Skip to main content

Some Thoughts On Correcting Others

1. I will walk in the light as he is in the light. (1 John 1:7)

2. I will forgive others as in Christ God has forgiven me. (Ephesians 4:32)

3. In judging others I will do so only if I have taken the splinter out of my own eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

4. In correcting another it will be with the intention of restoring the other person to close fellowship with God. I will do it in a biblical manner. (Matthew 18:15 and 18:35)

5. I recognize there is a difference between those who are forgiven and those who are qualified to be teachers.

6. I will not spread rumors about the life of a fellow believer unless his life is a positive testimony to God’s saving grace. If the rumor is negative I will check with the person himself.

7. If a believer is a public figure and there is a rumor of moral impropriety about his life, that rumor should be brought to his attention. He should be encouraged to straighten out the story if it is untrue. If it is true and he has repented he should be encouraged to make that known to the public. If it is true and he has not repented then there should be an attempt to restore him to fellowship.

8. If the man is an elder who has repented, he should be forgiven and restored to fellowship, but he might have lost his qualification to be an elder.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Is Matthew 18 primarily for pastors/elders to use in church discipline situations? Can a person in the pews ever go to a pastor regarding a sin on this basis?
10:20 PM
quilnigh said…
The Lord's teaching from Matthew 18 is applicable to all believers for the hope of restoring any other believer. The guidelines in this blog excerpt, http://rootsbytheriver.blogspot.com/2007/03/some-thoughts-on-correcting-others.html
are an effective gathering of Scriptural principles that always need to be preceded in action by confession of sin (see #3) and then complete forgiveness (see #2). Confession usually needs to include confessing unforgiveness (blaming). This often results in complete solution of the problem (it was always the obstacle in my eye, not theirs), but is essential to be ready to love and restore fellowship (see Galatians 6:1-5). Charlie Baker, quilcene guy
3:17 AM
Jameswilson said…
Yes, a person in the pews can and should go to a pastor regarding sin. There are, however, different conditions. You find them in 1 Timothy 5:19, 20.

Here they are.

"Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning." 1 Timothy 5:19, 20
2:41 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Old

This is a post for those who are getting old or considering themselves old, from 65-100. Right now, I am 91.* I will be 92 in October. I have my own house, but I cannot live in it alone because of my physical inability to move around. One of my sons lives with me. All of us will have to make some adjustments. That includes money, relatives, your own ability and willpower to stay independent, etc. My advice is if physically and financially you can live independently, you should certainly do that. If you do, you will still need to have visits from your family frequently. You need your family. Even if you don’t need them to take care of you, you need them for the fellowship. The more fellowship you have, the longer you’ll live. If you can stay independent do it, but only if friends and relatives can see you often. In my case, I can’t walk, and I can’t do much physically. So, whether I like it or not, someone else has to get me up, get me showered, and get me dressed. I am blessed to have
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Is Obedience So Hard?

There are several reasons why obedience seems hard. I will comment on some of them and then speak positively on how obedience is easy. We think: 1) Obedience is an infringement on freedom. Since we are free in Christ, and obedience is somehow contrary to that freedom, we conclude that obedience is not good. Yet we know it is good. Thus, we become confused about obedience and are not single-minded. 2) Obedience is works. We who have been justified by grace through faith are opposed to works; therefore, we are opposed to obedience. 3) We have tried to obey and have failed—frequently. Therefore, the only solution is to disobey and later confess to receive forgiveness. It is easier to be forgiven by grace than to obey by effort. 4) We confuse obedience to men with obedience to God. Although these are sometimes one and the same (see Romans 13, 1 Peter 2-3, Ephesians 5-6, Colossians 3, and Titus 2), sometimes they are not the same (see Colossians 2:20-23, Mark 7, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, a
5 comments
Read more

Constant Victory

I came across the following poem (prayer) and devotional in Amy Carmichael's book Edges of His Ways :   Before the winds that blow do cease, Teach me to dwell within thy calm; Before the pain has passed in peace, Give me, my God, to sing a psalm. Let me not lose the chance to prove The fulness of enabling love. O Love of God, do this for me; Maintain a constant victory.   Before I leave the desert land For meadows of immortal flowers, Lead me where streams at thy command Flow by the borders of the hours, That when the thirsty come I may Show them the fountains in the way. O love of God, do this for me; Maintain a constant victory.   "This prayer was written for the ill, and for the tired. It is so easy to fail when not feeling fit. As I thought of them, I also remembered those who, thank God, are not ill and yet can be hard-pressed. Sometimes in the midst of the rush of things, it seems impossible to be victorious, always to be peaceful,
Post a Comment
Read more