Sin and the Believers

By Charles Elias Mahlangu

Sin nature compels the philosophy and radical practice to make things right. The New Testament declares that the believer may not turn a blind eye when he sees another believer commit sin. The reader is challenged to come face to face with his responsibility to confront the sinning believer.
What is the church to do about the willfully sinning believer? Charles tackles the unusual topic of discipline of the willfully sinning believer. Rebuking the believer’s sinful behavior by punitive action is righteous. The local church is no place to offer sanctuary to the willfully sinning believer or harbor spiritual refugees who refuse to repent from their known sinful deeds. It is logical to hand the willfully sinning believer over to Satan.
That sin is intrinsic in me does not mean I am obligated to sin. That I have sinful nature does not mean sinful deeds enslave me.

Charles Elias Mahlangu holds a PhD from Talbot School of Theology in the USA. Charles was ordained by the Evangelical Church of Southern Africa and pastored Manzini Evangelical Church / Manzini Fellowship Church in Swaziland from 1980 until 2003. He trains men and woman in biblical counseling. He and Delores, his wife of forty years, have been building marriages and counselling engaged and married couples since 1980.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Elias Mahlangu
• Release date: Jun 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798201447694

Charles Elias Mahlangu

The author holds a PhD from Talbot School of Theology in the USA. Charles was ordained by The Evangelical Church of Southern Africa and pastored Manzini Evangelical Church / Manzini Fellowship Church in Swaziland from 1980 till 2003. He trains men and woman in biblical counselling. He and Delores, his wife of 40 years, have been building marriages and counselling engaged and married couples since 1980.

Book preview

Foreword

Rephrasing the words of Charles Finney from one of his books, he said that since when we sinned, each one of our sins was committed separately at its own time, so should our repentance be. We must revisit each one of the sins we committed and categorically repent from each sin because it is in this way that we are able to see the grievousness of each sin and see the reason why we cannot continue to sin. It is only by thorough repentance that revival comes upon us.

Charlie Mahlangu’s book comes at a very critical hour of the church on earth. The church, which Jesus saved from sin by dying on the cross for its sins, has now been hijacked and driven from both the pulpit and the pews by people who sin freely without a conscience.

In today’s church, the sinner no longer needs to repent in order to enlist in the army of God. All he or she has to show is if he or she can manage both the Christian and the sinning lives simultaneously, and then the rest is happily accepted by the wolves in sheep clothing who have now become a law unto themselves and have given themselves the right to decide against the things which only heaven decides, which is without righteousness no one can see God.

If we continue to be comfortable in our oblivion of the reason why humankind became separated from God, we will continue to further enlarge the gulf between ourselves and our Creator by becoming comfortable in our lost state. God has never changed; He remains the same. Sin was the reason, is still the reason, and will continue to be the reason why Holy God cannot change His mind and allow sinful man to continue to dictate the terms and conditions of how they should relate.

Reading through Charles’s book gave me an opportunity to have a thorough introspection of my own life. What sums up this book for me are the words of the writer, where he states, "I am responsible for the sinful deed of anger, bitterness, and malice germinated from my being. No other human being in the uNIVerse is accountable for my action of anger, bitterness and malice to another person.

I cannot blame demons for my anger, bitterness, and malice against another person. I cannot blame Satan for anger, bitterness, and malice against another person. I cannot blame my sinful nature for anger, bitterness, and malice against another person. I am the custodian of personal godliness, holiness, and purity. I know how to get rid of any sinful deed in me. I know how to access divine resources to acknowledge my evil.

Once again, I wish to congratulate Charles on a well-penned manual for the present-day believer to go through and find not only their place in God but also peace in their relationship with Him.

