Little Red Book Ministry

II. The Saints Are Only Sinners Saved By Grace
If you haven’t already, you will eventually find that Christians can let you down or hurt you just as badly as any unsaved person might. This may be in part because your expectations of them are so much higher than your expectations of the world. Nevertheless, in most cases, you must forgive them just as Christ forgave you.

A. Forgive minor offenses
Most of the problems that come between Christians are of a minor or petty nature. Scriptures indicate that we are to forgive one another over and over and not allow ourselves to grow weary of doing right (Romans 2:7; Galatians 6:9).

Matthew 18:21–22; 2 Corinthians 2:6–8

B. Biblical steps for dealing with major offenses
Sometimes Christians will do things that simply cannot be ignored. For such cases our Lord has given specific steps to try and resolve the issue.

1. Meet with the offender privately “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother” (Matthew 18:15).

2. If meeting privately fails, meet with witnesses “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matthew 18:16).

3. Finally, make it public before the Church

“And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican” (Matthew 18:17).