While the innocent are persecuted

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV)

This is Jesus teaching his disciples. And the lesson applies to us today who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who are part of the body of Christ, the church. But I assume Jesus was speaking to the twelve here, which was men only, so this would be one Christian man confronting another man who also claims to be a Christian. I do not recommend women confronting men by themselves, especially if the offense has anything to do with some kind of inappropriate touching or remarks made to her by the man in question.

But this is where it gets complicated. You may have been sinned against, and so you accuse the offender of wrong. If there are no other witnesses, then it is one person’s word against the other. And if it cannot be proven either way, then the person accusing the other really has no case unless the one committing the offense admits to the wrongdoing. And if the two people are male and female, it ends up being what they call a “He said, she said” situation where neither side can be proven. And thus the case is dropped.

And then there are some people who accuse others falsely of things they did not do, sometimes out of spite or revenge or jealousy or whatever reason. And this is called slander. But others believe the liar and not the truth teller, and so the innocent gets charged erroneously while the guilty goes free. And this often happens in situations where the person presenting the charges against the other is an individual in a position of power, control, and influence, and perhaps as a means of hiding their own sinful practices.

So, in all practicality, we may not be able to get past even the first step of this if the person committing the offense doesn’t admit to the wrong and if they deny doing the wrong. Then you cannot really bring in more witnesses if the wrongdoing cannot be proven to have taken place. For if indeed the other person did what you accuse them of doing, but they refuse to admit the sin, and you have no witnesses, not only do you have no case but they may turn on you and accuse you of wrongdoing which you did not commit.

But let’s assume here that this other person acknowledged their sin against you, but they refused to repent of the sin, and so they continued in their sinful acts against you. And so you bring in others as witnesses that every word may be established. And the sinner even admits their sin to the witnesses. But the witnesses do nothing about the situation, and they may even turn on you and attack you as though you are the one in the wrong. And so you are treated as the one in the wrong while the sinner goes free.

And why am I bringing up those possible scenarios? Because they have happened to me and to others who have been sinned against, and who have been wronged, and who have been treated as the enemy for reporting on another “Christian” for their sins. And if it comes to the point of you having to tell it to the church, don’t expect that “the church” is going to support you. They may attack you and treat you as though you are the enemy for exposing this person’s sins while they will embrace the sinner, instead.

So, before any of us take action in any of these kinds of scenarios, we need to take these situations to the Lord in prayer, and seek God’s counsel and wisdom in knowing the appropriate steps to take depending upon the specific circumstances. But we are to call sin what it is. And we are to call for repentance and obedience to the Lord Jesus. But not everyone who calls themselves Christians are going to repent and obey God, and so we must regard them as though they are unbelievers, for disobedience is unbelief.

“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV)

But, no matter how this all turns out, even if you get accused of being the bad one for reporting another person’s unrepentant sins against you while the guilty are set free from all charges against them and are even coddled in their sins, you must remain faithful to the Lord in obeying him by doing the right thing. And you must forgive everyone who sinned against you, which may also include those to whom you went for help but who turned on you and gave the sinner a free pass to keep on in their sinful practices.

Then, give it all over to the Lord. Know that he promised us that we would be treated as he was treated, that we would be falsely accused of wrong we did not do, and that we would be lied about, mistreated, persecuted, rejected, and cast aside as worthless, even by the religious; even by people in positions of power and authority and influence within the gatherings of “the church.” So, if you attempt to do the right thing, don’t be surprised if you get charged as the “bad” person while the guilty get pacified in their sin.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 9:23-26; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; Romans 5:3-5; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-17; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 12:3-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Revelation 3:19; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

I Take Refuge

Based off Psalm 71
An Original Work / September 1, 2018
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

O, Lord, I take refuge in You,
For You are my God.
Turn Your ear now to me.

Be my Rock and Fortress
To which I do go.
Deliver me, God. You’re my hope.

My lips now give praise to You, God.
I always have hope,
Since You saved me from sin.

My enemies speak evil
‘gainst me, O God.
Oh, help me, O Lord, rescue me.

The path of my life has been hard.
For, I have had troubles
Too many to bear.

But, You will increase honor,
Restore again.
Your faithfulness, Lord, comforts me.

The Guilty Go Free
While the innocent are persecuted
An Original Work / May 4, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love