Settle Disputes the Messianic Way

Let the guilty take the initiative.

⁵ When anyone is guilty… he must confess in what way he has sinned. LEVITICUS 5

³ Admit it when you are wrong, and you will avoid embarrassment. SIRACH 20

The victim may take the initiative too.

¹² Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. COLOSSIANS 3 

¹⁴ If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. MATTHEW 6

What if fault is not admitted?

¹⁵ If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶ But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. MATTHEW 18

¹ If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of the saints [true worshipers]? ⁴ If you have disputes… appoint as judges even men of little account in the Church. 1 CORINTHIANS 6

The Church has the authority to settle or decide disputes in God’s name. A dispute brought before it is no different to a dispute submitted before the bar of God’s judgment.

²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. JOHN 20

¹⁸ I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. MATTHEW 18

Stop Lying Yourself

Lying is another classic example of bringing yourself and your neighbors to sin. 

A prosecutor asked a murder suspect if he killed the victim. The suspect said no. The prosecutor asked, “Don’t you know that perjury will send you to jail?” The suspect answered, “I know. But I also know that admission of murder will bring me a heavier punishment.”

The world teaches us to lie in order to save our skin or the skin of a loved one. In order to save a secret or something else that we treasure. In order to make a monetary gain. In order to avoid an embarrassment, inconvenience, accusation, rejection, persecution, or punishment. In order to escape a responsibility or liability. In order to make an alibi for our failure or poor behavior.

Lying will improve our situation, says the world. On the contrary, our situation would graduate from bad to worse. Our environment would be polluted with dishonesties and deceptions. We’d be forced to swim in a pool full of shit.    

While our lie lies undiscovered, our neighbors would be pointing the blame at the innocent. The accusers and the accused, as well as those who see and hear of the incident, would welcome demons of anger, resentment, bitterness, grudging, spite, cursing, strife, violence, division, confusion… into their hearts. We’d live and deal with demon-driven neighbors.    

Lying indicates lack of trust in God. Distrust ties the hand of God. He’d be prevented from pouring blessings at our direction.  

Lying breeds more lying. Peter had to cover his lie with two more lies (Matthew 26:69-75). God was displeased several times over.

We might be able to cover our tracks, but God will expose our lie. We’d be put in a bad light, lose credibility, and be penalized.     

The Christian who lies is no Christian at all. Lying is of Lucifer.

⁴⁴ There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. JOHN 8 

Lying saddens God because it is one step away from Him and one step closer to the Second Death. God would rather see us restored. 

¹² Don’t think up lies to tell about your friends. ¹³ Don’t tell lies at all. It never does any good. SIRACH 7

⁵ The righteous hateth lying. PROVERBS 13 kjv

¹³ Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth. PROVERBS 16

²² The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful. PROVERBS 12