Conflict Resolution Should Begin Privately
““If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” (Matthew 18:15 NIV)
In his commentary on Matthew 18:15, Craig Blomberg writes that a believer who has been wronged by another Christian brother should seek reconciliation privately. Read what he has to say (boldface added for emphasis).
“The case Jesus presents involves an individual believer who has been wronged by another Christian (‘brother’), presumably in the same community of believers. […] The illustration here is personal. The offended believer has the responsibility to convict or convince (from Greek elench?—’show him his fault’) the other person privately. Ideally, the two individuals should resolve the problem without involving anyone else. The source for Jesus’ command may lie in Lev 19:17–18. Galatians 6:1 offers a good commentary on the spirit of and rationale for such correction. ‘Listens’ means responds properly. How often personal confrontation is the last stage rather than the first in Christian complaints! It frequently seems as if the whole world knows of someone’s grievances against us before we are personally approached. Hopefully, following Jesus’ guidelines will win over Christian brothers or sisters before anyone else ever has to know about the problem (cf. Jas 5:19–20).”[1]
[1] Blomberg, C. (2001). Vol. 22: Matthew; The New American Commentary (278). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
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