In today's society people no longer put their absolute trust in the authorities; whether they are the government, civil or the church, but rather now look for their support from others who could be their friends, peers or family. With this shift in emphasis comes the pressing need to take responsibility for our relationships.
In Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 to 20, Jesus teaches us that taking responsibility for our relationships is critical, and then gives us some very practical ways of doing this which are:
In today's society people no longer put their absolute trust in the authorities; whether they are the government, civil or the church, but rather now look for their support from others who could be their friends, peers or family. With this shift in emphasis comes the pressing need to take responsibility for our relationships.
In Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 to 20, Jesus teaches us that taking responsibility for our relationships is critical, and then gives us some very practical ways of doing this which are:
Step one is to immediately address any issues that arise out of our relationships. This is the best way as it stops any possibility of further deterioration. If this doesn't work then we need to arrange a meeting with the others involved to discuss the issues and resolve them. If the problem still persists then the next step is to get somebody to facilitate the reconciliation process between ourselves and the others involved, and it might just be that we have contributed in some way towards the problem and need to also to repent for our actions.
For the Christian the next step is to bring the problem to our Christian fellowship. Now this might seem a bit strange but it's only in an atmosphere of prayer, love and fellowship that really sensitive issues with personal relationships can be effectively dealt with. But why bother to do this? Well the truth is that the alternatives – like involving the law – never really settle the dispute and there are always issues that remain.
Finally – if all this fails then the passage tells us that we should treat the person who has wronged us as a non-Christian. Now this is a really harsh step to take and it doesn't seem to be the way that Jesus treated people, but what this action does do is alerts everybody to the seriousness of the problem. It's not an injunction to abandon a person; it's actually a challenge to win them back with love, which can touch even the hardest of hearts.
This bible passage ends with words about losing and binding again. This is not an easy piece of scripture to understand because it does not mean that the church can forgive sins – because only God can do that. But what it could mean is that the relationships that we have with people, good or bad, really last. Not only during our time here on earth, but through eternity as well.
In the light of this understanding we can see the need to let them right now, before it's too late.
