Commentary - Matthew 18:15-20

Bird's-eye view

In this crucial passage, the Lord Jesus lays out the foundational procedures for how His people are to deal with sin within the covenant community. This is not a manual for how to address every public disagreement or doctrinal dispute, but is rather a specific set of instructions for dealing with personal sin between two brothers. The entire process is designed for restoration, for the purity of the Church, and for the glory of God. It moves from the intensely private to the formally public, but the goal at every stage is repentance and reconciliation. The passage culminates with a profound statement on the authority of the Church. Christ bestows upon His gathered people the keys of the kingdom, the authority to bind and loose, which is nothing less than the authority to declare on earth what has already been decreed in heaven. This authority is not arbitrary; it is tethered to the Word and Spirit of God, and it is confirmed by the very presence of Christ in the midst of His people when they gather in His name to conduct this solemn business.

We must see this whole section as a piece. The process of discipline in verses 15-17 is underwritten by the authority granted in verses 18-20. The reason the church can act with such finality is because it is not acting on its own authority. It is an embassy of heaven, and when it functions rightly, its verdicts are simply the earthly announcement of a heavenly reality. The presence of Christ with the two or three gathered for this purpose is the guarantee of this entire process.

Outline

Context In Matthew

This passage comes within a larger discourse from Jesus to His disciples concerning life in the kingdom (Matthew 18). The chapter begins with a lesson on humility, using a child as the example. It then moves to stern warnings about causing little ones to stumble and the radical necessity of dealing with personal sin (cutting off a hand or foot). Our text, therefore, flows naturally from this context. Having just addressed the need for radical personal holiness, Jesus now instructs the disciples on how to deal with sin corporately. The health of the individual and the health of the community are inextricably linked. The same chapter that warns against despising "one of these little ones" provides the loving, though firm, procedure for restoring a brother who has gone astray, like the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep. This is not about power-plays or score-settling; it is about the careful, painstaking, and authoritative love that maintains the holiness of God's household.

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

15 “Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

Now if your brother sins, The older manuscripts have "sins against you," and while that is likely the original reading, the principle holds even with the shorter reading. The context is personal offense. This is not a license to become the sin-sniffer for the whole congregation. This is about a specific trespass, a personal wrong that has occurred between two individuals who are brothers in Christ. Notice the assumption: Christians will sin against one another. The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners. The question is not whether sin will happen, but what we will do when it does.

go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; The first step is not to text your friend about it, or to post a vague complaint online, or to mention it in a prayer request. The first step is to go. This requires initiative, courage, and love. The confrontation must be private, "between you and him alone." The goal is not to shame, but to reclaim. Gossip poisons everything; biblical confrontation is the antidote. You are to lay out the fault plainly. This is not a time for hints or beating around the bush. You are to show him his fault, which means you must be clear about what the sin was according to Scripture, not just according to your offended feelings.

if he listens to you, you have won your brother. Here is the glorious goal. It is not to win the argument, but to win the brother. If he hears you, acknowledges his sin, and repents, the matter is over. It is dropped. It is forgiven. Reconciliation has been achieved, and the relationship is restored, likely stronger than before. This is a victory for the kingdom of God. A brother has been brought back from the precipice, and the unity of the Spirit has been maintained.

16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.

But if he does not listen to you, If the private appeal is rejected, the matter is not to be dropped. The issue is sin, and unrepentant sin is a spiritual cancer. To "listen" here means to hear and repent. If he is defensive, dismissive, or defiant, then you must move to the second step. Love does not allow a brother to remain comfortably in his sin.

take one or two more with you, The circle widens, but only slightly. You are not gathering a mob; you are bringing a small number of discerning, respected brothers. Their purpose is not to act as your personal cheerleaders, but as witnesses and adjudicators. They are there to hear both sides and help determine the truth of the matter.

so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. Jesus is quoting the principle of Deuteronomy 19:15. This is formal, legal language. The matter is now being brought into a quasi-judicial setting. The witnesses are there to establish the facts. Is there actually a sin? Is the brother actually unrepentant? Their presence prevents the conflict from devolving into a "he said, she said" stalemate. They bring objectivity and the weight of community wisdom to the situation.

