THURSDAY April 2, 2020
Speck Finding
“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?”
Matthew 7:3-4
Jesus gave an illustration to help His disciples understand how wrong it was to criticize others. He basically said to them, “Before you criticize, you had better take a look at your own lives first before pointing out a fault in someone else’s life.” It is so easy to criticize!
Jesus has given to us the standards of judging in Matthew 18:15-17. In the Scriptures, Jesus spoke about a person who had committed a sin. A Christian can make judgment on a person whose sin has become obvious and visible. A believer can take the initiative and approach a brother in Christ. As they speak to that person individually, the situation is kept between God and them alone. It is nobody else’s business.
Explain to them what you have seen in their lives and ask them to please repent. If that person refuses to repent, then, biblically, you are to tell the leadership of the church. They will also speak privately to the person who is found to be in sin. There are churches that tell the entire congregation. I do not believe in infecting the whole church with the details of someone’s sin. The only time I would say anything to the congregation is to warn them about a person who is rebellious and teaching heresy. Then the body of Christ has to know, and I will tell them from the pulpit.
Once a person has been spoken to, if they remained self-willed and unrepentant, having no change of heart, then they will be asked to leave the church. There can no longer be any fellowship with them. However, if a person truly repents, restoration can take place. God’s purpose is always to restore those who have fallen into sin. That is the biblical nature of church discipline; it is never to destroy, but to restore. Those who repent and desire accountability are restored back into fellowship.
The cross stands high above the opinions of men––and to that cross all opinions must come at last for judgment.
~A.W.Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
