Blatant Sin
(28) ―He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
(29) of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under
foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy
thing, and has done despite to the spirit of grace?" (Heb 10:28-29)
A person who blatantly sins under the new covenant is just as guilty before YHWH as those who despised
his law under his first covenant with national Israel. The only difference is that, instead of a physical death
that was to be administered under the first covenant, eternal death is to be administered under the new
covenant.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". (Rom 6:23)
The third step is the final and last attempt to get the brother to realise the seriousness of his situation and to
repent of his sin – this is the court of last resort. This step involves an open hearing to find the truth
concerning the situation and resolve the problem or render a judgment.
Tell it to the Church
When Y‘shua said, "tell it to the church", he spoke prophetically of the congregation(s) of YHWH that would
exist after his death. But he referred to the system of problem resolution as it existed under YHWH's first
covenant with Israel.
Some assume that 'the church' refers to the whole assembled congregation and that the congregation as a
whole should adjudicate the case. However, if the problem solving process is to remain consistent with the
law that was given to ancient Israel, the problem must be brought before the constituted authority to judge
the matter. This authority in the New Covenant church/synagogue belongs to the eldership or other men who
have been delegated this authority within the assembly.
The example of the adjudication process in Israel is one of judges and priests adjudicating matters of the
law: the judges dealt with the civil law, and the priest dealt with the spiritual law. At no time in the history of
Israel did YHWH appoint the people or the congregations to make decisions concerning his civil or spiritual
law. Therefore, the system that YHWH originally gave to Israel is the model that should be used within the
congregations of YHWH.
In national Israel's infancy, Moses administered the civil law and Aaron administered the spiritual law. Later,
the judges and the priesthood administered both the civil and the spiritual law. During Y‘shua's time, the
Sanhedrin administered the law; and after the establishment of the early church, elders within the
congregations administered the law; but issues that could not be judged on the local level were taken to the
council of elders at Jerusalem and Pella for adjudication. See Acts chapter 15.
The Hearing
This is the final step in the process of problem resolution and it involves the one who initiated the problem
resolution process, the witnesses, and the accused.
Note:
Because neither the Old or New Covenants give exact details as to how these meetings or hearings should
be conducted, it seems adequate for Robert's Rules of Order to be applied to the meeting or hearing.
Robert's Rules of Order are available in almost all libraries and bookstores.
Matt 18:17 indicates that the individual who originally brought the accusation, the witnesses, and the
accused should present themselves to the constituted authorities of the church/synagogue and present their
case.
Because the accused does not acknowledge that there is a problem and has already twice refused to
consider a resolution, it is highly unlikely that the accused will present himself at the hearing. Nevertheless,
the hearing must proceed with or without the accused, and the constituted authorities must render a decision
concerning the matter.