Matthew 18:15-22 (TGV) (This is Jesus speaking.) Now if your Christian brother shall breach a good faith contract, agreement, promise or trust between you or between he and God, then:
STEP 1. Go privately and confront him concerning his breach, just you and him alone: and if you and he can come to an understanding, you have regained the friendly contractual relationship (and no one else need know about it). But if he refuses to listen to you, then (and only then):
STEP 2. Go to him again, this time taking with you one or two others to reason with him (perhaps a mutual friend to act as an unofficial arbitrator) and legally witness whatever is said or done. And if he shall also refuse to listen to them, then (and only then):
STEP 3. Officially bring the issue before the assembly (through the proper governing body, be it the Pastor, Board, etc., i.e. not through the “gossip mill”): And if he refuses to listen to the assembly, then (and only then):
STEP 4. Officially dissolve the relationship and disassociate yourself with him, and let him be. Just consider him now as being a person of questionable reputation.
Understand this, as long as you follow the above procedure, whatever earthly contractual relationships you are able to restore like this will be legally restored in heaven (giving you both the gain): and whatever contractual relationships you must dissolve shall be legally dissolved in heaven (freeing you from your obligations of the contract).
But I want to reiterate, that every time any two or more of you Christians shall come into contractual agreement on earth concerning any offer, promise or statement of fact, that contract is legally required by My Father in Heaven to be fulfilled because anywhere two or three “CHRIST-ians” are gathered together, MY name and reputation is (supposedly) being represented.
After hearing this, Peter came to him, and said, Lord, how many times must I attempt to set aside a brother’s breach of my trust? Seven times? Jesus said to him, “Not just seven times Peter, but seventy TIMES seven.” (End of passage.)
God is in the business of reconciliation and restoration of good faith relationships, particularly between Christian brothers. Because “Christ” is who His son Jesus is, and whatever we say or do as “Christ-ians” (or followers of Jesus Christ), reflects on Jesus and Jesus’ reputation, just as if our words and actions were being done in His name. In other words, it makes Jesus look bad. How are all of the unbelievers ever supposed to come to Christ Jesus, if we keep making Him look bad?
Jesus is saying here, that no matter what the breach, no matter what the sin, be against God or man, Father God wants us to utilize the above steps to reconcile and restore every broken relationship back to wholeness and move forward to it’s complete fulfillment.
If we fail to go through this process to repair the breach, then it needs to be understood that even though the other party committed the breach, you are STILL obligated to fulfill your part. The above process is the only method to legally free you from your obligations of the contract in the eyes of God.
And it doesn’t say to kill him, beat him up or to take your Christian brother to court if he won’t mend the breach. What it does say is “Let him be” or leave him alone to live with his bad reputation.
According to Ecclesiastes 22:30 God seeks those that will stand in the gap and repair the breach between God and man as well as between men. These are men and women that continue to move forward no matter what.
These are men and women that know how to rescue opportunities out of adversities. These are men and women that are committed to making each other whole. These are men and women that are like God.