ESV Study Bible | English Standard Version
Matthew 18:15-17
If Your Brother Sins Against You
15 m “If your brother sins against you, n go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have o gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established p by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, q tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, r let him be to you as s a Gentile and s a tax collector.
Matthew 16:19
19 I will give you m the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and n whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed [1] in heaven.”
1 Corinthians 5
Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church
5 It is actually reported that there is w sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, x for a man has his father's wife. 2 And y you are arrogant! Ought you z not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though a absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled b in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are c to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so d that his spirit may be saved e in the day of the Lord. [2]
6 f Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that g a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, h not with the old leaven, i the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter j not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 k not at all meaning l the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, m since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone n who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging o outsiders? p Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges [3] those outside. q “Purge the evil person from among you.”
1 Corinthians 12:28
My Notes
- Sign in or register to save your personal notes.
ESV Study Bible Notes
Sign in or register to access ESV Study Bible notes or save your personal notes and highlights.
Enjoy this free preview of the ESV Study Bible notes.
Matt. 18:1–20:34 The Community of the Messiah Revealed. This is the fourth of Jesus' five major discourses in Matthew's Gospel (see Introduction: Key Themes; Literary Features). As his earthly ministry draws to a close, Jesus has spent considerable time clarifying his identity and mission (chs. 14–17). He instructs his disciples on the nature of his covenant community, explaining the kingdom community's characteristics (18:1–35), its implications for the sanctity of marriage (19:1–12), and its value (19:13–20:34).
Matt. 18:1–35 Characteristics of Life in the Kingdom Community. Jesus instructs the disciples about the kind of community life that will characterize their relationships with one another and with the world at large.
Matt. 18:15 go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If a matter can be settled without getting others involved, that will keep rumors and misunderstandings from multiplying and will keep the conflict from spreading (cf. Prov. 25:9). gained. The ultimate objective is restoration of the offending brother or sister to the path of discipleship.
Matt. 18:16 Evidence of two or three witnesses follows the guideline in Deut. 19:15 and refers to witnesses of the subsequent confrontation described in this verse, not necessarily eyewitnesses to the original offense (Matt. 18:15).
Matt. 18:17 If the offending party of vv. 15–16 will not repent after the matter has been brought before the entire church, then he or she is to be excluded from the fellowship and thought of as an unbeliever. Gentile and tax collector describes those who are deliberately rebellious against God.
Matt. 13:54–16:20 The Identity of the Messiah Revealed. This section marks a major new emphasis in Matthew's narrative as Jesus' messianic identity is increasingly clarified.
Matt. 16:1–20 Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In response to the Pharisees and Sadducees' demand for a sign, Jesus announces he will give no more signs (vv. 1–4) and warns his disciples about the spiritual “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees (vv. 5–12). Jesus then asks his disciples about the identity of the Son of Man (vv. 13–14). Peter rightly confesses Jesus (vv. 15–16), and Jesus in turn makes a pronouncement about Peter (vv. 17–20).
Matt. 16:19 keys of the kingdom of heaven. Peter is given the authority to admit entrance into the kingdom through preaching the gospel, an authority that is subsequently granted to all who are called to proclaim the gospel. (Note the contrast with the scribes and Pharisees, who shut the kingdom in people's faces, neither entering themselves nor allowing others to enter; see 23:13.) In Acts, Peter is the apostle who first preaches the message of the kingdom to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2), to the Samaritans (Acts 8), and to the Gentiles (Acts 10). whatever you bind . . . whatever you loose. Peter also has authority to exercise discipline concerning right and wrong conduct for those in the kingdom, an authority that is not exclusive to Peter but is extended to the church as a whole in Matt. 18:18; cf. John 20:23. Jesus delegates authority to human leaders in the church who are called to govern his church on earth, under his ultimate authority, through the application of his Word.
