PRINCIPLES IN RECONCILING BROKEN UNITY

BIBLICAL PEACEMAKING
PRINCIPLES IN RECONCILING BROKEN UNITY

Unity in Christ is broken by sin. Reconciliation of fallen Christians and Christian leaders is every Christians responsibility and yet restoring a sinner to Christ and HIS Church raises earnest questions of spiritual judgment and justice... How do you trust a person's confession? How do you know when there's true repentance? Do tears and brokenness mean Godly sorrow? Are the tears because of the consequences of being caught? Can you restore fallen leaders? Can Biblical counseling make anyone with deeply rooted problems fit to return to leadership? Do some sins disqualify leaders forever?

Understanding God's reconciliation requires understanding God's view of sin, sorrow, contirition, confession, repentance, justice and restoration. Adam's sin made all sinners. Christ emphasized that even the thought of sin qualifies as sin, as well as sinning by deed or lack of action.

To bear another's burdens and seek God's reconciliation, one must include the spiritual condition of the heart as evidenced by outward acts and words.

Sin does not begin with outward acts of disobedience. By the spiritual regeneration of God's Holy Spirit, the regenerated person possesses a need to be in unity with God and fellow believers. Only God fills that inner longing. Man's sinful habits turns to self, searching for love and acceptance. Self devotes control and power to protect its needs not being met. The self strenuously rejects attempts to correct the sinner's favorite sins. The self, then rationalizes Biblical and secular values, beliefs and behavior, while denying unity with God, His truth and His people.

Satan is eager to assist self's deception. Sin heightens self's desires through the guilt and hopelessness of continual sin. The victim increasingly seeks love, with diminishing hope, through intensified creativity to please the self. Sin distorts thinking, beliefs, and behaviors.

Sinful habits are so ingrained that the renewing of a Believer's mind and heart takes great patience and love. Unity is not gained nor does corruption disappear by merely saying-mouthing the words, "I've sinned, please forgive me."

Those with prolonged sin lack the faith that unity with God will meet their needs. They fear giving up their rituals of hopelessness. They cling to a relationship with a god they've created from their own militant ignorance. The Holy Spirit uses the consequences of sin and/or the confrontation of believers to invite repentance. God calls the erring believer, continuing in sin, to return to God through Godly sorrow. A believer distraught by Godly sorrow chooses righteousness, all other sorrows are further deceptions of the hardened heart.

Godly sorrow devotes itself to getting right with God and man. It's eager to be without blame, and is indignant at sin. Godly sorrow alarmed at the consequences of sin desires justice. Godly sorrow leads to confession and repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).

Reconciliation is a biblical concept that addresses fallen man being restored to God, through Christ... "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, {even} the law of commandments {contained} in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, {so} making peace; [Ephesians 2:15]

The concept of restoring a fallen leader to a former position is specifically addressed by the following examples...

Peter is an example of a New Testament leader who committed sin and responded correctly. Peter taught and practiced the heresy that all Gentile converts were to be circumcised according to Jewish laws (Galatians 2). Paul publicly rebuked Peter. Peter quickly repented from his error. Removal from leadership was unwarranted.

Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples of teachers who left the faith (1 Timothy 1:3-20, 2 Timothy 2:14-19). Their continued teaching of heresy put them out of the Church. They were turned over to Satan for the destruction of their bodies, to save their souls.

There are many examples of those in leadership positions who continued in their former sinful nature and/or continued to teach false doctrine that brought division in the church. Paul called for these leaders to be put out of the assembly for not repenting and not being reconciled to the Christian Community (2 Thessalonians 3; 1 Corinthians 5).

The good news... James 5:13-20 "...Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Let all Christians be committed to Biblical love through the ministry of reconciliation.