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Restoring The Sinner (2)

Matthew 18:18-20

'Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.' (NIVUK)

These verses come immediately after Jesus' teaching about the role of the apostles, and then the church, in leading errant believers to repentance (Matthew 18:15-17). The step-by-step process to reconciliation is firstly by gracious private conversation (Galatians 6:1-3), then by the added testimony of others and, if there is no repentance, the problem should be exposed to the church and the sinner excluded from fellowship. The style of language is of a court making a judgement. ‘Binding’ and ‘loosing’ by a prayerful church have divine authority as in Matthew 16:19.