—Montoedi Kotu

Senior pastor, The Freeway Tabernacle

Soweto, South Africa

Introduction

Despite the supernatural new birth or regeneration when a believer becomes a genuine follower of Jesus Christ by believing that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God has raised him from the dead (Rom. 10:9–10), sin nature is not removed from the believer. Despite the supernatural invasion by the indwelling of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, sin nature is never removed from the believer. Despite the accessible power of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse and purify all unrighteousness when the believer confesses a committed sin, sin nature is never removed from the believer. Despite the outpouring of the fullness of God the Holy Spirit to fill the believer with divine power right here, right now in ways that can be verified, sin nature is never removed from the believer (Eph. 5:18, Acts 1:8). Despite the divine enablement to walk with God the Holy Spirit step-by– step, moment by moment for the believer to overcome sinful temptation, the resident sin nature is never removed from the believer (Gal. 5). Despite the work of God the Holy Spirit to baptize the believer with the power of God for functions and tasks in life, sin nature is never removed from the believer (Acts 1:8, 1 Cor. 12:13). Despite observable manifestations of divine power in the believer that:

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well (Mark 16:16–18, NIV), sin nature is never removed from the believer. Despite specific situational encounters of overcoming Satan in verified ways and by resisting the devil over and over sin nature that can never be removed from the believer in this life. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you ( Jas. 4:7, NIV). Resist him, standing firm in the faith (1 Pet. 5:9, NIV). Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes (Eph. 6:11, NIV).

Since conversion to become a redeemed follower of Jesus Christ has no intrinsic agenda to extricate, eliminate, exterminate sin and sin nature for the rest of earthly existence, sin nature must be guarded by the believer. Since sin and sin nature are here to stay moment by moment, the believer has the lifelong agenda to manage drives as a matter of urgency. God has something to say about sin and the believer. The believer must submit to the laws of Scriptures to deal with sin in his life. What God has revealed in the Scriptures about sin is no longer casual or irrelevant. For the scriptures are the key to successful management of sin in the believer. God has a lot to say about sin. God has a lot to say about sin nature. The Bible is the official text on sin from God to mankind. Scriptures illustrate the impact of sin on mankind. In vivid detail, it illustrates the history of sin upon mankind. Sin is seen throughout from Genesis to Revelation.

The Old Testament and Sin

In the Old Testament, God had a special arrangement with the Hebrew people regarding sin. Specific measures were put in place through offerings of animals. When specific sinful acts were committed, God required sacrifices to cover their sins. These included guilt offerings, peace offerings, burnt offerings, and the sin offerings.

Any form of specific deviation from the righteous requirements of God brought a stalemate between God and the children of Israel. It is inconceivable for any committed sin not to cause God to recoil from individuals who deviated from righteous norms according to the law. The act of committing unrighteousness separated the sinner from God. Any act of unrighteousness stopped fellowship between God and the guilty party. Any act of disobedience effectively ceased fellowship with God. Any act of unrighteousness caused God to stop communion with the guilty party. Any act of violation of the Law caused God to remove His hand from the guilty party.

For Israel to acknowledge breaking the law was non- negotiable. For Israel confessing their sinful deeds in the presence of God was non-negotiable. For Israel approaching God correctly in order to settle sinful violation was non-negotiable. For Israel approaching God according to the rules set by God for sin to be settled officially was nonnegotiable. For Israel to treat its neighbor sinfully was violating the covenant of God to love the neighbor as yourself (Mat 19:19, NIV). For Israel, sinning against the neighbor was sinning against God. For Israel failing to settle relational conflicts with the neighbor equalled sinning against God and violating the covenant.

For Israel, the Mosaic Code could be defined under the command to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your mind, with all of your might, and to love the neighbor as you love yourself (Rom 13:8-9, NIV). The commands Do not steal, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, and Do not covet are all summed up by the command to love the neighbor as you love yourself. Logically, the one who loves the neighbor is not stealing from the one he loves, the one who loves the neighbor as he loves himself will not covet what the neighbor possesses, the one who loves the neighbor will not kill the neighbor he loves, the one who loves the neighbor as he loves himself will not commit adultery to the very neighbor he loves, and the one who loves his neighbor as he loves himself will not be guilty of dispossessing the neighbor’s spouse to commit adultery against the neighbor he loves. For Israel, relational sin against the neighbor is gross violation of the law with specific codes of settlement according to the Levitical system. For instance, there were laws of making things right with the neighbor who was sinned against in Israel.

