In Matthew 18 the Lord teaches how to properly address a believer who sins against against you. He does not say to not speak up nor does He say to run around gossiping with everyone else but He says to go directly to that person to point out the offense. One of the hardest parts of this process is having the self control and not allowing our emotions to override God’s instruction. For the Lord say’s to love thy neighbor as thyself and that means speaking to others in tones that you want them speaking to you.
Another vital part of this message is that Jesus does not say to overlook the sin. Because He knows the consequences of a sin that is not addressed in how it can cause another stumble. Notice that Jesus said if your brother or another believer sins against you here are the instructions to follow. He did not speak of how we were to address a non believer but I have found that when a non believer does something in offense that I have simply stated to them in love that what they have done is simply not right by God. By this statement it points them to a higher accountability rather than wanting to take up a defense with myself.
This lesson is vital to comprehend and to follow. For if we leave the seed of sin planted without it being addressed then it will only manifest into something that will cause further division and separation.
James A. Harrison
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