A DESPERATE SITUATION

1
M
ark sat in his oce with his
head in his hands. How
had Mary found out? Tat
was the question plaguing his mind
that afternoon. It started out innocent
enough, but somehow the relationship
with his attractive secretary, Susan,
had gotten out of control, and now his
wife had found out! What if the kids
have found out? Or the Pastor and the
people at church! Mark felt trapped.
He felt like he was drowning; what was
he going to do?
Te telephone rang. Hello, this is
Mark. Mark swallowed hard when he
heard Pastor Bobs voice on the other
1. Tis article was inspired and is based on a
booklet by David V. Edling, Gods Search
and Rescue PlanChurch Discipline,
published by Peacemaker Ministries. I
have retained some of his wording.
end of the line. He couldnt believe it!
Mary had called their pastor asking
what she should do if she knew a pro-
fessing Christian was caught in sin.
Now the pastor was calling to ask if he
could meet with the two of them to dis-
cuss Marys question!
What was going on? Mark thought.
Pastor Bob hadnt said anything specic.
How much had Mary told him? Well,
sure...ah....Okay, tonight at 7:30 would be
ne. We will be expecting you.
THE RESCUE MISSION
Even if Mary hadnt told Pastor Bob
anything specic, she must have said
enough to make him suspect some-
thing was going on. And he felt certain
that it would all come out tonightall
the details of his adultery. Whats the
pastor going to do? Hes probably going
to kick me out of the church and Ill be
publicly humiliated. Mary will prob-
ably want a divorce, and Ill hardly ever
see the kids again. He felt helpless. He
didnt want a divorce, he still loved his
wife, but he had fallen into sin. What a
mess hed created.
SAVED BY FAITHFUL
SHEPHERDING!
Tat evening, Pastor Bob sat across from
Mark and Mary in their living room. He
said that he had wanted to come and
visit with them because he sensed from
If Your Brother Sins
Wayne Rogers
A Fictional Pastoral Account
If Your Brother Sins
Councel of Chalcedon Issue 2 2009 26
his conversation with Mary that some-
thing serious was going on.
After beginning with a short
prayer, he opened his Bible and read
from Ezekiel 34:16 in order to explain
his responsibility to faithfully shep-
herd them. I will search for the lost
and bring back the straying ones....
Mark was listening, but his mind
was in a fog. What does this have to
do with Marys question, or with him?
Pastor Bob explained, Mary, the
question you asked is very important.
When someone becomes a Christian
they become part of Gods flock,
Gods family, the church. When they
make a public profession of their faith
and join the church a special rela-
tionship is formeda bond with His
people, and they have a responsibil-
ity to each other, especially when one
member has sinned.
Mary, why did you ask me about
this? Mary couldnt hold it back any
longer. She broke down and poured
out that she had discovered that Mark
was having an affair with his sec-
retary. Mark didnt try to deny it. He
looked down as he admitted it was
true. Tears began to flow. What would
happen next?
MATTHEW 18
After a few minutes had passed and ev-
eryone had composed themselves, Pas-
tor Bob handed Mark a Bible and asked
him to ip over to Matthew Chapter 18.
Te Pastor turned there in his Bible as
well. Mark prepared himself for what
he gured was coming next. Pastor
Bob is going to read all that stu about
excommunication and hes going to
kick me out of the church.
Pastor Bob said, Mark, you prob-
ably think Im going to read this passage
and kick you out of the church. Nothing
could be further from the truth. Most
Christians think this passage is about
a search and destroy mission. Pastor
Bob knew that Mark had been an Army
Ranger in Afghanistan. Its not about
that at all; Its about a seek and save
mission, a rescue mission, Mark.
Mark knew the dierence between
a search and destroy mission and a res-
cue mission; its one thing to be sent
If Your Brother Sins
27 Councel of Chalcedon Issue 2 2009
out to seek and kill the enemy and an-
other to be sent out to rescue a downed
pilot or a wounded brother. He relaxed
just a little bit and wondered what was
coming next.
