Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15–20

“Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again,I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”Matthew 18:15–20 LSB

The preceding text teaches us that entrance into, and greatness within, the kingdom is marked by humble dependence, and that God fiercely protects and preserves His humble believers, holding accountable anyone who causes them to stumble.

It is with this in mind that we look at verses 15–20, realizing that this text is not about civil justice or personal preferences, but about sin among professing disciples and God’s design for maintaining purity and unity in His people—the sanctification of the Church.

“Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault…”At this point, I would like to remind us of Matthew 7:5:“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”Matthew 7:5 LSB

Here our Lord teaches us to first look into our own hearts, as we all have logs in our eyes before we approach our brother about the splinter in his eye. If we search our own hearts first, we will be reminded of our own sin and dependency on Christ as our propitiation for sin, and on the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. 

Galatians 6:1-3 “Brothers, even if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each of you looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

This will help us to go to our brother in love, in order to win him over.

“Between you and him alone.”The verse does not say that we are to go and hang the sin of my brother on the big clock. No—Jesus commands us to address it privately.Why? Because we love our brother and the goal is to maintain trust and unity, publicizing the matter will shatter trust between the brothers, that is why we must first resort to addressing the sin privately, and we must be eager to forgive, as our Lord forgives us and not to dwell on the matter if resolved, but rather to come alongside of each other to continue our walk in thankfulness for God’s grace.

“He who covers a transgression seeks love,But he who repeats a matter separates close companions.” — Proverbs 17:9 LSB.

Remember that the purpose of this text is to win my brother over, to help restore him, reminding ourselves of how precious every believer is to God:“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]”Matthew 18:10–11 LSB

“And if your brother listens to you, you have won your brother.”

Who is my brother? He is my fellow believer.

So we see that the goal here is the restoration of my brother—not punishment, and neither public exposure. That is why we ought to first address the matter in private. Please note that this is a moral or doctrinal sin, not a mere disagreement.

It will be difficult to win my brother if I do not approach him in love, which motivates private confrontation (cf. Lev 19:17; Gal 6:1).

If I am arrogant in the matter, or even unfair toward my brother, it will be very difficult to win him over.

“But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you…”

Why? Well, first of all, to confirm the facts. Is this true? Is it accurate? I think it is important to note that this includes the complaining brother’s view as well, not just the brother who is accused.Deuteronomy 19:15:“A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; at the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established.”Deuteronomy 19:15 LSB

This teaches us that witnesses also protect from false accusation, and it is supposed to increase moral pressure toward repentance. Remember, the goal of church discipline is restoration.

“And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church…”

The Greek word ekklēsia means “called-out assembly,” and in the New Testament it refers to those whom God has called out of the world and united to Christ.

So, if the brother does not listen to two or three, we ought to tell it to the church. The elders need to get involved now, and if unrepentance continues, the person is to be treated “as a Gentile and a tax collector”—not with hatred or hostility, but in recognition that the person’s profession of faith is no longer credible. Such a person is now to be treated as an unbeliever, and we should share the gospel with them in love.

Please note this is church discipline, not loss of salvation. We cannot make that call.

Verses 18–20: Authority and Christ’s Presence

“Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven…”

The grammar used here in the LSB indicates that heaven’s prior judgment is being recognized on earth by the church. Subsequently, the church does not create truth but affirms God’s verdict.

Christ’s presence (v. 20) affirms His authority over disciplined decisions when done according to His Word.

I think it is important to continue with a short summary of the rest of Matthew 18 to understand completely what our heart attitude should be. 

Matthew 18:21–35 teaches us that forgiveness among believers is to be limitless, reflecting the immeasurable grace God has shown toward sinners—grace which we have received freely and undeserved.

Peter’s question assumes a reasonable cap on forgiveness, but Jesus abolishes numerical limits, calling for continual forgiveness without negating the role of church discipline.

Through the parable, Jesus depicts God as a king who graciously cancels an unpayable debt, illustrating divine mercy toward those helpless to atone for their sin. 

The unforgiving slave, however, exposes a heart untouched by that grace when he refuses to forgive a comparatively insignificant debt, demonstrating that received mercy must result in displayed mercy. The king’s judgment does not teach loss of salvation but warns that a profession of faith devoid of heartfelt forgiveness is empty. 

Jesus’ conclusion underscores that genuine forgiveness “from your heart” is evidence of true regeneration, not the means of earning God’s favor, consistent with the transforming grace described elsewhere in Scripture (cf. Eph 4:32).

Church Discipline should have the following effect:

• Believers must take sin seriously, beginning privately and humbly.

• Churches must exercise discipline biblically, not pragmatically.

• Forgiveness is not optional for Christians—it is a defining mark.

• Grace never nullifies righteousness, and forgiveness never excuses unrepentance.

• Seeing the repentance of my brother should stir up my heart to search out and ask the Lord to show me sin in my own life.