17 And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.

And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; If the second step fails, and the man remains obstinate in his sin, the matter must now be made public. "Telling it to the church" means bringing the case before the formal leadership of the congregation, the elders. The elders, acting on behalf of the whole congregation, will hear the case, weigh the evidence presented by the witnesses, and render a judgment. This is a solemn and serious moment. The entire congregation is now involved, at least through its representatives, in the call to repentance.

and if he refuses to listen even to the church, This is the final appeal. The authority of Christ, vested in His church, is now being brought to bear. To refuse to listen to the church is to refuse to listen to Christ Himself. This is the height of rebellion. The man has been lovingly confronted in private, then with witnesses, and now by the entire covenant body through its leadership. If he still will not repent, there is only one step left.

let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector. This is the language of excommunication. A Gentile was outside the covenant people of Israel. A tax collector was a notorious sinner, a traitor who collaborated with the Roman oppressors. To treat the unrepentant man this way means to remove him from the fellowship of the church. He is put outside the camp. He is no longer to be treated as a brother. He is barred from the Lord's Table, the sign and seal of covenant fellowship. This is not a petty act of spite. It is a radical, loving, and necessary surgery to save the body from the spread of gangrene, and hopefully, to shock the sinner into realizing the gravity of his condition.

18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Truly I say to you, Jesus uses this phrase to underscore the immense gravity and authority of what He is about to say. This is not a suggestion; it is a divine declaration.

whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Here is the authority that undergirds the entire process of church discipline. The church, when it acts rightly according to the Word, does not create a new reality; it declares a reality that already exists in heaven. To "bind" is to forbid, to declare something off-limits, or in this context, to declare a man to be unrepentant and outside the kingdom. To "loose" is to permit, or in this context, to declare a man forgiven and inside the kingdom. When the church excommunicates an unrepentant sinner (binding), it is simply announcing on earth what heaven has already determined. When it receives a repentant sinner back into fellowship (loosing), it is announcing on earth what heaven has already decreed. The church is an embassy. It doesn't make up its own foreign policy; it announces the policy of the king.

19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth This verse must be kept in its context. This is not a blank check for any two Christians to get whatever they want by "agreeing" on it, like some spiritual ATM. The "two of you" here refers back to the "two or three witnesses" involved in the judicial process of church discipline. Their agreement is not about getting a new chariot, but about the solemn matter of judging a case of sin within the church.

about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. The "anything" they ask for is tied to the binding and loosing. They are asking for wisdom, for discernment, for righteousness to be done, for the sinner's repentance, for the church's purity. When they agree on a verdict in line with God's revealed will, their judicial prayer, as it were, is ratified by the Father. God stands behind the righteous judgments of His people.

20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

For where two or three have gathered together in My name, Again, context is king. While it is certainly true in a broader sense that Christ is with His people when they gather, the immediate reference here is to the smallest possible unit of a church court. The "two or three" are the witnesses from verse 16. They have gathered "in His name," which means by His authority and for His purposes, to carry out the business of the kingdom.

I am there in their midst.” This is the ultimate foundation for the church's authority. The church is not just a human organization following a set of rules. When it gathers to exercise the keys of the kingdom, the King Himself is present. He is there to oversee the proceedings, to grant wisdom, and to validate the righteous verdict. This is why the decision of the church in matters of discipline is so weighty. It is not the decision of a mere committee; it is a decision rendered in the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Application

This passage is intensely practical, and it is a tragedy that it is so frequently ignored in the modern church. First, we must take sin seriously, both our own and that of our brothers. We live in a sentimental age that prizes a flimsy peace over true purity. But love warns, love confronts, and love disciplines. We must recover the courage to have these difficult, private conversations, aiming always to win our brother.

Second, we must respect the authority of the church. The keys of the kingdom were not given to individuals, or to parachurch ministries, or to Christian bloggers. They were given to the visible, institutional church. When the church speaks according to the Word of God, Christ speaks. To despise the church's righteous judgment is to despise Christ. This means we must be members of a faithful church where such discipline is actually practiced.

Finally, we must be humbled and awed by the reality of Christ's presence with His people. He has not left us as orphans. When we gather for worship, for fellowship, and yes, even for the difficult task of discipline, the King is in the room. This reality should fill us with sobriety, with confidence, and with a profound sense of our responsibility to conduct ourselves and the affairs of His house in a manner worthy of His holy presence.