As we examine the text of Galatians 6 and 1 Timothy 5, we might confuse the action taken to the work of the local church organization. Let’s think about it, more. Galatians 6:1-3. It reads,
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
No one is above sin and, once again, there is no church official standing over you with an attitude of superiority. We all stand in the same position in need of God’s grace and anyone who thinks he is above another brother or sister is deceived into thinking he is something when he is nothing.
When comparing Matthew 18 and the matter of individual responsibility to go to a fellow-Christian in sin, we discover an individual obligation. This is a private matter and, therefore, describes a personal responsibility that a saint has toward another who has sinned. This is not the decision of a local church that decides to send a brother a letter in the first stage of the withdrawal process. In some cases, it is a sad commentary on the ignorance of brethren who think that such an action should be taken against one who is not coming to church. Such an example is a blatant demonstration of ignorance and spiritual decay. Churches in my tradition have used Matthew 18 as an example of the steps needing to be taken in “church discipline.” But, like the teaching of 1 Timothy 5, it should be an example of individual responsibility. The burden of responsibility is not for you to tell me about another’s sin with the expectation that I go to them because I’m the pastor. It certainly should not be communicated in the church business meeting or to a body of elders/pastors. Ideally, that knowledge should remain with you, assuming that it brings about repentance from the sinner (cf. James 5:19-20). If it doesn’t, then you take two or three as witnesses because it is within the possibility that you are wrong about your assessment and it is important that others see the defiance and unwillingness of the sinner to acknowledge his sin. The implication is that the two or three who now are aware have the same responsibility that you had initially. Every effort is made to correct the sin by those who are aware of it. If this fails, then the entire community of Christians (the called-out), are made aware of it so that it becomes a burden of the whole community. The same responsibility that began with just one is now the responsibility of all the saints. Please, do not confuse the word “church” as the proper translation that describes a local organization whose leaders decide for the group that they will cut off all ties and fellowship with him or her. This is neither church action, nor someone acting by proxy on behalf of the church organization. Here is an example of a sin being given public exposure so that all Christians are now involved in bringing the sinner to repentance.
1 Timothy 5 and Matthew 18 have been used to demonstrate the collective action of the church in church discipline and church benevolence. If we will remove the organization, behind which we hide, and accept our personal responsibility toward our spiritual family, we are going to be very busy in each other’s lives. As I have said before, I am not advocating a lack of fellowship because I do not support church membership. I am advocating a greater fellowship that includes the sharing of our home, our food, our recourses, our knowledge, our love, our faith, and the praise of God. Everyone is accepting their responsibilities so that other Christians (the ekklesia) are not pulled off of some other work of love to fill a void that is created by your negligence.
The same responsibility should be accepted, today. When there is a widow who is all alone, having no children or relatives, the saints should cover her with their love and provide for her. The seven men of Acts 6 who had been chosen to care for the Grecian widows were men who ensured that they were not neglected in a work already being done – “the daily ministration.” How do you think the care of these Jewish widows and the addition of the Greeks were being provided? Of all the examples of care in the scriptures, it was accomplished in the home. Once again, if we remove the church organization and the institutional concept, we don’t have the creation of a widow’s home or an orphan’s home and local church organizations sending money to these other organizations or sponsoring some other local church that has declared responsibility for it.
Again, when families raise their children to know the Lord, praying and studying His word daily, there is neither demand nor need for Sunday School classes provided by the church (organization). When brethren share their lives each day, they are reminded of their spiritual goals. They pray together, study together, or sing together. This is the ekklesia at work minus the church organization through which the called-out are encouraged to work.