In context what this verse is saying God gives His stamp of approval when this process is followed. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus is giving courage to Christians who are terrified about formally recognizing the lost condition of a Christian who has chosen sin over Jesus. 3. So I want to look the Matthew 18:20 meaning and see how it actually applies to our life. It includes the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Unforgiving Servant which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is giving incredibly practical advice. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it. But what does the inverse of this interpretation mean? This verse is not saying that God is present when there are two or more people. But, before we get there let’s look at how it’s misused. Verses 15-17 are of particular significance to Baptists in their support of the principle of autonomy of the local church (see Baptist beliefs). Explanation and Commentary of Matthew 18:19 The verse comes toward the end of a section concerning the work of the church on behalf of a member in sin. When we ignore the context in which a passage of the Bible is written we can quite literally make it say anything. Since we already looked at how they are misused let’s look at how these verses should be understood. Essentially Jesus is saying you follow these steps and leave the consequences up to me. To “become as little children” means to be born again (converted) as a newborn spiritual child, characterized by faith and humility. [12] Jesus teaches that the attempt to reconcile a brother involves three steps: the Christian Love Rules (18:15), the Common Law Rules (18:16) and the Christian Leaders Rule (18:17–20), which is followed by an exposition of forgiveness (18:21–22) accompanied by a parable about a man whose debt is forgiven but refused to forgive others and therefore is punished (18:23–35).[13]. 1 Cor 6:1). And the “two or three brought together” in verse 20 is not talking about worship services. If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. This would solve SO many problems in the church, in the workplace, in our neighborhoods, and in our families, if we just did this. Read the verses before and after. So, let’s look at the process a little deeper. Stop Taking The Bible Out Of Context (and how to avoid it), Understanding Specific Bible Stories (Biblical Interpretation), 7 Surprising Facts About Jesus That You Probably Don’t Know, What We Can Learn From The Questions Jesus Asked, 6 Times Jesus Got Angry (what made Jesus mad). When the context of this passage is ignored you can If they refuse to repent, grab two or three people that are trusted within the church and talk to them again. God listens to our prayers whether we are alone or with others. If the case is made that the first time it was spoken primarily to Peter (Mt 16:19), this time it is clear to all his disciples that he speaks. This chapter is divided into 35 verses. If a sinner remains recalcitrant, even after the matter is brought to the whole community, then the person must be regarded as "outside the community" ("excommunication"). After going privately to a brother or sister who has sinned, and the confrontation has been unsuccessful, one must take another along, and then as a last resort, tell it to the whole church. ’If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Chances are you’ve heard this verse read during church service once or twice. [11], The third of the threefold function of a local church (after receiving new believers in 18:1–11 and restoring backsliders in 18:12–14) is to reconcile brethren. [4], "Be converted" is more literally translated as "be turned … so as to go in an opposite direction. One of the simplest and most important things we should do when reading the Bible is to look at the context. Rather it’s a process for us to follow when there is conflict and a promise that God is with us while going through that process. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it. When this verse is used this way it’s implying that when two or more are in agreement then what they ask will be done. In this case the verses that kick off this section will tell us what Jesus is actually talking about in Matthew 18:20. 2. Not only is that not in the context of this verse, but it’s also not accurate theology. Mark Moore in The Chronological Life Of Christ says it this way, The prayer of verse 19 is not for “anything” we might plan or desire, but any judicial matter. In context, we can now see that Jesus is giving instructions about how to handle conflicts with others. The Saviour’s words (Matthew 18:3-20) meet all these offences, and declare His own and His Father’s anxiety for the salvation of souls.

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