Rebuking with a Purpose!

Luke 17:3,4 NKJV
3 Take heed to (watch) yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

'' 'Rebuke!' What? Did I read it correctly? "

As I read the bible and came across Luke 17:3,  I was shocked! Jesus said,  "Rebuke the brother who sins against you." The same Jesus Who said, "If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to him the other," in Matthew 5:39, wants us to rebuke the brother who sins against us here in Luke 17:3 ?

I was confused at first, but after exploring deeply, my doubt cleared. I was able to see it clearly.

We are accustomed to rebuking our own children and family members to correct them and help them walk in the right way. But when it comes to outsiders, like members of our church who are also Christians, we just smile and try to pretend it is OK. We feel that it is impolite to rebuke or correct them. Then we grumble and gossip about what they did, behind their backs. This causes disunity and dissension in the body of Christ.

Here Jesus Who is the embodiment of Love itself, tells us to  rebuke a brother (a believer) when he sins against us. KJV says 'trespasses' against us. That means when we are wronged by a believer, not a persecutor who persecutes us for our belief in Jesus but a brother in faith, we are to rebuke (correct) him. Showing your cheek to someone (an unbeliever) who slaps you, is a topic for another time.

Jesus wants us to rebuke a brother who wrongs us. Why? The reason is simple. So that he will not be stumbled. Look at verses 1 & 2 before that. Jesus says do not stumble the little ones, meaning the young believers. A believer must be shown the right way. If he is not corrected when he does something wrong, then he will continue to do the trespasses in that same way. He who did it to you now, will do it to others some other time.  If we keep quiet without correcting him, we are doing him harm. That is why we must rebuke (correct ) him. Then when he repents we are commanded to forgive him, even if he does it numerous times and repents. Seven is an infinite number here.

Rebuking and forgiving a believer unifies and strengthens the body of Christ when it is done in love and out of a pure motive.

We must grow the attitude of hating the sin but loving the sinner. When someone keeps wronging us again and again and again, it is only human nature to get irritated and say, "You know what! You are incorrigible! I give up on you!" That is exactly what Jesus wants us to avoid doing. We need to rebuke, then forgive readily, without any grouses, when he repents.

Corrie Ten Boom in her book 'The Hiding Place', recounts how she could not forgive her sister's murderer who was repentant after hearing her preach. Only when she asked the Lord for strength a surge of God's love shot through her arm and she was able to shake hands with that person and even forgive him.

Like Corrie, let us ask Him to pour His love and compassion into our hearts to rebuke and forgive with His love.

Rebuking or correcting in selfish anger will become a sin on our part. We must not rebuke to seek vengeance. We need to rebuke in love, with a purpose. What is that purpose? It is to help the offender to change and live a life pleasing to God. We need to build him up and not tear him down by our rebukes.

Before telling us to rebuke, Jesus says 'Keep watch'. Let us therefore keep watch and pray without ceasing, at all times. Let us guard ourselves from stumbling others by our words and actions. Let us rebuke a brother who sins, with love. Let us readily forgive him who repents, no matter what it takes. We can't do it on our own. We need the strength and power of God. Let us therefore ask Him for it.

Remember, love the sinner while hating the sin. Let us do it all in humility. Pride will destroy us.

Mary Augustine
30/03/18