We are talking about the Bible, the Book for our times. We have already considered the meaning
of Ephesians 2:8-9 with regard to where
faith comes from. I hope you understand that issue, as it is important to a
proper understanding of the Bible on the subject.
In this 4th in the series on the Bible we will
look at another problematic passage and how it is grossly misunderstood and
misquoted, resulting in a misuse of the passage. The following is from my notes
when I did a study of the passage q few months ago.
The problematic passage is Matthew
18: 15-20 – “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go
and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou
hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two
more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect
to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18Verily
I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again
I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing
that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am
I in the midst of them.”
I use the words “IN CONTEXT” frequently because of the
tendency to take scripture verses out of
context, thus causing gross
misunderstanding and misuse of the verses. It would serve us well to remember
this proven axiom: “A TEXT WITHOUT A
CONTEXT IS ONLY A PRETEXT” - and a pretext is something made up (an
opinion, theory, supposition, or figment of one’s imagination, etc.). In this
case it is something made up that undermines the actual, intended meaning of
the verses. Also, when we engage in isolating verses from their original
context we, more often than not, teach something other than what the Bible says
and are guilty of using the Word of God deceitfully. No wonder there is so much
confusion and uncertainty regarding the accuracy of the Bible, resulting in an
infusion of error into the minds of believers today.
Before looking at the verses in
context let me mention two of the most oft repeated mistakes:
- Verse 20 - “Where two or three are gathered together … I am in the midst of them.” usually quoted with reference to how “few” people are in the service. However, the verse has no reference whatever to the number of people, whether few or many, who attend any given service. Actually, if there were only one person there God would be there. No true born-again believer can go anywhere without God being “there.” And we don’t have to invite Him to be “there.” (Often someone says, “The Holy Spirit was really there.” Certainly He was there! Where else would He be?)
1
Corinthians 6: 19 clearly states of every
believer: “What? Know ye not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God,
and ye are not your own? That might be a good question to ask even today as
it seems many believers have forgotten this very important truth. When a
believer attends a service God comes with him/her, so no matter how few come,
or how many come, to the service God is there – period. And, as I said, He doesn’t need to be invited, either. This
is not a promise that God will be in a poorly attended service and should not
be used as if it were. To isolate this verse in this manner violates what Peter
wrote in 2 Peter 1:20, “… that no
prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation.” Keep the verse in
context.
- Verse 19 – “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” – is usually cited with reference to prayer and the need for others to agree with them, which in turn will guarantee the desired answer. The only problem is that this verse is not about prayer, nor does it guarantee a positive answer to any particular prayer request regardless of how many may be in agreement that the prayer should be answered in the affirmative. To use the verse in such a way is to take it out of context and wrongly apply it to a subject that is not remotely intended. (In response to a prayer request recently someone said, “This is definitely a Matthew 18:19 situation”) Oh? How so?
What has happened is this: these
two verses are used so frequently in this manner and then repeated by others
until they begin to believe this is what the Bible says. And, oddly enough,
when this is done both verses are denied their place in the context with the
preceding verses. Verse 19 is supposedly referring to prayer and verse
20 to God’s presence at a poorly attended service – two totally unrelated
subjects from verses that are related
to one another and to the same subject. Unfortunately, the average person
doesn’t know the Bible very well and doesn’t take the time to read the verses
in context and determine their correct interpretation and usage.
Now, if
you are still with me, let’s look at the verses in their actual context, which
covers verses 15 to 20. You will note that the subject is our
interpersonal relationships when they get out of order and what to do when the
restoration process breaks down. It begins with a one-on-one encounter between
the two parties involved. If restoration is accomplished on this level all is
well and the matter is concluded. But, if a resolution to the problem is not
reached on this personal level, then two or three witnesses are present with
the desire for restoration. If it is accomplished on this level well and good –
the matter is settled. But, if it fails at this intermediary level, then we are
told to take it to the church as the final arbiter with instructions that if
reconciliation is not made the church is to exercise discipline on the
offending brother and he is to be counted as an “heathen man and a publican.” We must not miss the implication of
this phrase: “heathen man and a publican”,
as it describes an unsaved person. In other words, “If he is going to act like
an unsaved person – treat him like one.”
Please
note that the context is discipline,
not prayer, not how many are in the service, but discipline. So, verses 19 and 20 must be interpreted in
light of this context. We will then understand that the any two agreeing on anything
is referring to the discipline exercised on the offending brother and that God
ratifies the action (the “binding on
earth and binding in Heaven” means that whatever decision the church makes
in disciplinary matters on earth, God ratifies that decision in Heaven. When
God is asked for His approval on decisions made in such cases, He gives it.),
and the two or three gathered together were so gathered together for the
purpose of dealing with this disciplinary matter. It is amazing how our
understanding of this passage is improved by simply considering the total
contextual setting. I would encourage you to develop this habit. It will
certainly keep you from misunderstanding, misusing, misquoting, and misapplying
scripture verses and looking like a Biblical ignoramus.
We are handling the Word of God
and should be diligent in our study of it, jealous of the truth of it and
zealous to declare it with accuracy. We are living in a day when too many
liberties are taken with the Word of God from the multitude of modern
translations to the slipshod, deceitful manner in which it is handled. Honor
the Word of God and the God of the Word by handling it with truthfulness and
integrity.
