We come to the end of our series on the church and in this session we are to understand something about the kingdom of heaven and sin.
(A) The church is an embassy authorised to reach sinners (Matt 18:1-16)
Matthew 18:1-35 is one of five major discourses in Matthew. What is Jesus teaching about here?
Matthew 18:1-6 shows us that we need the humility of a child to know that we are a sinner. This posture of humility is necessary for one seeking to enter the kingdom.
Matthew 18:7-14 has a warning about the danger of temptation and how sin hinders us from entering the kingdom. There is a call to take serious action. These verses employ repetition and parallelism here. It also shows us the necessity of rescue. Sin can also cause us to go astray, such that we need someone to go after us (Matt 18:10-14). We also see God’s heart for the one who goes after the lost. God Himself goes in search.
Matthew 18:15-20 teaches us how the church is to deal with sinners. This flows from the heart of God
Matthew 18:21-35 is not a threat for us to have a bigger heart. Rather, it shows us the response of the one who has received mercy for our sin.
The kingdom of heaven and the citizens of heaven should have a changed relationship to sin. Notice also how these verses move from the individual to the corporate. We are humble because we know that we have to be brought home by the Father, and the church has a special role in relation to sin. This is best reflected in the attitude of those who have received mercy for their sin and are eager to show mercy to others.
Set in the context of the chapter, these verses in Matthew 18:15-20 is not about relational conflict but more specifically, it is about dealing with sin in community. Jesus is reminding us that there is a vertical dimension in our horizontal relationships. When we hurt and mistreat others, we are also sinning against God. There is no such thing as sinning against another person where God is not first offended.
Jesus teaches that we are to go to the brother that has sinned against us and tell him his fault privately (Matt 18:15a). If he listens, we have gained the brother (Matt 18:15b). However, if he does not listen, Jesus teaches that we are to teach other along, to ensure that there are witnesses (Matt 18:16). This is consistent with the law as it was stated in Deuteronomy 19:15. Later, in 2 Corinthians 13:1, Paul also adopted a similar approach. Scripture shows that it is important for us to have proof for a claim.
Notice the balance. There is first, a care for the individual and the relationship, and also the need to adhere to the legal aspect. There are facts that need to be considered.
(B) The church is authorised to validate heavenly citizenship (Matt 18:17-18)
The church is brought in at the third step, the “final court” of appeal (Matt 18:17). The church is intricately tied up with sinners and their sins. After all, it is only through repentance and turning away from sin that one is able to enter the Kingdom. Therefore, the church must be self-aware that it has to deal with sin. Is this what you think of when you think of the church? Is this what our churches do?
The church is brought in at the end, after some escalation. But notice that the goal is consistent at each step is to gain the brother. Do the people of our church try to gain one another when they are lost? Do they talk about sin when they go astray? Do we speak of sin? Or are we places of individual spiritual relationships with God and only turning up in church to get what we need?
If we do not see this about church, we may be missing the point.
What if the individual refuses to even listen to the church? Our response to this confrontation reveals who we are (Matt 18:19). True followers of Jesus are mindful of our sin problem and are clear that to belong to Jesus requires a turning away from sin and turning to Jesus. This should follow with change in our lives. But one who refuses to accept and listen even then, it could be that the person does not understand this.
Let us look at an example in 1 Corinthians 5. The church had someone who is living in persistent, unrepentant sin. They had also made the sin public knowledge to the church. Paul is clear if the church allows the man to continue being in the community, they are harming the testimony of the church. Grace now appears cheap. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 that they are to “deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh”. In the gathering, it has to be made clear to the individual that he does not belong to Jesus because his profession does not align with how he is living.
This is a serious teaching and churches throughout history have understood Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthains 5 to be the duty of the church to discipline over their members. Today, we may think that this is being cruel, judgemental and harsh. But let us go back to Matthew 18. This is the second mention of the authority of the local church in Matthew, and tells us clearly that the church is to take sin seriously.
Notice how the “you” of Matthew 18:18 is plural. This shows us that the church has a delegated authority (Matt 18:18). Now, the church has no right to block anyone from the kingdom. Rather, the church functions like an embassy. The embassy cannot make one a citizen but can only validate citizenship and offer help on the basis of this citizenship.
When the church gathers on Sunday, we are strengthening one another and validate each other’s true profession of faith. When a sheep has gone astray, the whole church is mobilised to seek this lost sheep.
(C) The church’s authorisation makes it the dearest place on earth (Matt 18:19-20)
Thus, the church has the authority to bind and loose, i.e. is empowered to verify the confession of one. Earlier, in Matthew 16:19, Jesus had already spoke of binding and loosing and this authority has been given to the church (Matt 16:18). The church has the authority to validate those who have shown through their lives that their profession is true too.
Jesus has given the right to the church to be an embassy.
In these verses, Jesus gives this instruction to the church – not to its leaders and certainly not just to Peter. The members are supposed to watch each other’s life and doctrine, hold one another and search for the lost. Similarly in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul spoke to the church and not just the leaders.
So, what will it look like to live this out? When we gather on Sundays, what are we doing?
Jesus also assures the church that God Himself affirms the act. This means that when we receive a new member, we are recognising the person before God.
There is also a promise in Matthew 18:20. Jesus wants us to be confident that the church is qualified to do these things. We are to celebrate baptisms and take church discipline seriously. In our churches, we see the power of the gospel, hear the gospel and continue in the gospel.
What do we think about the church? A quote by Charles Spurgeon might be helpful for us here, “If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.”
How has this study, and this series helped you love the church more?