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NASB | Matthew 18:17 "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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 18:17 "If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile (unbeliever) and a tax collector. [Lev 19:17; Deut 19:15] |
Bible Question: Dear bjanko, thanks for your answer. I believe in the authority you described, but am not sure how vv. 18-20 "show clearly that there is an ecclesiastical authority; an authority the church leaders -- ministers and elders -- have that the laity does not have." Did your caps mean that the two or three witnesses are ministers? I very much agree that the congregation can be spared the 'gory details,' but how much can the leaders hold back? Men, even ministers, have a tendency to hold back that which implicates them. Understand that I am simply stating the caution needed to save the church from the abuse of 'executive privilege.' The reason I ask the sin is that apostate, or not of the Kingdom, is often equated as, "If you're not with us, you are against us. (and possibly in the enemy's grasp or even employ)" This is a pretty serious pronouncement, and cannot be made glibly. Also, with this kind of judgment, it doesn't seem that reconciliation and repentance are truly desired or hoped for. My point is that the church must be a place of great love and patience, and a sin leading to a situation of this magnitude must be truly heinous. Love in Christ Jesus. |
Bible Answer: I would not agree the sin must be particularly heinous; it simply must be repentant. The caps were in the NASB translation when I did a search for the verse. It was not my emphasis. They are in caps because they are words taken from the Mosaic Law in the O.T. and the NASB always caps those to indicate them. I don't know how many rules we can work out to come up with exact rules, which why we need leaders with wisdom living by God's rule. Ministers not ought hold back. If they do, then THEY should be disciplined by those over them. (Of course, many ministers have no one over them unless they are in a Reformed church.) vv. 18-20 are not verses merely about prayer, as is commonly misunderstood. Taken in context, they are referring to the prayers of two or three church authorities, binding and loosing, exercising authority over the church, with powers to admit into the church or to excommunicate. I believe the Scripture gives great authority to spiritual leaders and of course there's danger in that and men should be tested and examined very carefully before they are ordained. I'm not really sure what your main point or bottom line is, so I'm not really able to answer any more succinctly than this. I also agree that excommunication is not a glib or light thing or something that should be rushed into without first full and earnest pleading with the offender to repent. |