Matthew 18:15-17
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
Church discipline is to allow the body of Christ to heal in relationships by offering a way to forgiveness and restoration. It is not about punishing or getting rid of a sinner, for we all are sinners and we would have to dissolve the church to be perfect in that approach. But when someone refuses to hear God's word on how to live in love and repentance, then they must be left alone with God to turn back and then rejoin in reconciled fellowship when reconciled to Him.
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