Judgment Verses Forgiveness

Did you ever wonder why Jesus tells us to treat an unrepentant man like an unbeliever (Mt 18:15-17), and just a few words later tells to forgive our brother seventy times seven (Mt 18:19-20)? Then he immediately tells us if we don’t forgive our brother God will not forgive us (Mt 18:35).

Bringing a brother before the church has to do with sins that endanger a man’s soul, adultery, fraud, stealing etc (Galatians 5:19-21). Verses 15-35 is reminding us, though we may be required to take action in an attempt to rescue the individual, we are never licensed to hold a grudge against the individual, but must forgive them from our heart.

All of our interaction with those who offended are geared toward rescuing the person from eternal judgment and never toward justifying ourselves.

Painful Grudges

Peter asks what all of us want to ask; How long do I have to put up with this guy I don’t particularly care for? Peter put it this way, “How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Is seven times enough?” (Mathew 18:21).

Jesus’ answer disappoints us if we are the one offended, but were pretty happy about them if we offended someone else. “I say not to you, seven times, but seventy time seven.”

This seems an impossible task until Jesus uses a story to point out how much he has forgiven us. One man forgave his servant who owned him ten thousand talents, enough to sell his wife and child to pay for the debt. But after that man was forgiven he got into a physical fight with someone who owed him ten times less than what he had been forgiven.

When we are tempted to hold a grudge against someone, we need to remember what it would be like if God held a grudge against us (Mathew 18:23-35).

Unrepentant Heart

It is extremely important that we read Jesus’ words in context. A single verse, standing alone can be misleading. We are about to see several verses that are used as “proof texts” to make a theological point. But when they are read as an entire passage, our understanding of the principle taught may change. See if you recognize these verses.

“Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18;18). And Mathew 18:19, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my father which is heaven.” And finally, “For where two or three of you are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mathew 18:20). Take a moment and think about what you have been taught about these verses. Then re-read them as part of the entire discussion starting with verse 15.

These verses are directly connected with confronting sinful behavior. In other words, heaven itself is witness against the unrepentant heart.

Offended

Have you ever had an experience like me that you felt so angry you could spit? My pulse sky rockets, my shoulders tighten and I become super vigilant of my words. We have all had the temptation to let our words fly and give someone a piece of our minds.

Jesus addressed our feelings of being violated, telling us how to handle the situation.

First, we are instructed to go to the person and confront them privately. If the person repents from their unfair treatment, the situation stops there.

Second, if the person scorns your attempts to resolve the problem we are to bring one or two more people with us to confront the violator. There are times when this is enough to make the other person realize they had made wrong choices. To them it is no longer your opinion against theirs, but they see that others view the situation from your point of view. If that person repents, the issue is dropped.

In rare cases, when the one who is in the wrong remains unrepentant, we are instructed to bring that person before church. This is not an injunction to stand up on the middle of a church services and announce the sin of another. It is rather and admonition to take the situation before the leaders of the church. If the person continues to refuse to repent, the person is treated as an unbeliever.

The qualification for this kind of discipline can only be for serious sinful behavior, not a difference of opinion (Mathew 18:15-18).