There were laws of restitution where the neighbor was sinned against. Restitution is paying back what is due to the injured party—that is, the neighbor who was sinned against. Restitution was the literal form of executing payment that was appropriate to the value of the loss by the neighbor who was sinned against. If you wronged your neighbor by depriving him of his property, you were required to pay back the full value of what was lost. The law of restitution may require a hundred percent settlement of the lost property. Sometimes the law of restitution required one to pay more than a hundred percent of the value as being charged or taxed to pay over and above the original value of the specific item or property. When one accidentally caused the death of livestock of the neighbor, it was incumbent upon him to make full restitution to the neighbor.

• Exodus 22:3: a thief must make restitution

• Exodus 22: 5: one who grazes in another man’s field must make restitutions

• Exodus 22:12: if the animal was stolen from the neighbor he must make restitution to the owner

• Leviticus 24:18: anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitutions

• Leviticus 5:14–19: sins that were unintentionally committed were to be atoned in specific ways by trespass offerings of restitution

There were laws of restitution for outstanding tithes and owed offerings. There were cases of capital punishment for particular offenses toward the neighbor. It was a capital offense to curse one’s parents. Capital punishment was the judgment for sexual violence by rape. It was considered gross malicious evil to rape an engaged female. The capital punishment is for the rapist only. If a rapist molested an unmarried female, then the rapist was condemned to marry the victim with no provision for divorce.

Any form of premarital sexual activity with the person with whom one is not married to was considered a capital sin. It was a capital sin to engage in incest. It was a capital sin to engage in homosexual activities. It was capital sin to commit adultery. It was capital sin to worship idols because for Israel, there was only one God to be worshipped exclusively. It was punishable by death to kill livestock that was the neighbor’s exclusive source of income.

Philosophical Basis for Making Things Right

You sin against God when you sin against the neighbor God commands you to love as you love yourself. Your sinful behavior toward the neighbor equals sinful behavior against God. The neighbor is as valuable as one’s personal relationship with God. Apparently, God loves the neighbor as much as all covenant Israelites.

Part One

Chapter 1

New Testament Philosophy

Case of the authority of the believer and sin

Case of every believer with authority regarding the sinning believer

Case of any believer with the authority of the believer regarding the sinning believer

Case of any believer having authority of the believer regarding the sinning believer

Case of Matthew 18:15–20: differing translations

There are translations that state, if the brother sins against you, and there are translations that say, if your brother sins. Versions that say, if your brother sins against you include: Greek Interlinear, NIV, esv, nlt, nkjv, cjb, ncv, kjv, rsv, asv, ylt, DARBY, DRA, HSCB, nrsv, tlb, msg, and TEV. Versions that say if your brother sins include: nasb, net, gw, and WUEST.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: in the Old Testament, it is officially the priest who stands in behalf of covenant Israel regarding offerings. In the church age, the redeemed believer is a royal priest that serves others in the body of Jesus Christ, even in the purification of others through dealing with sin.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: Jesus Christ is the one who introduces the program of judging sin personally in one believer to another in the presence of two and three witnesses. (In the Mosaic Law, all matters of judging had to be objectively verified by two or three witnesses before the matter could be determined as final verdict.)

