BETWEEN US AND THE KINGDOM
"Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" (Mt 18:7).
Our tendency is to think of feelings when offended. Usually one has been wounded, feeling that he has been treated unfairly. Justly or unjustly, the hurt is there. Blame is assessed. Such assessing is judging, an action which belongs to God, not to man. He has plainly told us that we are to "judge not," for our tendency is to judge by our feelings, with ourselves as the center of the situation. God is not allowed any place. We have assumed that our hurt is more important that God's will. No, we do not usually think of it in those terms, but that is exactly why it is so wrong for us to go on with a nursing of our feelings. This soon becomes a grudge and it is against another. In the case of God's people it is against a brother and is therefore contrary to His will for us (Mt. 7:1). Yes, we are to judge righteous judgment (Jn. 7:24). This evidently means that the judging is not a setting of ourselves as the standard, but an allowing God to be the standard.
Think with me. Is judging others, thinking of our own feelings, blaming others for differing with us, and demanding they apologize or change to agree with us, a mark of the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ? No, I must agree that men may be right and not agree with me. But I must agree with the Christ. His will is set in His Word. His example as a man is seen in the Gospels and applied in the lives of men throughout the Epistles. How did He deal with those who differed with Him? No, He did not completely ignore them. There came times when he rebuked them harshly (Matthew, chapters 15 and 23).
Did They Not Know Better?
"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Mt. 18:21-22).
May we get something straight regarding forgiveness. When Jesus prayed from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:34), we must not assume that there was no guilt in the crucifiers, or that they would not have to take the consequences because Jesus prayed "forgive them." It could have been for the Roman soldiers who were merely carrying out the orders of their superiors. It could have been for young or weak disciples who were utterly confused by the course of events. But God is not excusing people who do wrong purely upon the basis of their ignorance. This is explained in Lk. 12:42-48. This teaching is directly to His disciples. They had heard Him teach and had every reason to know what He expected, but mention is made of an attitude so often seen among professing Christians. Some know their Lord's will and do not do it. These are to be judged — "beaten with many stripes." Others did things worthy of stripes but did not know. These were to be beaten with few stripes. The language, using stripes as upon a slave or servant, a position which we hold before our Lord, expresses metaphorically the comparative treatment to be accorded to a faithful as against an unfaithful servant. That was the question raised in the context (verse 42).
God knows all about us and will deal with us accordingly. This is why we must give full attention to Him and to His revealed will. We are expected to deal with our brethren in love, show them their fault when they sin, and expect them to acknowledge it. But if they are adamant, refuse to yield, then we must bring such a brother before the church. If he still will not admit his error, such a brother is to be treated as a "heathen man (Gentile, one not a disciple or in covenant position) and a publican (a tax collector, one serving his own personal interests, rather than those of the Lord and his brethren).
So in our forgiving those who have hurt us our consideration must be for the honor of the Lord's name, not our own feelings. We may safely consider that he did not know better until he is brought before other brethren and before the Lord and is indicted as guilty. After that we still are not to just overlook his sin, but we are to avoid his company so he may be ashamed, admonish him with God's Word, yet treat him as a brother (2 Thessalonians 2:14-15). The tendency of the day, even with our children, is to overlook all their faults, allowing them to become worse rebels. But this is not God's way.
Remember, brethren, that God expects us to show the spirit of Christ and to love our brethren. Love, however, does not mean to ignore sins, but we are to admonish and attempt to deliver him from his rebellion. Our own hearts are aware that we must confess our own sins (1 Jn. 1:7-9). By no means must we allow ourselves to think that the pattern of dealing with brethren is a provision for us to exact a penalty of them for their supposed disobedience, nor must we ever try to get revenge. Revenge belongs to the Lord (Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30).
Having turned a matter over to the Lord we have peace for it is no longer our matter, but His. It will take prayer and genuine devotion to be able to do this. Any other way jeopardizes our inheritance with Him in His kingdom.
God has let me live a long time so that I could learn this simple lesson of dealing with Him in all matters, committing all things into His hands.
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