The challenge of stumbling into Matthew 18 without its context is that we get the point Jesus is trying to make completely backward.
Proper 18A | Matthew 18:15-20
There are two reasons why people completely misunderstand this passage. And misuse it.
- We read it out of context.
- We have messed up ideas about sin.
If these slim verses were all we have, well, this would sound like a solid plan of reconciling our differences, doesn’t it? It is actionable, ordered, and reasonable. We could cut and paste this into a human resources manual and sound faithful.
And get the purpose so wrong that we abuse people like they did at Mars Hill in Seattle.
Because the context turns our assumptions on their heads and our sorry understanding of sin leaves us lost.
So we’ve got some big ideas to tackle.
The full text may be found here.
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