Reprove An Erring Brother, Do Not Reproach Him

REPROVE AN ERRING BROTHER, DO NOT REPROACH HIM

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning." (Proverbs 9:8-9)

We should have respect to the credit of our brother, while we are rectifying either his conscience or his conversation; and while we take care to save his soul, we must not be careless of his name, or destroy his reputation. Reprehension should not be in favour of reproach. Our zeal for God must be mingled with pity towards man." Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you that are spiritual, restore such person in the spirit of meekness"; (Galatians 6:1), do not plead his reproach against him. Do not charge his sin upon him, as if his sin were not common to man; do it considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Deal clearly, and faithfully, but not reproachfully with him: Restore him with the spirit of meekness. Apostle Paul was unwilling to deal severely with the faulty Corinthians; and therefore he, as it were, puts it to their choice, and even begged them to prevent him to come with a rod in his hand, "What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of meekness?" (1 Corinthians 4:21).Surely, the man who is unwilling to chasten them with the rod or reproof, had no will to sting them with the scorpion of reproach.

Afflictions are often called reproaches in the scripture because they are charged on the afflicted as a reproach. Rachael stated "God has taken away my reproach"(Genesis 30:23); that is, my affliction of bareness, which was objected against me as a reproach.

So, the lord promised His people, that He will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field and they shall no longer receive the reproach of famine among the heathen( Ezekiel 36:30); when the heathen saw the people of God in outward wants, and eaten up with famine, they at once blasphemed the holy name of God and reproached them; "see the God that you serve, see your condition, your God suffers you to starve, to be hunger-bitten" . Therefore they are comforted with this word; "You shall not suffer the reproach of famine among the heathen" implying that the heathen usually reproached them in times of famine and affliction.

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light . . . And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather REPROVE them." (Ephesians 5:8, 11)

(Outline from JOSEPH CARYL'S EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF JOB)

James Dina

jodina5@gmail.com

7th October 2020