1. Matthew 18:17 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What is the role of the church in admonishing a sinner?

Matthew 18:17 (ESV)

17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

In short

Two views of the role of the church in admonishing a sinner:

  1. The church or ekklésia mentioned here in Matthew 18:17 is the local congregation, which must maintain rules for faith and practice that are based in the Word of God. A lack of spiritual discipline destroys the authority of and respect for the congregation. The local congregation must serve as the final and decisive institution in this regard, rather than, for example, a bishop or synod.Ekklesia in Matthew 16:17 must thus be seen in the same way as in Matthew 16:18: the organized congregation, the church in its official capacity: that is, the congregation as it was later instituted under the leadership of office-bearers, the governing organs of the church. The definite article tē also confirms this, indicating the specific ekklesia to which both the complainant and the accused belong. Practically, ekklesia here thus refers to the office-bearers who would later be appointed, who are directly connected to and supported by the congregation, and act with its authority.

  2. Matthew’s ancient Greek uses the word ekklēsia to mean meeting or public gathering (see Acts 19:40). The specific kind of gathering depends on the context. The public nature of the admonitions in Matthew 8:17 is purposefully contrasted with the private nature of the admonitions of Matthew 18:15–16. Initially, the disciples must avoid turning a brother’s sin into a matter of public complaint, but if private conversations do not achieve the desired outcome, they must bring the matter before the gathering: the same group from whom the aggrieved party had taken one or two witnesses (Matthew 18:16). It is the gathering of the disciples—a group that was indeed able to assemble formally (Acts 1:15; Acts 2:1–2). Matthew 18:17 thus refers to a specific meeting of Jesus’ disciples. The Greek usage shows that Matthew 18:15–17 reveals an initial discussion within a small circle and a later action taken by the whole assembly. The ekklēsia in Matthew 18:17 thus refers not to the church in a general or institutional sense, but to the gathered body of disciples, in contrast to the smaller group who had first brought the admonition.

Interpretation 1:

The church or ekklésia mentioned here in Matthew 18:17 is the local congregation. Within the congregation it is important to maintain rules for faith and practice that are based in the Word of God. A lack of spiritual discipline destroys the authority of and respect for the congregation. It is evident that the local congregation ought to serve as the final and decisive institution in this regard, rather than, for example, the bishop or the synod.1

Ekklesia as it is used here in Matthew 16:17 must therefore be understood in the same way as in the next verse, Matthew 16:18. It refers to the organized congregation—the church in its official capacity: that is, the congregation as it was later instituted under the leadership of office-bearers, the governing organs of the church. The definite article tē also points in this direction: indicating the specific ekklesia to which both the complainant and the accused belong.
Practically, ekklesia here therefore pertains to the office-bearers who would later be appointed—office-bearers who are directly connected to and supported by the congregation, and act with its authority.2

Interpretation 2:
In the ancient Greek employed by the evangelist Matthew, the word ekklēsia simply meant meeting or public gathering (see also Acts 19:40). The specific kind of gathering intended must always be determined by the context. In Matthew 18:15–17, the public nature of the admonitions is purposefully contrasted with the private nature of the admonitions of Matthew 18:15–16 and the public dimension introduced in Matthew 18:17.
Initially, the disciples are called to refrain from turning a brother’s sin into a matter of public complaint. Yet if private conversations fail to achieve the desired outcome, he must eventually bring the matter before the gathering. This gathering consists of the same group from whom the aggrieved party had taken one or two witnesses (Matthew 18:16). It is the gathering of the disciples—a group that was indeed able to assemble formally (Acts 1:15; Acts 2:1–2).
If admonition by two or three disciples has no effect, then those same disciples must present the matter openly before the assembled group of disciples. As such, Matthew 18:17 refers to a specific meeting of Jesus’ disciples. Considering the Greek usage, there is every reason to understand Matthew 18:15–17 as distinguishing between an initial discussion within a small circle and a subsequent action taken by the assembly as a whole.

The ekklēsia in Matthew 18:17 therefore does not refer to the church in a general or institutional sense, but rather to the gathered body of disciples in contrast to the smaller group of two or three who had first attempted the admonition.3