Daily Devotional For Thursday, April 3, 2025

Good morning Southside. Praying you have a great day loving and serving the Lord and others. We all probably have known someone who was on fire for the Lord, growing in the Lord, and serving Him at church and in the community. Then suddenly they fall to some major sin or despair. It is easy to shake our heads and think, “That’s too bad.” We might even be moved to commiserate with them and say, “I’m sorry you’re going through this.” 

But it is not an act of mercy or kindness to sympathize and then turn away and leave them in that pit. We must set aside our pride and our carefully-cultivated image. We must summon the courage to say, “I’ve struggled, too, and I still don’t get everything right. But I’ve found hope in Jesus. He’s set me free, and He will do the same for you.” Every one of us has a story of brokenness and deliverance—including the writer of the Psalms. 

David wrote this in Psalm 71:23-24:

"My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my soul, which You have redeemed. (24) My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long; For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt” (NASB).

Instead of hiding his deliverance, he shouted for joy over it and talked about the goodness of God all day long. When a high profile preacher “falls from grace,” as some might say, he is eviscerated for it. When someone in the church sins horrifically, we may ignore them and even condemn them. Being judge, jury and executioner is not our role. Our role is to initiate reconciliation and repentance. We all sin. We are all sinners. This does not mean we do not confront, but when we do, we must have the right attitude. This is the point of Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (NASB).

The goal is restoration. Jesus told us how to do this in Matthew 18:17-18:

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. (16) But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. (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” (NASB).

Jesus says that in the church, sin must be confronted. Rebuke of a sinning Christian must be undertaken as soon as the offense is known, in order to turn the sinning believer from his or her sin as soon as possible and also to help head off resentment and bitterness by the one offended. As believers, we are sinned against by any sin committed by another believer. When any of us sin, we impact other believers. That is the point of 1 Corinthians 5:6b, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?” (NASB).

Pastor and author John MacArthur shared how 1 Corinthians 5:6b affected a potential guest coming to their church:

“Some years ago a man in our church told me he had invited an attorney friend of his to attend the church. But when he told the friend the church’s name, the friend said, “I’d never go there. That’s where the most crooked attorney in Los Angeles attends.” That man’s sin indirectly affected everyone in our congregation and tarnished the whole cause of Christ” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Bible Commentary, “1 Corinthians,” p. 127).

Every sin by a believer stains the entire fellowship of believers. Whether it is slander, stealing, gossip, sexual immorality, dishonesty, doctrinal error, lack of submission, cruelty, blasphemy, profanity, drunkenness, or anything else, every sin not dealt with by the offending child of God must be dealt with by the church.

The Greek New Testament word translated in Matthew 18:15 as “show” is [ἐλέγχω, elengcho]. This word has the root meaning of bringing to light or exposing. The Greek verb is in the aorist imperative, suggesting that the brother is to be shown his sin in such a way that he cannot escape recognizing it for what it is. And the first confrontation is to be done in private – meaning, one on one. If they repent and are remorseful, no further discipline is needed. Why private? The more a person’s sin is known, even some of the most well-meaning believers may be tempted to gossip and create a barrier for restoration. 

When the Apostle Peter was intimidated by Judaizers in Antioch, the Apostle Paul opposed him face to face (See. Gal. 2:11). Peter admitted his sin and wrote about how much he appreciated Paul doing this in 2 Peter 3:15. This deepened their friendship and helped spread the Gospel. Paul cared enough to confront Peter. A Christian who is not deeply concerned about bringing a fellow Christian back from his sin needs spiritual help himself. In Matthew 18:15, the Greek New Testament word translated as “won” is [κερδαίνω;,kerdainō]. This was originally a commerce term referring to financial gain or profit. In this case, the gaining back of this repentant believer is significant.

If this does not work, then we are to confront the sinning believer with 2 or 3 witnesses based on Deuteronomy 19:15. This is two-fold: to protect this believer from any false or slanderous accusations and second, to confirm this believer’s sin with the rebuke from 2-3 others who know about it. They are there to collaborate any charge brought against this believer. Why? They are there to make sure no additional false accusation is made and that no other unreliable claim is made against this believer. If this believer repents, the issue is over.

But if this second attempt fails, then the issue is to go before the whole church. Nowhere is a board, or a priest or a pastor or a bishop or a cardinal or a synod or some other higher authority told to deal with this. This is a total local church issue. We are even prohibited in taking the issue to secular courts (see 1 Cor. 6:1-3). So, what is the church supposed to do? In 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, we are given an example of when a man who was in an incestrous relationship with his stepmother refused to repent. Paul told the church to remove him from their midst. Paul’s fear was that this unrepented and confronted man would influence others. Thus, Paul wrote 1 Cor. 5:6b. 