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: Jesus Christ introduced the authority of any and all believers to engage in personal level of rebuking the sinning believer.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: Jesus Christ was the first one to introduce the program of creative disapproval from level one of private rebuke to the final level of church rebuking and/or judgment.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: Jesus Christ was the first one to introduce the program of redemptive disapproval of a sinning believer in a strategic logical way from individual to church rebuking and/or judging.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: Jesus Christ was the first one to state unambiguously that any believer, who commits a sin to another believer, had to be rebuked in a particular way. In this way, Jesus Christ disabused the sinning believer of the notion that his sinful act was private and personal when his sinful act was the body affair for others to authoritatively rebuke. In this way, Jesus Christ was disabusing the believer witnessing the sinning believer of the notion that the sinning believer was not his solemn responsibility on a highly personal level.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: Jesus Christ was the first one to officially give authority to the believer to become immediately involved in the sinful act of another believer. In this way, Jesus Christ gave the authority to any believer of any gender, of any age, and of any stage of life of maturation or growth to rebuke the sinning believer.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: Jesus Christ was the first one to show the power of the believer to become involved in potentially curbing evil in others redemptively. The believer who witnesses the sinning believer is strategically placed. He is likely to be the only member of the body of Jesus Christ to witness the sin being committed by this believer. He is on the divine spot since he is the only one who has been given the privilege to witness the sinful act of another believer.

• Uniqueness of Matthew 18:15–20: any and every believer of any age, of any gender, of any spiritual level, of growth or maturity, of any vocational background, and of any socioeconomic level has the authority of the believer to intervene by rebuking the believer who is personally seen to be committing what is scripturally sinful. This means that no believer is excused from rebuking a sinning believer. No believer is considered unqualified to rebuke a believer who is sinning against the Lord. No believer is considered spiritually unqualified to rebuke a sinning believer. No believer can consider himself not gifted enough to rebuke a sinning believer. No believer, who already is a royal priest according to 1 Peter 2:9–11, can consider himself not qualified to rebuke a sinning believer. No believer, who is already considered an ambassador of Jesus Christ according to 2 Corinthians 7, can excuse himself. No believer who is already considered a masterpiece created in Christ Jesus for fulfillling good works or predesigned in eternity for all believers to engage in (Eph. 2:10) can excuse himself.

Uniqueness of the Believer Who Witnesses the Act of Sinfulness

This one is placed by God to be the eyes of the body of Jesus Christ. This one is not witnessing the sinning believer by coincidence. This one alone in the world is made partner with God to witness what no other person is made privy to. This one who witnesses the sinning believer is placed by God to be on the divine spot to witness the sinning believer. This one who witnesses the sinning believer is privileged by God to play the role to expose the sin. This one who witnesses the sinning believer is placed by God to become part of correcting the sinning believer under healthy conditions. This one who witnesses the sinning believer is favored by God to see what could lead to spiritual restoration in case of a repeat offender. Otherwise, who knows the spiritual condition of the sinning believer? Otherwise, who knows whether this believer has committed the same sins before? God loves the sinning believer so much that He has put the witnessing believer to see the act of sinning. It is God who is exposing the sinning believer.

Who is involved in Matthew 18:15–20?

The believer who has witnessed the sinful act has the authority to rebuke. This one has divine endorsement to carry out rebuke since this exclusively restricts rebuking to the person who has been privileged to witness the act of sinning. This one alone has divine mandate to keep the act of rebuking the sinning believer confidential. Under healthy circumstances of abiding by the Scriptures, the matter of rebuking the sinning believer will not be shared with any person in the world. Under healthy scriptural conditions, the act of witnessing the sinning believer restricts the observer to the sinning believer without any soul hearing about the act of sinning. Under healthy scriptural conditions, the very act of seeing the sinning act restricts the one who witnesses to rebuke the sinning believer without any other person knowing about it in the whole body of Jesus Christ in the world. Under healthy scriptural conditions, the believer, who witnesses the sinning act, has no authority to share this matter of what he has seen with spiritual leaders, elders, deacons, evangelists, shepherds, and mature saints. Under healthy scriptural conditions, the spiritual leaders, elders, deacons, evangelists, shepherds, and mature saints teach the congregation about the authority of every believer of any gender, age, giftedness or social standing to rebuke the sinning believer, according to Matthew 18:15–20.

