accident magnet

• Messages sorted by:[ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]

Bro. Harrell wrote:

>I also have to wonder how much of a saint a person is when
>they can't see their wrongdoing, and have enough God in
>them to want to correct a wrong...

I reply:

Really not our place to decide those sort of things, that is why we serve God.

Bro. Harrel also wrote (and quoted the KJV):
>
>St. Matthew 18:
>15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee,
>go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone:
>if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 
>16 But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one
>or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses
>every word may be established. 
>17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the
>church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be
>unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
>
>Sainthood is GONE at this point, and he is as a regular
>person...take him to COURT!!
>
>
>
I reply (also with the KJV):

I Corthinhians 6:7-8

7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one
with another.  Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer
yourselves to be defrauded?

8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Notice that in verse 8 that the defrauder goes from being the one that was
originally defrauded to the one that was taking the person to the court.
However, the object of the defrauding went from being the original brother
to the brethren, or the church, as a whole.  In other words, when you take
another brother before the law, you defraud the church.  

The original verses you quoted, (Matthew 18:15-17) ending with describing
the way the CHURCH was to VIEW the offending and unrepentant brother, but
has no effect on the way that the OUTSIDE world will view the whole matter.
That is why God later clarifies this whole matter by stating that He would
rather us take wrong than to take a brother to court.

Humbly submitted,


Andy (still don't think we should sue our brothers no matter what we think
of them) Gossett