Pastor Bob read Matthew 18:10-14
aloud, then said, Mark, the rst thing
I want you to understand is that Jesus
came to seek and save the lost. Tose
who believe in Him are His sheep. Ear-
lier in this chapter, however, Jesus said
that his disciples should not sin. Sin is
so serious, Jesus said, that it would be
better to cut o your hand or foot, or to
put out your eye, than to sin and to be
cast into everlasting re. So, when Jesus
saves lost sheep, Mark, He saves them to
follow Him in holiness and obedience.
What did Jesus say to the woman who
had been caught in adultery in John 8?
He told her to go and sin no more. So,
while a person who truly believes in Je-
sus is one of His sheep, His sheep are
not to go on sinning.
Having said that, though, we know that
sheep can and do still go astray, they
still fall into sin. So, in verse 15 Jesus
begins to address that. He says, If your
brother sins. We might as well read
those words as WHEN your brother
sins because they will sin. So, we are
not saying that if you ever sin again you
are not a Christian. But, what are we
to do when a brother does sin? Tats
what Matthew 18:15-20 is all about. Je-
sus instructs Christians on what to do if
a brother sins.
Mark nodded his head in agree-
ment, but he still wasnt sure where this
was leading. Mark still believed in Jesus
but he knew he had sinned. So what
happens now, he wondered. I guess this
is when I get kicked out of the church!
he thought to himself.
Now, you maybe thinking, this
is when people get kicked out of the
church. No, Mark. Tat really sur-
prised him. Tis passage is not about
kicking people out of the church. Mat-
thew 18:15-20 is about a rescue mission.
If we can ever grasp that, it should be
a great comfort to us. Jesus is saying
that when a beloved brother in the
church falls into sin, extraordinary ef-
forts should be made to bring him back
into fellowship, to restore him to the
Lord and the church. Tat, Mary, goes
directly to the point of your question.
Mary nodded in agreement. While
I see that its Gods motive to seek and
If Your Brother Sins
Councel of Chalcedon Issue 2 2009 28
restore a believer from sin, I dont un-
derstand how that is accomplished.
Pastor Bob responded, Mary, this
passage is all about the means and
methods that Christians are to use
to rescue a brother or sister who has
sinned. Te process described in Mat-
thew 18:15-20what we call church
disciplineis actually Gods plan to
restore a brother who has sinned.
Tese steps established by Christ
guide us in responding appropriately
to someone based on the one who has
sinned. According to verse 15, the per-
son who knows of the sin or has been
sinned against should initiate a per-
sonal, private discussion with this in-
dividual. Te process slowly progresses
to include others, if, and only if, the
person being confronted is unwilling to
listen, confess, and repent.
Mark jumped in, You mean, if
someone confesses and repents to that
person, no one else needs to be involved
or even hear about the situation?
In most circumstances, Pastor
Bob replied, thats true. Te matter is
nished and over with if his confession
and repentance are sincere, if he stops
sinning and does all he should do to
change his life, and he makes whatever
restitution is necessary to the one hes
wronged. If he has sinned against oth-
ers, such as you have done with Susan,
you will have to go to her and confess
your sin and ask her and her husbands
forgiveness. If she is not a Christian, you
should encourage her to talk to a bibli-
cal Pastor about Christ herself. Ten
you will be part of a rescue mission!
Mark, Jesus said its only in the
case of a person that refuses to listen
that is, he fails to acknowledge his sin
and his need to confess, repent, and
ask for forgiveness that the person
who was sinned against would take the
next steps. Ill never forget what one of
my seminary professors said about the
purpose of church discipline. He said,
Discipline is not just an exercise of
negative judgment, a matter of church
courts and censures. It begins with the
care of friends with whom we strive to
follow Christ, and to whom we are, in
a measure, accountable.
2
Its only when
sin continues that the full weight and
authority of Christ acting through the
church comes into play. And even the
purpose of that is for rescuing the sin-
ning brother.