The Uniqueness of the Authority of the Believer

Level One: The Witness of the Sin

The believer, who personally witnesses the sinning believer, rebukes and expects a response from the sinning believer. The act of rebuking is not casual disapproval of the act of sinning as much as expecting a response from the sinning believer. The act of rebuking the sinning believer carries a sense of responsibility for responding to the rebuke. The act of rebuking the sinning believer carries the burden of response of the sinning believer to the rebuking. No other person in the body of Jesus Christ is placed as channel to witness how the sinning believer is going to respond to the rebuke. The mission of rebuking the sinner carries the agenda of repentance. The one seeing the sinning believer witnesses a spiritual disorder. The one seeing the sinning believer witnesses a spiritual abnormality.

The authority that is entrusted to the believer to witness the sinning believer is two-fold. Firstly, the sinning believer is rebuked so that he can repent and secondly, the sinning believer is rebuked so that he refuses to repent. When the believer has been rebuked, he repents or refuses to repent. The sinning believer responds positively by listening to the rebuke or the sinning believer responds negatively by not listening or repenting. The authority of the believer is such that only the one who rebukes the sinning believer is placed to see the two-fold response of listening to the rebuke by repentance or refusing to listen by not repenting. No other believer in the body of Jesus Christ has been granted such enormous authority as sole representative of Jesus Christ in the mission to methodically correct the sinning believer.

Under healthy conditions, the rebuking believer witnesses the act of repentance to the glory of God or witnesses the sinning believer’s refusal to listen or repent. If the rebuking believer fails to carry out the scriptural assignment to rebuke, then the sinning believer is not saved from his sins.

Level Two: Mission No Longer Alone

If the sinning believer refuses to repent, then one or two more people are added to carry out the Mission No Longer Alone. If the sinning believer refuses to listen or repent, then the rebuking believer is granted divine resources through two or three other believers who are now official channels of rebuking the sinning believer as group under the leadership of the believer who first witnessed and rebuked the sinning believer.

Mission No Longer Alone assumes the authority of the believers based upon Matthew 18:15–20 to rebuke the sinning believer as one who refused to repent upon being rebuked by the believer who witnessed the sin. Mission No Longer Alone will jointly rebuke the sinning believer with all the rights, privileges, and authority. They will face the sinning believer with a sense of divine entitlement that this is a celestial mission to correct sinful conduct in the body of Jesus Christ. Mission No Longer Alone will rebuke the sinning believer, expecting a response from him or her. Mission No Longer Alone rebukes the sinning believer expecting repentance or refusal to repent. Mission No Longer Alone is not a social call to the sinning believer. Mission No Longer Alone is not a casual encounter. Mission No Longer Alone is the only group in the body of Jesus Christ that is carrying out rebuke for repentance. The sinning believer is given an enormous opportunity for correction and repentance. Mission No Longer Alone carries out the personal assignment to the sinning believer with a heavy sense of urgency. Mission No Longer Alone is the provision of God for the believer to regain his spiritual sense and repent from sinning. Mission No Longer Alone carries the assignment in full grasp that they are the last resource before the final level of the congregation. Mission No Longer Alone gives the sinning believer opportunity to come to his senses. Mission No Longer Alone carries the burden of keeping all matters of rebuking the sinning believer confidential; no one else in the world knows all the details to rebuke the sinning believer. Mission No Longer Alone is bound to keep all matters confidential.

The Mission No longer Alone is a channel to carry out the assignment before public notification to the church if the sinning believer refuses to repent.

Level Three: Judgment by the Church

According to Matthew 18:18, If he refuses to repent, then tell it to the church. There is a promise of Jesus Christ to the church that makes the decision to forgive the repenting believer or expel him by joint excommunication. Whatever decision is made by the church is celestially solemn. Whatever the church decides on the matter of the sinning believer is celestially binding. Whatever the church acts upon as final is celestially binding as solemn. Whatever the church acts upon regarding the sinning believer is a heavenly matter with full promises of Jesus Christ. Nothing could be as solemn and celestially binding on earth and in heaven as the act of forgiving the repenting believer or dismissing the believer by joint excommunication. Whatever the group of believers as church decide upon is no longer only an earthly matter since the Lord Jesus Christ assures the church that whatever is binding on earth by the church is binding in heaven.

