Matthew 18:15-20

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

(ESV)

STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?

  • What is the writer saying?
  • How do I apply this to my life?

💡How to do your quiet time


This passage outlines the procedure that should be followed whenever one believer sins against another believer. The first step is implied, that is to forgive the one who has sinned against you. Forgiveness is not reliant on the other party’s repentance but on the forgiveness we have received (Mat Mat 18:21-35—tomorrow). The point of this exercise is to bring the offending brother to repentance and restoration because fellowship is broken.

The first step in restoration is to approach the offender and explain to them what they have done. The objective is for them to recognise their offence and make amends. Because you, the offended, have already made the decision of forgiveness this should be a quick win and you have gained your brother through restored friendship and fellowship.

But if they do not acknowledge their fault then you are to take along another believer or two with you. The aim at this point is to have objective witnesses to the truth who can help arbitrate between the two and help in bringing about reconciliation.

Finally, if the offender refuses to listen to them, then the whole church needs to get involved. At this point, the entire body of local believers works together to bring social pressure against the offender. If they will not listen to the entire group (who have collectively agreed that there is fault) then they are to be removed from the fellowship of the church and treated as an unbeliever. This final act is designed to bring them to their senses about what they have done. To allow the unrepentant believer to remain within the fellowship of the church just encourages others to sin more freely. As soon as the offender repents, they are to be received and restored (having come this far, the restoration processes may need a little time. It is always better to have things resolved as early as possible).

The final part of this passage speaks of the binding nature of the church’s decision. The church has the authority to make the call to eject someone from the fellowship and that decision made on earth is seen as binding in heaven. When more than one believer gets together and seeks Christ’s guidance in handling the authority given them as the church, then Christ promises to be there with them.

Having a procedure to follow when we find ourselves in a situation where we have been offended doesn’t make it easy to deal with. It is always difficult to deal with an offence. It takes courage to confront someone because we never know how we will be received. If we don’t deal with offences against us, then we are far more likely to grow in bitterness and the fellowship of the body breaks down. Who has sinned against you that you need to go and restore relationship with?