Sin & restoration
What is sin? How do we deal with it? And what happens when someone sins against you?
What sin is
Sin is any thought, word, or action that falls short of God’s perfect standard (Romans 3:23; 1 John 3:4; 1 John 5:17).
When we sin, we confess it openly to God (1 John 1:9), turn from it (Acts 3:19), and trust the forgiveness already secured by Jesus (1 John 1:7).
We are also instructed, where appropriate, to confess our sin to one another (James 5:16). Doing this often breaks the power of it over our lives, and enables the people we trust to walk with us and support us in overcoming it.
By the power of the Holy Spirit we put to death the desires of the flesh and walk in step with Him (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:16).
When someone sins against you
When a fellow believer sins against you, follow the steps Jesus gave in Matthew 18:15–17.
-
Go and speak to him privately
First, go and speak to him privately about what he did. Not to a friend, not to the group — to him.
-
Take one or two others with you
If he will not listen, take one or two others with you.
-
Tell it to the wider church
If he still refuses, tell it to the wider church.
-
Treat him as an outsider
If he still refuses even the church, treat him as an outsider.
Restoration is the goal
If someone has humility and turns from their sin, restore them gently (Galatians 6:1) and forgive as God has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32).
The whole sequence above exists to get to that sentence. It is not a disciplinary process looking for an outcome; it is a series of chances to be reconciled, each one wider than the last, and every step of it can stop the moment someone turns.