The church is the corporate and final center for executing judgment whether binding or loosing. As corporate entity, the church alone has sole authority to be the ultimate center of binding or loosing. The church as institution has been granted exclusive punitive powers by heaven for whatever decision is taken by the church on earth is directly endorsed by heaven as final. The church alone is the body granted exclusive punitive powers endorsed celestially. The sinning believer who is judged by excommunication by the church cannot find a hiding place in heaven. What the church is binding is likewise being bound in heaven. It is no longer flesh and blood’s decision as much as heaven binding on the basis of the binding carried out by the church on earth. The church is the representative body of celestially endorsed judgment for the sinning believer. The church is the voice of heaven on matters of final discipline of the sinning believer in the body of Jesus Christ on earth. The church is the final voice that represents heaven on the final fate of the sinning believer on earth. The church is the celestially recognized voice of God on earth regarding the ultimate outcome of the sinning believer on earth.

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter is established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ (Mat 18:15, 16, NIV). Collective evidence is solicited on a highly sensitive matter of sin and the sinning believer. Objectivity is sought as two or three others are added to the rebuking for repentance mission. The alliance brings security to truth finding mission on a highly sensitive mission. The alliance ensures the potential for maximal trustworthiness of the truth establishing mission.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector (Mat. 18:17, NIV). It is the church that carries out the final denunciation by joint expulsion. It is the church that is given the solemn authority to deliver the highest form of collective judgment of the sinning believer who refuses to repent. It is the church that expels him from fellowship. It is the church that excommunicates him. It is the church that is granted celestial power to expel by excommunication the one scripturally worthy of heaviest sentence in this world. It is the church that has celestial endorsement to judge by excommunication the one who is qualified to be excommunicated.

I tell you the truth: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matt. 18:18, NIV). Classic binding takes place when the church takes the decision toward the sinning believer. Classic binding takes place when the church reaches the final decision. Classic binding takes place when the church assumes the celestially endorsed decision toward the sinning believer. Classic binding takes place when what the church decides as final is celestially endorsed as binding in heaven as it is binding in the church: toward the sinning believer. Classic loosing is effected when the church is celestially endorsed on the decision taken toward the repenting believer. Classic loosing takes place as the church on earth forgives the repenting believer.

Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19, NIV). Classic agreement takes place if two believers agree about anything they ask for the sinning believer. The promise is that it will be done for them by God the Father in heaven.

For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them (Matt. 18:20, NIV). The relevance of the two or three coming together in my name, there am I with them takes place when the two or three rebuking believers fulfill their assignment to the sinning believer. Classic promise of the Lord Jesus Christ is fulfillled when the two or three of the rebuking for repentance mission fulfill their assignment to the sinning believer: with the Lord Jesus Christ promising to be with them on this solemn mission.

Chapter 2

The Case of Matthew 18:15–20

Level One Rebuking

The believer who witnesses the act of sinning rebukes the sinning believer with no agenda to condemn. The believer who witnesses the act of sinning rebukes the sinning believer with no agenda to set up a commission of enquiry. The believer who witnesses the act of sinning rebukes the sinning believer with no agenda to give counselling (giving counselling calls for qualifications). The believer who witnesses the act of sinning rebukes the sinning believer with no agenda to restore him. According to Galatians 6:1–2, restoration requires spiritually matured saints who are called by virtue of attained level of growth, maturity, and development.

Level Two Rebuking

Upon private rebuke when the sinning believer repents, then the sinning believer has been rescued by the rebuking believer. However, if the sinning believer refuses to repent, then level two rebuking is embarked upon by the original believer who witnessed the act of sinning. When he rejects the rebuking effort, he is rebuking the Lord. When he rejects help from the one who personally rebukes him, then he is compounding his sinful behavior. When he rejects rebuke, he renders himself to further deterioration in sinful behavior. When he rejects the intervention by rebuke from a messenger of God, then he makes himself vulnerable to a repertoire of sinful attitudes and behaviors. When he rejects the rebuke, he makes himself vulnerable to pride, arrogance, conceit, deception, contempt, disobedience, and unfaithfulness. There are believers who become addicted to their sinful behaviors. These are believers who become gradually enslaved to habitual sins. There are believers who eventually become mastered by sins, for which they refused to repent.

