Articles
What if my brother sins?
There is no question that it is awkward when a brother or sister knows that a fellow saint has engaged in some sort of sinful activity. What is the responsibility of the Christian who saw this? Should they even say anything? Is there a possibility that what they saw was exactly what they think they saw? These are good questions, so let’s see what God says.
First and foremost, we must remember that Christians are to love everyone, especially their own brethren (Gal. 6:10). There is a special bond between brothers and sisters in Christ since they are in fellowship with each other and the Lord (I Jn. 1:3-7). This genuine love should be remembered by Christians going to someone and by those approached by another.
Children of God must remember that to love is not to ignore. A brother’s concern for the spiritual well-being of another should be received with a thankful heart, although that is often not the case. Jesus says that it is the duty of every Christian to confront sinful behavior when they see it.. Why? For the sake of their soul. Whose soul, you ask? The one who sinned or the one who saw the sin? Both!
Ignoring our duty to help a fellow laborer come back is simply wrong (Jas. 5:19-20). Sin should cause us to mourn for the one who has fallen (I Cor. 5:1-2). The goal is to save a soul, as said in James 5:19-20. To hide one’s head in the sand doesn’t help anyone. Perhaps that is the very point: some Christans just don’t want to get involved. Yes, it would be easier just to ignore those in sin, but our God wants us to try and help. Mind you, if a person is unwilling to repent, no amount of help on our end will be successful.
Jesus said go to the brother in sin and the fewer who know about it, the better (Matt. 18:15). If that brother won’t repent, take another (Matt. 18:16). If he still won’t repent, tell the church (Matt. 18:17). If he still won’t repent, he needs to be marked (Matt. 18:17; Rom.16:17). Of course, even in the marking there is a desire to get them back (II Thess. 3:14-15; I Cor. 5:5). Let’s remember to act like a family and truly care for the spiritual well being of one another.
