In Joshua, chapter twenty-two, verse twelve, the children of Israel were ready to go to war against some of their brothers because they believed they had built an altar in rebellion against the Lord God. Joshua and the Israelites felt that God’s holiness and truth were left alone by some, and they were willing to fight their people to defend the truth and purity of God. To demonstrate their love for their fellow Israelites, Joshua and the children of Israel first sent a delegation to resolve the problem and achieve reconciliation in verses thirteen through twenty. The achievement of understanding and reconciliation without war: faithfulness to God and love for others were supported.
Truth and love continue under the new covenant. Believers must stand for God’s truth and holiness without compromise while at the same time acting in love toward those they must oppose. God’s house must be clean of all that is contrary to the Word of God. Each believer must know what the scriptures say for themselves and ask the Holy Spirit to help them with the interpretation. Unfortunately, there will be situations within the church when a minister, bishop, elder, deacon, usher, or member will stray from the Word of God.
Contamination in a church can be dangerous. God cannot conduct or lead the people in the direction He desires if there are tares in the field. Matthew thirteen twenty-five states, “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the heat and went his way.” The devil will use people not living according to God’s Word to gain access to others within the church to spoil what God is doing. Therefore, the leaders must investigate and determine to help resolve the matter with whosoever is creating a problem with their ways.
The approach is crucial because we want the person not living up to the standards of God’s Word to rehabilitate spiritually and resume with the rest of the congregation: growing in the Lord.