And so, for example, there's a governing body that has authority to make judgements on . Is such a reading plausible here? I just finished reading it last night. Verse 25 uses the words: adversary, officer, judge, and prison. The apostles were then sent thus, no doubt, forerunners of those whom the Lord will raise up for the latter day. 5-6); the horror of any offenses, to self or others (vss. That was all over for the moment through Israel's blind sin; He was going to suffer, not yet reign, at Jerusalem. None should come under the censure of the church as obstinate and contumacious, till it be very well proved that they are so. But the next verse will make it more plain; Matthew 18:18, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, &c. By the church then must be meant those who had power to bind and loose. The one or two, in conjunction with the offended person that shall hear the ease, and admonish and reprove; if he takes no notice of what they say to him, but remains stiff and impenitent, tell it unto the church: which some understand, of the , or "multitude", before whom it was lawful to reprove, after such private methods had been taken: others, the political magistrates, or sanhedrim; who took cognizance of cases between one person and other, either by themselves, or messengers; and gave admonitions and reproofs, as to parents, when they did not provide for their families x, and to wives that were perverse, and provoked their husbands y, c. others, of the presbyters and governors of the Christian church others, of the church itself, and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "the house of Christians"; to which it is objected, that as yet a Christian church was not formed: but what were the twelve apostles of the Lamb? (iii) The love of God is a seeking love. If the person with the concern has confronted the other, and that person denies it or the sins severity, take the next step and intervene on their behalf. Otherwise verses in the old testament and in fact the whole Bible would be largely irrelevant to us today. Had she not such confusion of thought that, if the Lord had heeded her words, it must have been destruction to her? Jesus called a little child and made him stand in the middle of them, and said, "This is the truth I tell you--unless you turn and become as children, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. A fish was the last being for man to make his banker of; with God all things are possible, who knew how to blend admirably in the same act divine glory, unanswerably vindicated, with the lowliest grace in man. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell. Subsequent, considerably, to this was the case of the centurion's servant, preceded a good while before by the cleansing of the leper. shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of He simply believed people talking about other people, and acted on it! It would often happen that, if our prayers were answered, the prayers of someone else would be disappointed. "He that exalteth himself shall be abased. Does this scribe offer to follow Jesus? And so if you humble yourself as a little child, that person will be the greatest". In work of this kind we must travail in birth again (Galatians 4:19); and it is after many pains and throes that the child is born. What feelings at such a time! (iv) Finally it stresses the supreme importance of the child. Verse Matthew 17:3. Besides the secret worship performed by particular persons, and the public services of the whole congregation, there may be occasion sometimes for two or three to come together, either for mutual assistance in conference or joint assistance in prayer, not in contempt of public worship, but in concurrence with it; there Christ will be present. Some issues do not require Matthew 18. In the next incident the force of the plea turns on God's goodness towards the wretchedness of man. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be - The Jews gave the name heathen or Gentile to all other nations but themselves. They even went the length of saying, very beautifully, that every blade of grass had its angel. Here is one of these sayings of Jesus, whose meaning we need to probe or we will be left with heartbreak and great disappointment. "With greater authority." for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. "My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." We shall find something of these mysteries later on in this gospel; but here it is simply a Jewish testimony of Jehovah-Messiah in His unwearied love, through His twelve heralds, and in spite of rising unbelief, maintaining to the end what His grace had in view for Israel. Or, Secondly, By constraint; when there are not more than two or three to come together, or, if there be, they dare not, for fear of the Jews, yet Christ will be in the midst of them, for it is not the multitude, but the faith and sincere devotion, of the worshippers, that invites the presence of Christ; and though there be but two or three, the smallest number that can be, yet, it Christ make one among them, who is the principal one, their meeting is as honourable and comfortable as if they were two or three thousand. