biblical confrontation

¹⁵But if your brother has sinned against you, go and correct him, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have regained your brother. ¹⁶But if he will not listen you, invite with you one or two more, so that every word may stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷And if he will not listen to them, tell the Church. But if he will not listen to the Church, let him be to you like the pagan and the tax collector.

¹And, brothers, if a man has been overtaken by any offense, you who are spiritual should instruct someone like this with a spirit of leniency, considering that you yourselves might also be tempted.

¹⁰Avoid a man who is a heretic, after the first and second correction,

³Let nothing be done by contention, nor in vain glory. Instead, in humility, let each of you esteem others to be better than himself. ⁴Let each of you not consider anything to be your own, but rather to belong to others.

¹And, brothers, if a man has been overtaken by any offense, you who are spiritual should instruct someone like this with a spirit of leniency, considering that you yourselves might also be tempted. ²Carry one another’s burdens, and so shall you fulfill the law of Christ.

¹“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. ²For with whatever judgment you judge, so shall you be judged; and with whatever measure you measure out, so shall it be measured back to you. ³And how can you see the splinter in your brother’s eye, and not see the board in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter from your eye,’ while, behold, a board is in your own eye? ⁵Hypocrite, first remove the board from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. ⁶Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they may trample them under their feet, and then, turning, they may tear you apart.

¹⁵But if your brother has sinned against you, go and correct him, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have regained your brother. ¹⁶But if he will not listen you, invite with you one or two more, so that every word may stand by the mouth of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷And if he will not listen to them, tell the Church. But if he will not listen to the Church, let him be to you like the pagan and the tax collector. ¹⁸Amen I say to you, whatever you will have bound on earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you will have released on earth, shall be released also in heaven.

⁶But he gives a greater grace. Therefore he says: “God resists the arrogant, but he gives grace to the humble.”

⁶The wounds of a loved one are better than the deceitful kisses of a hateful one. ⁷A sated soul will trample the honeycomb. And a hungry soul will accept even bitter in place of sweet.

²²to set aside your earlier behavior, the former man, who was corrupted, by means of desire, unto error, ²³and so be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴and so put on the new man, who, in accord with God, is created in justice and in the holiness of truth. ²⁵Because of this, setting aside lying, speak the truth, each one with his neighbor. For we are all part of one another. ²⁶“Be angry, but do not be willing to sin.” Do not let the sun set over your anger. ²⁷Provide no place for the devil.

¹²For the Word of God is living and effective: more piercing than any two-edged sword, reaching to the division even between the soul and the spirit, even between the joints and the marrow, and so it discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

²⁴And let us be considerate of one another, so as to prompt ourselves to charity and to good works, ²⁵not deserting our assembly, as some are accustomed to do, but consoling one another, and even more so as you see that the day is approaching.

¹⁶All Scripture, having been divinely inspired, is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in justice, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be perfect, having been trained for every good work.

¹³Therefore, be subject to every human creature because of God, whether it is to the king as preeminent,