{"id":1315,"date":"2025-07-01T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=1315&2025"},"modified":"2025-06-26T18:00:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T00:00:20","slug":"facing-conflict-as-a-believer-matthew-18-15-35","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/facing-conflict-as-a-believer-matthew-18-15-35\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing Conflict as a Believer: Matthew 18:15-35"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 18:15-35 (NCV)<\/div>
\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a015<\/sup> \u201cIf your fellow believer sins against you, go and tell him in private what he did wrong. If he listens to you, you have helped that person to be your brother or sister again. 16<\/sup> But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. \u2018Every case may be proved by two or three witnesses.\u2019 17<\/sup> If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a person who does not believe in God or like a tax collector.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 18<\/sup> \u201cI tell you the truth, the things you don\u2019t allow on earth will be the things God does not allow. And the things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 19<\/sup> \u201cAlso, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20<\/sup> This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a021<\/sup> Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, \u201cLord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a022<\/sup> Jesus answered, \u201cI tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 23<\/sup> \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him. 24<\/sup> When the king began to collect his money, a servant who owed him several million dollars was brought to him. 25<\/sup> But the servant did not have enough money to pay his master, the king. So the master ordered that everything the servant owned should be sold, even the servant\u2019s wife and children. Then the money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 26<\/sup> \u201cBut the servant fell on his knees and begged, \u2018Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.\u2019 27<\/sup> The master felt sorry for his servant and told him he did not have to pay it back. Then he let the servant go free.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 28<\/sup> \u201cLater, that same servant found another servant who owed him a few dollars. The servant grabbed him around the neck and said, \u2018Pay me the money you owe\u00a0me!\u2019<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 29<\/sup> \u201cThe other servant fell on his knees and begged him, \u2018Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I\u00a0owe.\u2019<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 30<\/sup> \u201cBut the first servant refused to be patient. He threw the other servant into prison until he could pay everything he owed. 31<\/sup> When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very sorry. So they went and told their master all that had happened.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 32<\/sup> \u201cThen the master called his servant in and said, \u2018You evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay anything. 33<\/sup> You should have showed mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you.\u2019 34<\/sup> The master was very angry and put the servant in prison to be punished until he could pay everything he owed.<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 35<\/sup> \u201cThis king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 18:15-35<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Nearing the end of Jesus\u2019 ministry, He shares a strategy about how His followers should deal with conflict between each other. This strategy contains the various stages conflict should move through for it to be dealt with in a healthy fashion. However, at the conclusion of this process, Jesus gives an instruction that could be understood in two different ways \u2013 both of which are correct.<\/p>\r\n

Matthew\u2019s gospel includes Jesus\u2019 teaching on this point and Matthew tells us Jesus said: \u201cIf your fellow believer sins against you, go and tell him in private what he did wrong. If he listens to you, you have helped that person to be your brother or sister again. But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. \u2018Every case may be proved by two or three witnesses.\u2019 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a person who does not believe in God or like a tax collector.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 15-17)<\/p>\r\n

In each progressive stage of a conflict, more people are brought into the situation, but the real mastery of this strategy is that in each conflict, resolution is attempted at each stage with the fewest possible people. The first stage of conflict tries to resolve the conflict with only two people involved. If this doesn\u2019t work, then one or two others are brought into the discussion. If the small group cannot come to a resolution, then the matter is brought before the church, and if the issue cannot be solved at this level, then we are to treat that person as one who does not believe in God or like a tax collector.<\/p>\r\n

The challenge if you are the one who has felt wronged is that as soon as others are brought into the picture, they might side with other party. This has happened to me, and it is no fun. If the issue is brought before the church, it\u2019s possible that the church will side with the other party. Again, this has happened to me and it is not pleasant either. While I will say that I was not kicked out of a church for having a conflict that was brought before the church, I no longer attend the church where that conflict took place.<\/p>\r\n

However, the twist in Jesus\u2019 instructions comes at the end. When the church cannot help solve a disagreement, then the instruction is to treat the person who has done wrong like<\/em> they are someone who doesn\u2019t believe in God, or like<\/em> a tax collector.<\/p>\r\n

On the surface, this sounds like Jesus basically says to kick them out of the church, but treating someone like they don\u2019t believe in God doesn\u2019t mean that they really don\u2019t believe. Treating someone like a tax collector might simply mean exercising caution when around them, but it does not mean disassociating yourself from them.<\/strong> Jesus invited a former tax collector to be a part of His group of disciples, and He praises Zacchaeus, another tax collector.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

In some ways, church is designed for those who are deciding whether to believe in God or not, so simply not believing in God does not immediately disqualify someone from being a part of a church. This might mean that if a conflict of this sort happens, then it would be good to exercise caution if the person in question holds a leadership position. If the conflict cannot be resolved, it might make sense to invite the individual to step down from their place of leadership \u2013 but that is a far cry from asking them to leave a church.<\/p>\r\n

There are times when a person should part ways with a church, but in almost every case, it should be the person\u2019s decision unless the person is putting the church in physical or legal danger.<\/p>\r\n

I see Jesus\u2019 instructions conclude with a call to treat those who a resolution cannot be reached as someone who is brand new to the idea of believing in God\/Jesus. Practically speaking, this involves being friendly, listening, socializing together, and intentionally building a community of friends around the person. These actions should have nothing to do with the issue at hand, but should instead simply be shown as a way to love someone who may be feeling burned by others (and perhaps even God). If the person doesn\u2019t want the church\u2019s love, then the person is free to leave \u2013 but then it becomes that person\u2019s issue.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus does not call anyone to hate or push others away. Instead, He calls us into community, and everything about His method for dealing with conflict helps support relationships and build a stronger community with other followers. When we deal with conflict like Jesus, we will ultimately grow closer even if not every issue is solved.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nearing the end of Jesus\u2019 ministry, He shares a strategy about how His followers should deal with conflict between each other. This strategy contains the various stages conflict should move through for it to be dealt with in a healthy fashion. 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