplining and restoring a professing Christian who sins (violates God’s standards of conduct) against another member of the church in a private manner.

Author

Margarita Crews

Publisher Name

Guided By Grace

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