(15) If we go and "show him his fault" as Jesus says, isn't that the same as pointing fingers and judging him? No. Jesus is calling us to correct, not judge. We are correcting when we point out sin motivated by love. We are judging when we point out sin motivated by pride and anger. The context of the passage makes this clear because in the previous passages, Jesus teaches us to "humble ourselves like a little child" (v.4), not to "look down on these little ones" (v.10), and that God is "not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." (v. 14) These words of Jesus show that we are never to point out another's sin out of revenge, malice, hate, or snobbery. The godly purpose of pointing out sin is to lovingly restore the brother to Christ-like living, much in the same way that an older brother or sister may have chided us for stealing candy when we were little.

(16) Why take "one or two others along"? To convince the brother that he has really sinned, if he didn't listen the first time. The presence of others puts a lot of weight behind the truth. See Deut. 19:15.

(17) Why does Jesus teach us to "tell it to the church"? Sometimes the brother will still refuse to admit to any wrongdoing. In such a case, the pastor, elders, and sometimes others in the church ought to intervene. The purpose of telling the pastor is not to shame the brother, or to punish, embarrass, or intimldate him, but rather to do everything possible to win your brother back.

(17) Isn't "treating him as a pagan" harsh? Extreme obstinacy requires extreme measures. Although at first it seems cruel to cut a brother off from the fellowship of the church (e.g. excommunication), it is really a form of "tough love." It is a way of saying "We love you. It hurts us to do this. We can let you back in only if you promise to seek help." The church should pursue this step only as a last resort. It should only be done out of love, and never out of coldness, hatred, or bitterness.

(18) What does Jesus mean by "binding on earth"? He is in other words saying, "If you follow these steps, then whoever is in the church on earth will be found in heaven, and whoever is not in the church, will not be in heaven." A good church is where all its members are genuine believers who will see each other in heaven. By following these steps of restoring brotherhood, false believers will leave, but true believers will stay. Imagine a church that did nothing about sin. It may grow in numbers, but its people would not be there for the right reason -- to learn to become like Christ. This phrase occurs also in Matthew 16:20, in connection with the church's responsibility to preach about Jesus Christ. Both the preaching about Jesus Christ and these steps for restoring brotherhood ensure that all the church's members are true believers who will see each other in heaven.

• Steps to handling the sin that hurts the family of believers: (15-17)

         a. "show him his faults"
         b. "take one or two others"
         c. "tell it to the church"
         d. "treat him as a pagan"

• A good church is not afraid to speak out against sin. (18)

• God powerfully answers prayer when believers live in harmony. (19-20)