The Judgment of the Brethren
The following words from Matthew 18 are rather marvelous: "And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established" (vv.15,16). What is said here is not whether you yourself feel any wrong or not; but rather that if two or three brothers say you are wrong, you must be wrong. The emphasis is on whether anything is wrong, not whether you feel something is wrong.
Suppose, for example, that a brother declares to you: "You have sinned against me in a certain matter", but that you are not aware of anything being wrong. So you go to pray. After praying, you still are not conscious of any wrong. And thus you tell your brother as follows: "Though you say I have sinned against you, I do not feel I have wronged you. I have prayed, and still I have no sense of having wronged you. I did not pray carelessly. I really prayed earnestly about it. I am not conscious of any wrong. It is not that I refuse to acknowledge a wrong; on the contrary, I am anxious to confess any sin. Nevertheless, I do not see anything wrong here." Your brother will then go and tell some other brothers. After hearing the matter, they all come to you and say you are wrong. Being a humble person, you would not at all refuse to confess a sin, yet you cannot in this instance confess, since you see no wrong. So you will go pray again, but still there is no change in your inner sentiment about the matter. Nonetheless, the Lord says that if your brothers all say you are wrong, you must be wrong whether you feel you have been wrong or not.
Another verse in Matthew 18 makes the issue even clearer. It tells us the reason why I must be wrong when I do not feel so and yet the brethren say I am wrong: "For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them" (v.20 Darby). Some people take this verse to be a promise. This is not accurate. The Lord does not give this verse to serve as a basis for asking His presence. What this Scripture verse says is that where two or three are gathered unto the name of the Lord, there will He be in the midst of them. To be gathered together to the name of the Lord signifies the abandoning of individualism (that is, that nothing is now according to one’s self) and the standing on the ground of the body of Christ. Since Christ is in all of them, there He is in the midst of them. Where two or three deny themselves and stand for Christ, the Lord will manifest himself. True harmony expresses the body. If we are found standing on the ground of the body of Christ, the Lord’s authority is present. With Christ in their midst, they can represent the body. And hence, when other brothers see the fault which you yourself fail to see, you should listen to the two or three rather than to yourself. This is not meant to suggest that you blindly listen to the word of others. Only if the two or three really deny themselves and are gathered to the name of the Lord is it wise for you to accept the judgment of others rather than trust in your own judgment.
In the church there are four classes of people who represent the body: (1) the apostles; (2) the elders; (3) an individual believer specially sent by the Lord, such as in the case of Ananias being specifically sent to speak to Paul; and (4) two or three believers who deny themselves and gather themselves to the name of the Lord. These four classes of people represent the body. In the event you are wrong about something, the Lord may specially send to you a single believer to tell you wherein you are wrong. If you do not listen to a single believer, the latter will tell it to two or three others; and these two or three believers will then speak to you. If you will still not listen, you next will need the help of the elders. You cannot afford to act independently.
In many unsolved matters you need to seek out the elders and the apostles, because they are especially chosen by the Lord to represent the body. The apostles and the elders should be notified concerning any important affairs so that they may help you in unclear situations. We must not neglect the body nor those who represent it, else we shall not be able to live out the life of the church. May the Lord give us not only the revelation of the body so that we may have the testimony of the body but also grace to submit to those who represent it.
As soon as a person receives salvation he should be brought immediately into the fellowship of the body of Christ. May the Lord enable us to obey the body as well as to obey the Lord. May He deliver us from individual, independent action and cause us to live out fully the life of the body of Christ.
