The Sinner And Church Reconciliation: Much More Treacherous Than We Assumed It Was
Last Sunday I had the good luck to hear an excellent sermon based upon Paul's letter to the Galatian church. Galatians is one of my favorite books because it is about living the Christian life by way of the Holy Spirit. As a past "fundamentalist" I am an expert on living life by means of laws and restrictions, and I am profoundly conscious of the spiritual death that results. The sinner and church reconciliation was a frequent topic of dialogue, not to say controversy, in those congregations. Hang on for some challenging news!
The preacher began his assessment by discussing Paul's first instruction to the church in chapter 6: "Brethren, if an individual is caught in any sin, those of you who are spiritual, reestablish such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be enticed." We know that Paul is talking about Christians who are "caught...in...sin" since he demands that they be restored, and Paul would not have considered non-Christians to have anything to be restored to.
The reason that confronting the sinner among Christians is so challenging is that everything that is biblically expected of us is contrary to the flesh. The flesh is miserable with confrontation and, in its presence, mobilizes "fight or flight" responses. Biblical principles, on the other hand, call for us to stay connected and be submissive. Here are three important things from Galatians 6:1 to examine:
1. Ignoring the sinner is not optional. "if anyone is discovered in any sin... reestablish such a one." This is an order. We may not overlook and we cannot banish, except as a last choice.
2. The purpose of confronting sin is restoration. "...restore such a one." Even Matthew 18:15-18, which ends in potential dismissal from the church, has restoration as its ideal goal: The initial stage of confrontation ends: "...if he listens to you, you have won your brother." The following measures contemplated are certainly devised to have the same result. Even when the church is obligated to "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector," we must infer that the intent is to reveal to the sinning Christian what he is sacrificing by declining to confess his sin. If and when he does so the church will start the activity of restoration that is the opposite of the process that led to his banishment. Similarly, Paul tells the Corinthian church that there is a particular person amidst them whose sin is so evident that "I have made a decision to give such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved at the judgement of of the Lord Jesus." Observe that Paul's intent is that the person in due course be "saved."
3. You must have the correct motives to be qualified to confront. "... you who are spiritual, reestablish such a person in a spirit of kindness." Anger and disillusionment are flawed motives for church reconciliation and harmony.
Whenever we find ourselves reacting to Christian sin within the Christian church with anger, pride, stress or dread, we ought to immediately know that the individuals or church involved are in peril from both the sin and the reaction to the sin. We are not capable to even begin confronting the sin until we have handled our reactions to it. We have to pray and surrender to the Holy Spirit until we can truly say that we are equipped to combat the sin but reconcile with the sinner.
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