FRIDAY March 26, 2021

True Restoration

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”
Matthew 18:15-17

If I really love a person, and I see they are doing things that are not right, if I keep quiet, then I am not really a good friend. If you care for their soul, then, prayerfully and in love you will approach them. Do not condemn them. If that person is open to admit their fault, and there is an attitude of repentance, then you have gained your brother––they can be restored.

If a person denies what you have seen, or perhaps tells you , “Mind your own business,” and rebukes you, then you can take another brother in Christ and address the situation further. If there is no remorse or repentance, then you would have to let the elders of the church know. Leaven cannot be allowed to remain in the church.

What should the elders and the leader of the church do? The person is to be called in by the elders. If this person does not want to repent and change his life, they are to ask them to leave. This is biblical. He is to be excommunicated––no longer allowed to fellowship in the church. A person must truly repent before God and men; otherwise if there is no true repentance, they will cause problems in the church.

If the person wants to truly do what is right, then those who are spiritual in the church are to restore that person into fellowship, and not cast him out. Restoration should be done in the spirit of meekness. We are all subject to fall into sin. We are not God. We cannot become critical in our judgment. We deal with the person in love, not in wrath and judgment. Instead, we share the burden and sorrow they are carrying with them, and we must assist them in their restoration.

When we learn from experience, the scars of sin can lead us to restoration and a renewed intimacy with God.
~Charles Stanley~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!