11/27/2016 0 Comments Biblically Correcting OthersBefore I get into my main post I want you to understand where I am coming from. I was sent on the path of writing this after witnessing a series of posts on the CCG forums that concerned me. That issue has since been resolved so I don’t want to bring it up any particulars. My point is that the old me got riled up and I wanted to jump in and start bashing heads. But then I slowed down, I prayed, then I started to research what the Bible says about correcting others. Then the anger I felt turned to introspection. You see, I’m a teacher. God turned my anger at some forum posts into a genuine concern about whether or not I am correcting my students, and other adults, the way God would have me do.
To begin to answer that question I needed to start looking at what the Bible says about correcting others. The first passage I came across was Matthew 18:15-17. This passage lays out a plan of action for dealing with a person who is living with sin in their life. It seems to offer a series of steps for conflict resolution: Step 1. Talk to them privately about the matter. Step 2. Talk with them with a couple of people who actually witnessed the sin and provide them with evidence. Step 3. Involve the church. Step 4. If they refuse to listen even to the church then exclude them. These steps are useful but not really the explanation of how to offer the correction that I was looking for, so I kept digging. Eventually I came across an article that referenced Timothy 2:23-26. I found these verses enlightening. Verse 23 tells us not to argue over foolish meaningless things. If we are going to argue it should be about something that matters, not just to us but to God. Because if it does not matter to God then it is meaningless. Verses 24 and 25 tell us not to be looking to pick fights but to be kind and to teach with gentleness. While verse 26 tells us what our goal should be. To help them realize their sin and escape the traps set by the devil. So in summary when we seek to correct an error in someone else we should: 1. Do it out of love for the Lord and love for them. 2. Do it only for things that matter. 3. Be gentle with the goal of teaching, not the goal of being right. 4. Do it with the hope that God will bring them to repentance and a right relationship with Him. Anyway, it may be that this post is just God teaching me something. But I pray that someone else will find it useful as well. References Cloe, S.J. (2013, April 15). Lesson 14: The Gentle Art of Correction (2 Timothy 2:23-26). Retrived from https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-14- ... thy-223-26
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