Matthew 18:15-16 “But if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, take one or two more with you, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

This is a study on Matthew 18:15-20. Verse 19 is a text that has been misunderstood and misused quite often. As a result of the misunderstanding, many people have gotten angry at God and walked away from Him. Let's look at it in it's context so we can clearly understand the verse.

This whole passage is about the procedure of dealing with an offending believer. The goal of that procedure is to have the believer repent and be restored into a relationship with Jesus. The procedure starts with the first confrontation. In verse 15 Jesus instructs us to have a private conversation with the person who has wronged us. We're not to tell anyone else about it. It is to remain just between the two parties involved. At this point, we're not even to go to the Church leaders, including the minister, with the problem. If the person is willing to listen,  you talk out the problem and come to a solution, and they will appreciate you for not telling others of the problem and for not making them look bad to others. When the problem is solved, you will have strengthened your relationship with them and helped to bring them back into a right relationship with Jesus.

Verse 16 tells us what to do if the person will not listen or work things out. In this step of the procedure we are to bring in one or two others who will act as witnesses and keep things honest. These witnesses are also there to help reason with the offending believer AFTER they have heard both sides of the story. They are also there to hear the conversation between the two parties so that if it needs to be brought before the church, they can testify to what was said. This part of the procedure is supported in Deuteronomy.

“One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be made sure.” Deuteronomy 19:15

Obviously, because they are to be witnesses, it is ideal to find people who are able to be objective about the situation. Family and close friends usually are not suitable for this, as they would come into the conversation with a bias. Notice that the Church is still not involved. This is still a private matter. Only the two opposing parties and the witnesses are to know anything about the situation. The witnesses are not to talk to anyone about it either. The hope is that this will be enough to cause the offender to admit their mistake and repent, while still keeping their name and reputation from being destroyed.

Notice that at no time did Jesus say to bring in the courts to solve the problem. Paul goes into detail in 1Corinthians 6 about this. He explains why the courts are not to be used. This is to be kept private, and at no time is anyone's name, nor the Church's name to be slandered. There should always be an attitude of humility, compassion, and a desire to see the offending believer brought back into a relationship with Jesus. None of this should be attempted without constant prayer and waiting on the Lord for guidance.

In page 2 we'll look at what happens when the Church gets involved.