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. I cant tell you how much your posts have blessed me and challenged me. This parable teaches us many things about that love. Church discipline repairs the fellowship, keeps its members in the flock, and sanctifies the church. However suitable to the Jewish expectation that He should be found a man, undeniably there was that apparent which was infinitely above the Jew's thought; for the Jew showed his own degradation and unbelief in the low ideas he entertained of the Messiah. Has 90% of ice around Antarctica disappeared in less than a decade? The Christian realizes that God cares for him individually, and that he must reflect that individual care in his care for others. It is the fine thing for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than to be cast into the Gehenna of fire with two eyes.". PDF The Matthew 18 Principle for Solving School Problems - Providence Christian To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Note, The presence of Christ in the assemblies of Christians is promised, and may in faith be prayed for and depended on; There am I. A king forgave a servant a huge debt, but the servant then refused to forgive a fellow servant a small debt (Matthew 18:23-30). Believe Him and trust Him and He will work in you. To teach unruly, disobedient, restless little children can be a wearing job. Descending then upon the plateau, He delivered what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. And, therefore, the sheep are ever liable to wander; and, if they stray from the grass of the plateau into the gullies and the ravines at each side, they have every chance of finishing up on some ledge from which they cannot get up or down, and of being marooned there until they die. As I pointed out above (cf. But inasmuch as he did not have any money to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, his wife, and his children, and all that he had, in order that a partial payment might be made. The upper stone, which turned round upon the lower was equipped with a handle, and it was commonly of such a size that the housewife could easily turn it, for it was she who did the grinding of the corn for the household needs. While ministers preach the word of Christ faithfully, and in their government of the church strictly adhere to his laws (clave non errante--the key not turning the wrong way), they may be assured that he will own them, and stand by them, and will ratify what they say and do, so that it shall be taken as said and done by himself. And thus He, whose glory was so forgotten by His disciples Jesus, Himself thinks of that very disciple, and says, "For me and thee.". They are hereby directed to gather together in Christ's name. Matthew 18:15-17 gives some guidelines as to the proper steps to take when a fellow brother or sister in Christ commits a sin against you: If your brother or sistersins, go and point out their fault,just between the two of you. If thy eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. How important that we learn to serve, that we not be looking for ourselves, but we only be looking for our Lord and to exalt Him. The Rabbis had a wise saying, "Judge not alone, for none may judge alone save One (that is God).". If a man teaches another to sin, it would be better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Matthew 11:1-30, exceedingly critical for Israel, and of surpassing beauty, as it is, must not be passed over without some few words. He is not going to lower Himself to a human measure. Nevertheless, when there was the display of the glory of the kingdom, the Father's voice proclaimed Him as His own Son, and not merely as the man thus exalted. Discipline In the Church - Matthew 18:15-20 | Grace Bible Church Not only did he not go to the source, but he wrote a letter which would have been read in public, based on what he heard in a second-hand report: a clear-cut violation of Matthew 18 according to typical applications! Your book on apostolic ministry has been a tremendous help. That is an incredible debt. God does not permit Scripture to be thus used without losing its force, its beauty, and the grand object for which it was written. (iii) There follows the quality of self-renunciation ( Matthew 18:8-10). We have noted that the terms "lord," "disciple," "apostle," and others came to have more specific meanings as Gods kingdom plan unfolded. You say, "Well, explain it to us." In many ways this is one of the most difficult passages to interpret in the whole of Matthew's gospel. My soul may have been spared a great deal of malarkey. "Take with thee one or two more; 1. This question is accordingly put to the proof in the ninth chapter. This is the way differences are to be resolved and settled within the church. There are those who never give of their best except on the so-called great occasion; but for Jesus Christ every occasion where even two or three are gathered in his name is a great occasion. What Does it Mean 'Whatever You Bind on Earth'? (Matthew 18:18) "I will build my church." The church belongs to Jesus. Matthew 18:15-17 contains the words of Christ to his church, instructing us on how to deal with internal conflict with a brother or sister who sins against us and doesn't know it. Punishment which is aionios ( G166) is punishment which it befits God to give and punishment which only God can give. Woe unto the world because of offences! Though but two or three are met together, Christ is among them; this is an encouragement to the meeting of a few, when it is either, First, of choice. The forgiveness is from the heart. Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Power and love were come for any one to draw on. How to prove that the supernatural or paranormal doesn't exist? If there is a mortal sin in many Matthew 18 disciplinary environments, it is alleged gossip and not following all the steps of Matthew 18 to address a problem in a local church. But this becomes tricky when it comes to church conflict. 19:15 and refers to witnesses of the subsequent confrontation . Take one or two fellow elders and inform them of the situation. Lets briefly[1] examine this passage paying attention to its culture and context, and try to distill some legitimate application. To the Jew it was the symbol of utter destruction. How light soever proud scorners may make of the censures of the church, let them know that they are confirmed in the court of heaven; and it is in vain for them to appeal to that court, for judgment is there already given against them. 16 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 . To stifle them, to leave them untapped, to twist them into evil powers, is sin.