FORGIVENESS
Mark, the Bible says if we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins. People often forget what Jesus
said right after he talked about going
to your brother who has sinned. After
Jesus taught these steps in restoring a
brother, Peter asked Jesus, Lord, how
many times shall I forgive my brother
when he sins against me? Up to seven
times? Te point is that the goal is for-
giveness and reconciliation.
Peter, of course, wants to know
how many times he has to forgive a
brother, seven times? He thought he
was being generous. Jesus tells one
of the most amazing parables in the
whole Bible, the parable of the Unfor-
giving Servant. Jesus said you must be
willing to forgive 70 times 7 times! We
shouldnt really count at all. God will
always extend forgiveness to those who
confess their sins and repent. If God
has forgiven us so much, how much
more should we be ready and willing to
forgive those who have sinned against
us? Tat is not to say that there might
2. Clowney, Edmond P., Te Church, VIP,
Downers Grove, 1995
If Your Brother Sins If Your Brother Sins
29 Councel of Chalcedon Issue 2 2009
If Your Brother Sins
not be consequences for our sin; often
times there are.
Tat makes sense, Mark said.
Christians shouldnt sin, but Chris-
tians still do sin. And when they do
sin they should confess it and repent of
it, and if they do they will be forgiven.
Tats the same way it is when we come
to Christ, isnt it?
Its amazing, Mark, that so many
Christians who love the Parables of the
Lost Sheep and the Unforgiving Servant
in Matthew 18, cant grasp that going to
your brother who has sinned, which is
sandwiched in between them, is one of
the greatest demonstrations of love and
care that we can ever express.
FROM BROTHER TO
TAX COLLECTOR
But, Pastor Bob, I thought we get ex-
communicated when we sin.
Tats a common misunderstand-
ing, Mark. Christians arent excommu-
nicated for sinning. Tey are excommu-
nicated for not repenting of their sin. Do
you see the dierence?
I think so, said Mark.
Jesus started out referring to a
brother who sins. In verse 17 He says
there is a point at which a brother may
no longer be called a brother. Jesus says
he must be called a Gentile and Tax
Collector. Gentiles and Tax Collectors
where people who were lost, outside the
kingdom. Te people of God didnt as-
sociate with them because of their sin-
ful lifestyle. When does this happen?
When a brother will not listen to the
church. Ten he is no longer called a
brother but a Gentile or Tax Collector.
Its like this, Mark. Jesus came to
save sheep. In John chapter 10 Jesus said
in verse 11 that He lays down His life
for the sheep. But Jesus also went on to
say in verse 27, My sheep hear My voice
and follow Me. Jesus sheep believe in
Him, but they also listen to Him and
they seek to obey Him. So, let me ask
you, Mark; do you think a person who
wont listen to Jesus Word and doesnt
obey Him can really be considered one
of His sheep?
I guess not; I see what you mean,
Mark acknowledged.
So, a person may profess faith in
Christ and be a member of the church,
but if they will not repent of their sin,
then they can no longer be considered
one of Jesus sheep, a brother, they
must be treated like those who are lost,
Councel of Chalcedon Issue 2 2009 30
outside the kingdom of heaven, like a
Gentile and Tax Collector.
Why should I care what the
church says? Doesnt the Bible say we
shouldnt judge? Mark protested.
Mark, the Bible does say that we
shouldnt judge unjust judgment. But,
now, I want you to listen carefully as I
read Matthew Chapter 18 verses 18-20:
Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you
bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven. Again I say to
you that if two of you agree on earth
concerning anything that they ask, it
will be done for them by My Father
in heaven. For where two or three are
gathered together in My name, I am
there in the midst of them.
Mark, did you catch that? Jesus
said that if the sinning brother re-
fuses to listen to the church they are
refusing to listen to Him! When the
church comes together and prays and
agrees about this sinning brother, Je-
sus says He Himself is in their midst!
