A Time to Cover...

...and a time to refrain from covering.

Matt. 18:15-17~
"Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
But, if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'
And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."

The offender is given some chances to make things right before things get broadcasted to the public. He gets at least two chances before it goes before the church.
The reason it is told to the church, is so the church can say something that the offender can hear. And if he doesn't hear them, then he is like a heathen and a tax collector. How do we treat the heathen? Like they are unsaved? How do we treat the unsaved? Like someone we want to attract to Christ? Is a heathen to be avoided? How do we treat the tax collector? Like someone to be tolerated? Like someone we pay our dues to and nothing else? I don't know.

It seems that the offended party is the one that needs to initiate this whole procedure with the hopes of reconciliation. And that hope is kept alive until the offender does not listen to the church. Then he is cut off, or so it seems. If he would ever want to be reconciled, I suppose he'd have to come back through the procedure, seeking forgiveness from the offended party, the two or three witnesses, and the church.

A few verses later in scripture, Peter asks Jesus, "How many times should I forgive my brother who offends me? And Jesus said, "70x7 times."

So, there are times we confront an offending brother
and hold him accountable and there are times we forgive the debt.
It all depends on whether the offense is also an offense to God, perhaps.
It depends on how public the offense is.
It all depends on...
I don't know. I'm just trying to figure it out.

It seems that there is a time to cover and a time to refrain from covering.
God grant us wisdom to know when to do one or the other.