For those who take Christ’s admonition seriously – situations that demand our participation abound in the Church.  We must understand that laying down our lives is more than a passing sentiment – it has to do with taking up our cross as Jesus took up His cross.  Showing its salvational implications, “Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”  (Matthew 16:24-25)

Luke adds that if we are ashamed to follow this instruction of Jesus Christ – He will be ashamed of us when He returns (Luke 9:26).  In other words, we will be disqualified from being the Bride because we failed to demonstrate a genuine Godly care for one another.  We must go to the spiritual rescue of a brother who has a serious sin in his life – it is not optional – but mandatory.  “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”  (Galatians 6:1)   Jude speaks of our fearfully intervening to save a brother by, “pulling them out of the fire.”  (Jude :23)  We must rescue them spiritually.

Unless we learn what it means to lay our lives down for the brethren in the love of God, we will not have a part in the Kingdom of God.  The Scriptures are clear; if we lack the compassion to do everything within our power to salvage a brother who is in danger – we do not possess the love of God. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whosoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him?”  (1 John 3:16-17)  The answer is, the love of God does not dwell in him!

In the past, too many of our brethren have believed that our faith consists mostly of the ceremonial observance of rituals and the letter of the law, rather than the spirit of the law, which entails being the living sacrifices that we must be (Romans 12:1).  Getting involved in perilous circumstances for the spiritual sake of a brother is hardly ever a popular thing to do.

A particularly difficult situation arises when a minister is at fault.  How does a member approach a serious offense in a case like that?  For instance, what is to be done when a Pastor refuses to deal with adultery in the congregation?  The Bible gives us clear instructions on how the brethren are to deal with sin of this magnitude.  A minister is also a brother in Christ – and must be dealt with accordingly.  He is certainly not above the law in any way.  Notice a New Testament example of coming to the aid of a sinner:

Paul, first of all, corrects the brethren for their arrogance (a puffed up attitude) in not dealing with a fornicator.  Premarital sex and extramarital sex breed a contemptuous attitude in those who condone such illicit behavior.  “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up [haughty], and have not rather mourned, that he that has done this deed might be taken away from among you.”  (1 Corinthians 5:1-2)

It was not being judgmental to conclude that his salvation was at stake.  That man was living in sin, and therefore, not entitled to a continuing fellowship with the brethren.  He was yielding to his fleshly lusts, when Christians have, by definition, already crucified the flesh with the inordinate desires and lusts (Galatians 5:24).  [crucified the flesh– means that they have killed that sin in their lives]  Notice that Paul directs the congregation to deal with this sinner using Godly love to help him – not to permanently drive him away.  The purpose of his being separated from the brethren is for the express goal of restoring such a one to repentance and salvation.

“In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”  (1 Corinthians 5:4-5)  In other words, send him back into Satan’s world until he learns to defeat his carnality, and repent.  Missing the camaraderie is a motivation to be reinstated to the fellowship of the brethren.  Paul explains that this process pertains to a wide range of sins:  “Now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one have no social interactions.”  (1 Corinthians 5:11)

Sin cannot come into the presence of God (Isaiah 59:2) – and by extension, sin should not be present in the congregation of the brethren – the saints – because they are holy in God’s sight.  So Paul’s instruction on the matter is: “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”  (1 Corinthians 5:13)  The wonderful thing about this example is the positive results that were achieved because it was handled correctly in accordance with God’s Word – in showing love to a brother (2 Corinthians 2:8).  The sinful man repented – he learned that he must destroy his carnality with its passions and lusts – and he became a profitable member of the congregation once more (2 Corinthians 2:1-11).

A Minister is a Brother Too

God is not a respecter of persons – so this lesson applies equally to sinful ministers.  When a minister is sinning – there are two possible scenarios for the outcome.  First, prayer, fasting, patience, wisdom and going to your brother (Matthew 18:15-17) may render a successful outcome – or, second, the minister may carry the congregation away into error.  When the latter occurs, the faithful brethren will be in jeopardy of being put out of the church (3 John :10).  An apt example of this happened in the case of Diotrephes.   Diotrephes sought the preeminence, the highest position over all the congregation – meaning he wanted to be their minister – but he was a false minister.  John gave the same instructions as Paul gave:  “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good.  He that does good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.”  (3 John :11)

Satan is subtle, and so are his ministers.  Often they will “only” want you to close your eyes to wrongdoing in the church.  They will say things like, “Can’t you go along with it for the sake of peace for a little while?”  You might be tempted to say to yourself, “Peace is good!”  The correct answer is, “No!  I will not be a part of it for one second.”  The sinning minister will disfellowship you in a heartbeat – but Jesus Christ says not to worry.

A sinning minister, who casts you out of a church organization when you are faithfully serving Jesus Christ, is not jeopardizing your salvation.  Our salvation is always between us and Jesus Christ.  In fact, helping a sinning minister to see the error of his way is what we must be doing to ensure our salvation.  Jesus desires that we understand these things, so He said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that you should not be offended.   They shall put you out of the congregations: yes, the time is coming, that whosoever kills you will think that he is doing God a service.  And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.”  (John 16:1-3)  It is a badge of honor in God’s sight to endure persecution.  “Your persecutions and tribulations that you endure are a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.”  (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5)

Chapter 15: Who is my Brother?