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One question that has often arisen through the years is
regarding the extent to which one must be publicly accountable
for his sin. Who does one who has committed public sin have
to confess to?
"public sin" is sin acted out on people i.e. sexual immorality,
murder, stealing, lying, abusive behavior, etc.;
"private sin" is still sin, but sin acted out in your own
mind that hasn't yet been perpetrated in action i.e. lust,
envy, greed, anger, etc.
Well, my rule of thumb is that you are accountable to all
people, but to the people you lead, in particular. So, if
you end up committing "public sin", it requires public confession
and accountability to the extent of your influence; that is,
confession to those whom you lead. That's only reasonable;
you are accountable to those whom you lead.
We've had counselors do that at TD. Being their counselors,
they owe it to the TD members to not only be honest with them
in both good and bad times, but to demonstrate the right way
to deal with sin. Now, do they have to go and confess to Saturday
Night Fellowship, the Family Group, etc.? Not if he didn't
lead them and didn't have anything to do with them.
The Bible also demonstrates this practice:
1 Timothy 5:17-25 is part of a passage in which Paul is
instructing a younger Timothy on how to run the church; here,
he's speaking specifically about church leaders and instructs
Timothy, in verse 20, to rebuke sinning leaders "in the presence
of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning."
Sinning against whom (might I add)? God.
When dealing with confession, church discipline, etc., it's
always very painful and touchy because of the affections and
loyalties we have toward our friends and co-laborers. But
the Bible is clear that our affections and loyalties must
first be toward Him, and we must not forget that sin offends
HIM; He is hurt because of it. We have a tendency to sympathize
more with the one who commits the sin than the One whom the
sin was against, especially when the one who commits the sin
is one whom we love.
That's why Paul also goes on in the following verses (vv.
21 22) instructing Timothy to apply these principles without
partiality (i.e. this is to be done, no matter who it is).
In 2 Samuel 12:12, God told David, "Indeed you did it secretly
(sin against God), but I will do this thing (give the consequences
see v. 11) before all Israel, and under the sun." As much
as God loved David, a man after God's own heart, He was going
to expose David before his people, the people whom he was
in charge of leading. Note that David, when confronted and
convicted, immediately replied, "I have sinned against the
LORD."
It is not recorded that David was concerned about the public
announcement of his sin, that he try to save face, or asked
to negotiate the way in which the announcement came out; when
convicted, David knew what must be done. In Galatians 2:11,
Paul shares how he had to rebuke Peter publicly and to his
face (though I'm sure it pained him). See also Matthew 18,
on how to deal with one in sin.
In fact, throughout the New Testament, Paul is always confessing
his sinfulness ("I am the chief of sinners" and struggles
(i.e. Rom. 7 "I do the things I don't want to do and don't
do the things I want to do; O wretched man that I am!"). He
is able to do this because he is not worried about what people
will think of him, or of personal advancement, etc. In fact,
he doesn't even consider himself alive anymore; he is only
alive in Christ ("I am crucified with Christ; it is no longer
I who live but Christ who lives in me). His personal reputation
doesn't matter to him anymore; people can say what they want.
What matters to him now is Christ's reputation. We need to
learn from that.
An important principle is declared in Proverbs 28:13, "He
who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who
confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."
The idea here is not to make a spectacle of the sinner;
rather, it's to restore the sinner to a healthy relationship
with God and the fellowship of believers the right way,
God's way.
The goal is to also recognize the severity and grievous
impact of sin, especially when committed by leaders, as well
as to revere and cherish God and His precious holiness, purity,
and righteousness. That's why leaders are commanded to do
all they can to "guard the trust" (1Tim. 6:20; 2Tim. 1:14).
I pray that we will all learn to trust God in this and allow
Him to do things His way. We will then surely see why His
ways are best.
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