The believer who witnessed the act of sinning proceeds to involve one or two believers to join the campaign to redeem the sinning believer. The second or third person become witnesses after the original believer who witnessed the sinning believer engage in the act of sinful behavior. The second or third believer who joins the first witness is committed to confidentiality. The two or three believers are united to fulfill scriptural requirements to rebuke a sinning believer. No one in the universe knows what the two or three believers are doing in the act of privately rebuking the sinning believer. The two or three believers become one voice of profound rebuke to the sinning believer. If the sinning believer repents, then the two or three have successfully redeemed the sinning believer from evil. However, if the sinning believer refuses to listen to them by way of repentance, the two or three have celestial endorsement, since whatever the two or three are doing together in the name of Jesus Christ heaven is united with them. Whatever the two or three agree upon regarding the matter of the sinning brother is agreed upon in heaven. When the two or three join the original witness to form a joint vocal agreement regarding the sinning believer, heaven is thereby binding whatever they have bound or loosened. When the two or three join the original witness to rebuke the sinning believer, heaven is totally committed to whatever they decide scripturally.

The act of fulfillling the rebuking program is not trivial. The act of fulfillling scripture to rebuke the sinning believer as second-level rebuke operation to the sinning believer is a profound operation since Jesus Christ states a promise that whatever is agreed upon by the two or three on earth, is agreed upon in heaven. Whatever the two or three bind on earth regarding the sinning believer, is a binding matter in heaven. Whatever the two or three are doing to loosen on earth regarding the sinning believer who repents is loosened in heaven. If the two or three believers have succeeded in extracting repentance, then the sinning believer is redeemed from sin. He is saved or won over. If the two or three upon jointly rebuking the sinning believer fail to make him repent from his sinning, then they have reached the quorum of two or three reaching a consensus: where two or three are gathered together in agreement then heaven is in full agreement with their mission whatever the outcome of repentance or refusing to repent.

When the sinning believer rejects the rebuke from the two or three, then the matter that is not settled by the two or three is handed over to the church. The church rebukes the sinning believer as group based on the testimony of the two or three witnesses.

Level Three Rebuking

This is serious to heaven. This is a very solemn act. This is an official celestial promise in the Bible pertaining to a joint agreement in the rebuking of the sinning believer to secure repentance. What is the celestial promise by Jesus Christ? If he refuses to repent, take one or two others along, so that every matter is established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church treat him as you would a tax collector. I tell you the truth whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with you.

Solemnity begins when the sinning believer refuses to repent. Take two or three others along so that every matter is established by the testimony of witnesses. It is a solemn occasion when the two or three are brought into the level two of rebuking. It is a solemn occasion when the level two encounter takes place, for the matter of sinning and rebuking by the original believer is accompanied by two or three witnesses who establish the veracity of the matter of sinning and refusing to repent in the first level to then proceed to involve level two solemnity of celestial presence in the two of three rebuking the sinning believer. According to the promise of Jesus Christ, heaven is present in this level when two or three witnesses rebuke the sinning believer to secure a repentance in my name, there am I with them. When level-two rebuking for repentance takes place, heaven is present.

Who Binds or Looses According to Matthew 18:15–20?

The church binds and looses. The church has absolute authority to bind or loose. The church is granted endorsement to bind or loose. Level-two believers are given the promise by Jesus Christ: If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with you. Level-two believers, who confront the sinning believer on the word of the first witness, are primary recipients of the promise of celestial endorsement of the assignment to rebuke for repentance. How significant is the promise by Jesus Christ to believers who rebuke the sinning believer? Promise number one to the church: Whatever they bind or loose as church is bound or loosed in heaven. Promise Number two: where two agree on anything they ask for in the name of Jesus Christ, it will be done to them by God. Promise Number three: furthermore where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. The three promises have absolute relevance for the rebuking for repentance to the sinning believer mission.