To sum up, pastor and author Chuck Swindoll writes this 5 biblical principles to remember:

1. First, confronting sin is loving. People often say, “We don’t care how the people in our fellowship live. That’s between them and God. The main thing is that we all love Jesus and love each other.” But that’s not love. If your child wants to drink poison, you don’t say, “Well, I personally wouldn’t do that, but I don’t want to hurt their feelings. I’ll let my child make their own decision, and I’ll respect their choice.” Why would we have the same attitude toward those who are engaging in sinful, destructive lifestyles?
2. Second, confronting serious sin requires us to have the fortitude to do what’s right. If you or your church obey Christ’s words in Matthew 18:15–20 (and the similar principles in 1 Corinthians 5), you will be called all sorts of names: intolerant, unloving, vengeful, legalistic, judgmental, cultish. You could be slandered, sued, and persecuted, not only by the sinners involved and those already antagonistic toward the church, but also by those within the church who are confused or who don’t have the stomach for doing the right thing. Waiting in the wings of many grace-preaching churches are people ready to tag a person as a legalist whenever he or she takes a stand against serious, unrepentant sin. But we must commit ourselves to doing what is right, even when it’s unpopular.
3. Third, confronting serious sin is not optional.Jesus gives clear guidelines in Matthew 18:15–20, by which we follow. These principles will ensure that our understanding of the process conforms to God’s standards. We need to read those words, study them, meditate on them, and then carefully and prayerfully apply them. We’ll see that the text leaves no room for backing down from confrontation or backing out of the process. For the sake of the church’s health and holiness, and for the sinner’s rescue and restoration, we must all engage in this process when wisdom dictates.
4. Fourth, confronting serious sin is not penal but remedial. James wrote, “He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:20, NASB). Invariably, there are self-proclaimed Christian “bouncers” who feel like it’s their mission to snatch sinners from churches, escort them to the door, and rough them up enough to guarantee they never show their faces in the sanctuary again. Such an approach is completely wrongheaded. The purpose of church discipline is not to humiliate, infuriate, or irritate wandering saints. The purpose is to urge them to see the error of their ways and to shepherd them back to repentance and fellowship. Is your attitude that of a bouncer or a shepherd?
5. Finally, confronting serious sin is not for outsiders but for insiders. Church discipline is to be carried out by believers and for believers. The process outlined in Matthew 18 doesn’t describe how we are to engage those outside the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:12–13, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves” (NASB) – (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Bible Commentary, “Matthew 16-28,” Vol. 1B, pp. 78-29).

This means after the church has done everything it can to bring back an unrepentant member to repentance and the believer will not repent, then we are to leave that believer with his/her sin and his/her shame. If they are truly saved, God will not cast them aside, but He may allow them to sink deeper into their sin so they become desperate enough to repent from their evil. When we admit the brokenness we have experienced and the deliverance Jesus has brought us, we become more effective ambassadors for Him.

Questions To Consider

1. Years ago a secular psychiatrist by the name of Karl Meniger wrote a book, titled, Whatever Became of Sin? His question centers around the belief that the problem with most people is sin and a refusal to acknowledge it and change from it. Why do you think many churches do not talk about sin?
2. Based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:17-18, for you personally, do you do this? Why or why not? If not, do you think the Lord considers your refusal to do this a sin? Why or why not? 
3. Within months of the early beginnings of the early church, the Apostle Paul had to confront the Apostle Peter about a sin in Peter’s life. Read about this in Galatians 2:11-15.  If Peter had not repented, this would have been disastrous for the early church. Why? How did Peter’s sin impact others? So, what is another danger if we do not confront an erring sinner?
4. Has another believer ever confronted you about a sin in your life? If so, when was it, what was the sin, and how did you respond? Have you ever confronted another believer about a sin in their life? Why or why not? If so, what was their reaction?
5. Look over Chuck Swindoll’s 5 biblical principles about confronting a sinning believer. Which of these resonates with you the most and why?

Scripture To Meditate On: Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (NASB).

Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, thank You that Your love and grace surrounds me and for the many ways You have rescued me. Thank You that every day You extend new mercies and new opportunities to pray and to praise You. Help me to encourage those You send my way with the truth about who You are and what You’ve done in my life. Lord, help me to be open to confrontation from other believers about my sin and help me to confront other sinning believers in an attitude of love and grace as you tell us in Matthew 18:17-18.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly