Restoring Church Wholeness, Part 1

David W Palmer

While in the context of teaching on “not causing his ‘little ones’ to sin” (See: Mat. 18:10–14), Jesus gave specific instructions about recovering from offenses and sins. His objective is to keep all of his little ones—his sheep, if you like—safely in his flock on earth; and then to get them safely home to him.

One of the issues that can fracture his body, or cause some of his beloved children to wander off, is sin and offenses. The person sinned against may be tempted to walk away. Even the person who committed the sin, or who caused the offence, may go astray. They may be proud of what they have done and depart in defiance, but often, they simply feel guilty, ashamed, and ostracized. Not seeing how to get it right or fix it, they feel they have no hope of restored fellowship and a full flow of life; so they reluctantly walk away. At other times, attempts to restore the guilty person fail because they perceive the approach as judgmental, aloof, and unloving.

On the other hand, when sinned against, the victim may feel unsupported, victimized, or rejected. What’s worse is that if the sin is not clearly denounced and dealt with, the victim may live in a semi-guilty state—wondering if they are in the wrong, or somehow deserving of the bad treatment they have received. Disillusioned and confused, they too may wander off from God’s flock.

God finds all of these situations very disturbing—especially as most of this is completely fixable. In truth, Jesus paid a high price so such breakdowns could be restored and his body made whole.

However, unlike many wounds, these ones won’t heal themselves. Thankfully, Jesus has a very easy to understand and quite doable remedy. And, although it can only be applied with very humble obedience, it is straightforward to put into practice:

(Matthew 18:15–17 NKJV) “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. {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.’ {17} And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”

If applied as stated, Jesus’s formula will resolve matters very quickly and completely. This will prevent two negative outcomes:

1. It will completely restore fractures in his body. Church feuds and schisms are a disaster and can originate in unresolved sin.

2. It will completely remove those who don’t want restoration. After all, their heart is not for what Jesus stands for; and it is not for what God values or wants in his eternal kingdom.

Of course, if someone disqualifies himself by refusing to “hear the church,” this is not a cause to treat them badly or to be horrible to them. Jesus says that they are to “be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” In other words, no longer view them as a humble, believing part of his family and body with whom we keep close fellowship, but as an unsaved person who needs to be evangelized.

Desiring restoration and church wholeness is good, and it can best be achieved by obeying what Jesus said in Matthew 18:15–17. Thankfully, it applies in most cases, but God has warned us about one exception where even our best efforts, and most humble obedience to the above passage will not produce restoration. A recalcitrant person can commit a sin that is so serious that the Holy Spirit says to not even pray for them:

(1 John 5:16 NKJV) If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

It seems by putting these two passages together, that when someone sins in a way that they won’t heed the call of the whole church to repent, they may have reached the “sin leading to death.” Even if their initial sin was not that significant, the fact that they don’t respond to the whole church—along with the powerful conviction of the Holy Spirit—asking them to repent, is in itself a very serious issue. Treating them as an unsaved person wouldn't normally preclude praying for them, but in this case, don't even do that.

If they haven’t committed a sin leading to death, but refused to hear the church, the Holy Spirit has a different strategy. It may seem harsh, but God’s motive in this is pure love, and it is the very best thing for the straying person. This approach provides a way forward that doesn’t unsettle, destabilize, or fracture Jesus’s body; but it does allow for the person to get jolted out of their deception:

(1 Corinthians 5:4–5 NKJV) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, {5} deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Wow! I sure don’t want to have that happen to me. Repenting, and humbly asking forgiveness—even if I cannot see why the other person is offended—leading to staying in fellowship is an infinitely better option than this.

Do you know someone who hasn’t repented from a sin that has hurt Jesus's body, despite several believers urging them to do so? Is it a family member, or someone you love dearly? Have you prayed and prayed for their return without results? Maybe the Holy Spirit is saying to you to simply hand it all over to him today, and simply stop praying for them. You may well be wearing yourself out, trying to get the Holy Spirit to bring them under conviction when they have already grieved him and shut themselves off from him. God’s way is always best—even if he applies the above passage by handing them over to Satan. If they don’t want the Holy Spirit's work in their life, this is the most loving and wisest option. It may not be easy, but I am encouraging you to simply trust God and his word in this; be at peace, and leave the outcome with him.

More on restoring church wholeness tomorrow …