Read Matthew 18:15-17 and John 8:32.

Sometimes the truth will hurt someone, but after it hurts them, will make them free.

A faithful parent doesn't just say what a child wants to hear, but what a child needs to hear. Shepherds of God's flock are no different than faithful parents. We must be willing to say the hard things the flock needs to be mature and healthy.

Few pastors look forward to confronting sin in others, but it is still our pastoral duty. We confront sin for the love of God, for the person sinning, and for our church.

We are not called to confront any and every sin we witness in the life of another person. We are not called to police others. But there will be times we have to confront sin in the church.

Biblical areas for pastoral intervention

There are a few ways to approach the process, depending on the particular circumstances.

Unrepentant Sin

Read Matthew 18:15-17

  • What situation is Jesus addressing in this passage? (15)
  • What should be the first action taken?
  • If this is well received, is any other action needed?
  • What should you do if this is not well received?
  • What is the purpose of this?
  • If this second step is not well received, what are you to do?
  • If the person will not hear the church, what is the next step?
  • What do you think Jesus meant by "let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican?"

Step 1: If they sin against you, admonish them in private.

Step 2: If they don't listen, take two or three witnesses with you.

Step 3: If they don't listen, tell it to the church

Step 4: If they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them like a pagan or a tax collector.

The goal is to win your brother or sister in Christ back to a God-honoring lifestyle.

Allowing a person to live in open rebellion against God without warning them is not loving.

A lack of discipline

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 - What is the church commanded to do? (6) - What specific case of "acting disorderly" did Paul have in mind? (11) - What was Paul's command to these people? (12) - What should the church do if they don't respond well to this command? (14)

Paul is speaking about those in the church who are taking advantage of the generosity of the church.

Paul commands the church to confront the sin of laziness and exploitation of the church.

Divisiveness

Read Titus 3:9-11 - What should be avoided in the church according to verse 9? - Why? - What does it mean to be a heretick? - How many times should you address a heretick? - What do you do afterwards? - Why? - What does "subverted" mean? - What do you think it means that he is "condemned of himself?"

When people are divisive in the church, we warn them once, then a second time, then cut ties with them. These people are warped and sinful and self-condemned.

Public and Scandalous Sin

Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 - What was the sin being addressed? - Was Paul there? - What was Paul's recommendation even though He wasn't there? - What was the problem here? (1) - Do we separate this way from all sinners?

Sometimes the church needs to meet and immediately remove a person from formal membership. Why? Because their sin effects the corporate testimony of the church.

There is a major difference between how Jesus speaks in Matthew 18 and how Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 5. Matthew speaks of a private sin against another Christian, 1 Corinthians 5 addresses a sinful lifestyle that has turned into a public spectacle.

Pastoral Motivations for Confronting Sin

Confront sin to be faithful to scripture.

Quite often, confronting sin doesn't lead to the result we want. We still have to do it to be obedient to God's word.

Confront sin for the church's purity.

1 Corinthians 5:6 teaches us that sin, when left unconfronted, effects the whole church. (A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.)

Confront sin for the sake of Christ's name

Another problem dealt with in 1 Corinthians 5 is the testimony of the church. Why should they have been filled with grief? Because it was "reported commonly" - because the church was besmirching the name of Christ.

Confront sin for the sake of the person you are confronting

The main passages about confronting sin in the Bible all share a concern for the person being confronted: - In Matthew 18:15 - what happens if the person hears your and responds well? - In 1 Corinthians 5:5 - why does a person need to be "delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh?"

Facing the judgment of God is a far worse thing than being removed from the formal fellowship of a the church.

Discipline that leads to a loss of fellowship may have earthly, temporal consequences, but if may eventually lead a person to turn back to Christ.