What the church says after careful,
prayerful, biblical consideration is to
be taken as Gods judgment. You must
not take their word lightly. You must
consider their words to be My words,
Jesus said. If a brother continues in sin
and rejects the authority of the church
they may no longer be considered a
brother in Christ, they may have no
assurance that they truly are one of
Jesus sheep. But, Mark, I want you to
understand, that even this is still part
of Gods rescue mission! Te purpose
is to get that person to see the spiritual
danger they are in, their need to repent
of their sin. So, even excommunica-
tion is really a last ditch eort to res-
cue someone from their sin and restore
them to Christ and His church.
So, what youre saying, Pastor
Bob, is that a person may be a Chris-
tian and fall into sin, but if someone
says they are a Christian and they are
unwilling to confess and repent of it
when they are confronted by a brother,
they have no assurance that they really
have been saved at all?
Tats right, Mark. Remember,
Jesus said, I lay down my life for the
sheep My sheep hear my voice and
they follow me! But, Im here to tell
you that if you confess and repent of
your sin, there is forgiveness!
Mark, Im not here to punish you;
Im on a rescue mission. You have made
a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and
are a member of the church. Im here
tonight to call you to repent of your
sin, to ask for forgiveness, and I want
to assure you that if you do you will
be forgiven. Tis matter wont have to
go any further than to those who al-
ready know about your sin and those to
whom you must go and confess and re-
pent. If you wont, however, I also want
you to know that were so committed
to win you back that we will follow the
process Jesus established in Matthew
18 to the end. Because we love you, if
you wont listen to Jesus speaking to
you through His Word and church we
will treat you like a Gentile and a Tax
Collector. We can no longer eat with
you and have Christian fellowship with
you. What are you going to do, Mark?
I feel like David in Psalm 51, I
know my transgressions, and my sin is
ever before me, Mark cried. I do con-
fess and repent of my sin against my
wife and children, against Susan and
her family, and even my sin against my
profession of faith as a Christian and
church member.
If Your Brother Sins
31 Councel of Chalcedon Issue 2 2009
You know, Pastor Bob, there are
some non-Christians at work who also
know what Ive done. I have really given
them reason to reject Christianity and
mock Christians, havent I? Im going
to go to them and let them know I have
repented of my sin. I hope one day soon
they will let me talk to them about their
relationship with the Lord.
Praise God, Mark, said Pastor
Bob. We probably still need to talk
further about some of these things, the
fruit of true repentance, what forgive-
ness entails for Mary, and how to best
keep this from happening again, but I
believe the Lord has blessed you to be-
gin the path of reconciliation and res-
toration tonight. Lets pray, Brother!
Dear Brother
Are you playing the hypocrite right
now, professing faith in Christ, yet
swimming in the polluted waters of un-
repentant sin? I call upon you to repent
right now. And know that the church,
your pastors, and brothers are here to
rescue you as well. Te biblical process
of loving confrontation and the involve-
ment of others to help you to recognize
your sin and repent is Gods plan for
your eternal good, now and forever!
If a brother comes to you in your sin,
as Jesus said to do, that it is not a search
and destroy mission, it is a recue mission.
I want you to understand that church
discipline is a seek and save mission. It
is an act of caring love. And if you will
not listen to your brothers, it is a loving
thing for them to say to you, We must
treat you as a Gentile and a Tax collector
so that you will realize that you are not
acting like one who is truly a Christian
and that you may have no assurance that
you are saved or one of Jesus sheep until
you do repent.
If you believe in Jesus and truly are
one of His sheep, you should seek out
a church that lovingly practices church
discipline for the sake of your soul, sub-
mit to their authority by becoming a
member, and enjoy and appreciate the
spiritual blessings God established for
you and that you need.
Lastly, if you are already a mem-
ber of a church but dont know if it
practices church discipline, go to your
church leaders and ask them. Church
discipline, rightly practiced, is one of
the marks of a true Biblical church.
Without that, you may not have anyone
to rescue you if you fall into sin!