Re: Matt 18:18 and the FPPPP

From: Jonathan Robie (jwrobie@mindspring.com)
Date: Sat Jul 26 1997 - 06:49:08 EDT


At 04:39 AM 7/26/97 EDT, Paul S. Dixon wrote:

>You asked about verses 19-20 and how they fit in. Is there a problem
>with taking them as a reiteration (PALIN LEGW hUMIN) of His instruction
>regarding the disciplinary process of verses 15-18? The similarities are
>striking (compare PARALABE META SOU ETI hENA H DUO [v. 16] and DUO [v.
>19] and DUO H TREIS [ v. 20]. If so, then the purpose of verses 19-20
>seem to be a further encouragement to carry through with the restorative
>discipline of the sinning brother, since the Father will certainly do His
>part and they can be assured Christ will be with them.

There is definitely a continuation of the discussion of thought with the
"one or two", "two" and "two or three" , and your interpretation makes sense
to me in general. I tend to be leaning that way myself right now, but I'm
having difficulties reconciling the certainty of verses 18 - 19, which would
seem to indicate that we have the authority to bring every single person to
repentence, with verse 17, which is clear about what to do if someone does
not repent.

PALIN GRAFEI Paul S. Dixon [regarding the overall context in chapter 18]:

>A perfectly cogent argument could be raised along these lines: the main
>thought Christ wanted to communicate in this chapter is the necessity of
>exercising loving and restorative discipline of the wayward brother. The
>Parable of the Lost Sheep illustrates that it is not the desire of the
>Father that any of His sheep (true sons) should perish. Every effort
>should be taken to that end. Thus, we must be diligent in rebuking a
>brother when he sins against us (vv. 15-18). This is the God appointed
>means by which we are used in the restorative process.

I agree that this is the overall view of the chapter, and I think this is a
good summary, though I disagree with the introduction of the concept of
"true sons", as I will discuss below.

hOUTOS GEGRAPTAI DIA TOU Paul Dixon:

>Of course, it is possible that a so-called brother is not really a
>brother at all. This then would be the process by which such hypocrites
>can be identified by the church. The result is a purification process
>for the church (cf 1 Cor 5).

I am uncomfortable with the introduction of terms like "true sons" and
"so-called brother", which do not occur in the original text, and which seem
to contradict verses 2-8 of the chapter, which imply that these little
children who have humbled themselves and entered the kingdom can still stumble:

18:2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and
said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like
this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever
receives one such child in my name receives me; 6 but whoever causes one
of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to
have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the
depth of the sea. 7 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is
necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation
comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and
throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with
two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.

Look at verse 6 - this specifically talks about the little ones who believe
in him, with no indication that the ones who stumble or sin were not true
sons in the first place, and we're talking about the kinds of sin that can
lead to being thrown into the eternal fire (verse 8).

>It is in this context where the parable of the unforgiving servant
>crystallizes the importance of having a forgiving spirit toward the
>sinning brother who repents. I think a beautiful balance of: 1) love for
>the sinning brother and 2) zeal for the holiness of God and His church
>are brought together profoundly. Both must be practiced because both are
>biblical and neither one contradicts the other.

I think this is a great summary of the part of the chapter that I
understand. I'm still not sure where verses 19-20 fit in...

Jonathan

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