Chapter 3

You Who Are Qualified

Matthew 18:15–20 compared with Galatians 6:1–2. How significant is this qualification? Galatians 6:1–2 states: If one of you is caught in a trespass you who are spiritual should restore this one in the spirit of gentleness and watch over yourself lest you are tempted. Who is assigned the task to restore the believer caught in trespass? The task is given to the spiritual believer who is most developed and biblically skilled with a history of being grounded in the faith through the Scriptures. The spirit is the living proof of the character and lifestyle of the teaching requirements of the Word of God. The spiritual believer is matured according to the requirements of the Scripture. The spiritual believer has a track record of maintaining personal godliness, holiness, and purity. The spiritual believer has developed the skills of obeying God by submitting to the demands of scriptures as a lifestyle. The spiritual believer has developed the skills of overcoming sin by the divine resources in his life as personal lifestyle. The spiritual believer has a track record of manifesting a Christ-like character as a personally achieved lifestyle. The spiritual believer has a proven record of manifesting the fruit of God the Holy Spirit. The spiritual is one who has a track record of living by applying scriptures in his life and character. The spiritual one is one who models the essence of the teaching of scriptures in character and life by testimony of others. The spiritual one has developed skills to apply biblical teaching to effect healing to those who need help. The spiritual one has a history of effecting spiritual healing to a wounded soul.

However, the Matthew 18:15–20 assignment imposes no qualifications on the believers who will confront the sinning believer. No condition is given to the first believer who witnesses his brother sinning, that he must be spiritual. No conditions are given to level two believers to be spiritual. Furthermore, Jesus Christ gives promises for two who agree on anything in the name of Jesus Christ that God will do it for them. Furthermore, Jesus Christ promises where there are two or three come together in His name, He will be with them. The binding and loosing power is given to believers who do not necessarily meet the Galatians 6:1–2 condition to be spiritual. The mission of Matthew 18:15–20 does not call for conditions of Galatians 6:1–2. For the Matthew 18:15–20 mission calls for rebuking the sinning believer and not necessarily to restore him since the conditions of being spiritual may not be met by believers in the level-one and leve- two rebuking for repentance mission. Where the believer caught in trespass requires intensive attention to advanced spiritual equipping in the hands of the most spiritually developed believers in Galatians 6:1–2, the Lord commands any believer of any stage of spiritual development to assume the role to confront the sinning believer in Matthew 18:15–20. The believer caught in a trespass is enslaved, held captive, addicted, and helplessly enchained by the power of sin, needing only the qualified saints who have the requirements to bring him back to a healthy state (in Galatians 6:1–2). The promises given by Jesus Christ are given to level-one and level-two rebuking for repentance mission to a sinning believer. The most spiritually prepared developed grown believer of Galatians 6:1–2 is not given the amount of promises Jesus Christ gives to level-one and level-two rebuking for repentance mission in Matthew 18:15–20.

Galatians 6:1–2 versus Matthew 18:15–20

Paul states, Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted (Gal. 6:1–2, NIV).

The call of Jesus Christ is: If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector (Mat 18:15-17, NIV).

Where Jesus Christ gave the unique authority to rebuke the sinning believer, Paul reminds the believers you who are spiritual. It is impossible to restore the believer who is caught in sin, it is the believer’s authority to rebuke the sinning believer, but it requires development growth maturity in the spiritual realm to become spiritual and restore the one caught in sin. Matthew 18:15–20 explores several levels of rebuking for the repentance of the sinning believer. Galatians 6 does not give several levels of approaching the same sinning believer to repent. Galatians 6 is about one caught in sin and getting restored specifically from qualified saints with divine resources. The spiritually developed believers have acquired divine resources required to bring to full health the one caught in sin. Matthew 18 pursues the believer’s intent to rebuke even for the second time and third time so that even if he refuses to listen to the two or three other believers, he is given another chance as final one to be publicly rebuked for repentance. Galatians 6 is not about the number of times given to the one caught in