The Ambitious Church Rebukes Rightly

The two great commands are to love the Lord your God and your neighbor. Today, we see how these two commands intersect with one another. Last week, we heard Jesus give the authority and the responsibility of dealing with sinners to his disciples. Whatever you bind or loose on earth will have been done in heaven. Today, he repeats that promise, but this time, he gives more directions. Sinners sin and the church of God needs to be as concerned and committed as our Savior is. Love for our God and our neighbor can do no less than go to the sinner and call them to repentance. The goal is not to put them to shame, but rather to lead them to see the error of their ways and the grave dangers of sin. But the job’s not done until we have led them to see more—the Savior who loves them and lived and died for them.