Hosea 4:1, “Hear the Word of the Lord, you citizens of Israel for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land [the Northern Kingdom] because there is no truth [no doctrine is being taught and learned], and there is no grace being applied [there was no appreciation and response to the love of God], and there is no knowledge of God in the land.”

 

Hosea 4:2“Instead there is lying, deception, murder, stealing, and they break in to commit rape. Therefore, blood touches blood [crime was out of control].”

 

Hosea 4:6 “My people [citizens of the Northern Kingdom] are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Because you have rejected my knowledge, I also will reject you as my priest [a client nation]. Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children [the children will be killed or taken into slavery].”  

 

Matthew 18:1

 

Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ προσῆλθον οἱ µαθηταὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγοντες, Τίς ἄρα µείζων ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν;

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At that hour [while Peter was paying the taxes] the disciples came to Jesus [apparently Jesus was in a different room], saying, “Who [among the disciples] is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven?”

 

They were in Peter’s house.  And since the Lord sent Peter to handle this matter, it apparently caused some jealousy.  This same brawl is explained in Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-45.

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Mark 9:33-37, “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ (34) But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. (35) Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’ (36) He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, (37) ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’ "

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Mark 10:35-45, “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask. (36) ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked. (37) They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.’ (38) ‘You don't know what you are asking,’ Jesus said. ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?’ (39) ‘We can,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, (40) but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’ (41) When the ten [which includes Judas Iscariot who would also like this position in the Millennium and in the eternal future] heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. (42) Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. (43) Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (44) and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (45) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

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Matthew 18:2

 

καὶ προσκαλεσάµενος παιδίον ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν µέσῳ αὐτῶν

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And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst,

 

Since Peter had a wife and this was his house, the child apparently was his. The Lord is going to use this child as a training aid.  Jesus is teaching a principle of doctrine and uses the child to illustrate his point.  

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Matthew 18:3

 

καὶ εἶπεν, Ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν, ἐὰν µὴ στραφῆτε καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, οὐ µὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.

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and said, “Truly [introducing an important point] I say to you, ‘Unless you are converted and become as little children [use faith at salvation], you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven [the eternal spiritual kingdom].'"

 

A little child learns everything by faith for faith is his only perceptive system. So, anyone who is saved becomes like a little child at the moment of his salvation. Just as a person begins with faith in Christ at salvation, so the believer must continue in faith perception and application after salvation in order to become great.  

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Matthew 18:4

 

ὅστις οὖν ταπεινώσει ἑαυτὸν ὡς τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ µείζων ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.

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Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven.

 

The Greek verb tapeinoo [to humble] connotes orientation to grace, recognizing what you really are. Orientation to grace always recognizes that we do not earn, deserve, or merit anything from God. Since God provides our needs and the power for execution entirely apart from any human ability or energy of the flesh or human good, greatness is based upon the principle of orientation to grace and utilization of divine operating assets.

 

Greatness comes from humility, not arrogance, and God only promotes the humble believer. At that time, the disciples in a state of arrogance, were competing with one another. James 4:10, “Humble yourself in the presence of God and He will exalt [promote] you.”

 

Matthew 18:5-14: This passage deals with the consequences for the offenders of child-abuse and God’s grace provision for those abused victims. R. B. Thieme Jr. taught many hours on this subject. The material below has been extrapolated from those lectures, originally published in a booklet authored by Max titled: "Child Abuse: Effects, Consequences, and Rehabilitation" 

 

CHILD ABUSE

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Part 1: The effects of Child Abuse on the Victim

 

Can children handle pressure and adversity without parental help? The answer depends upon the maturity of the child.  However, most young children cannot handle the problems and pressures of life by themselves and must rely on their parents to solve their problems for them. If their problems are not resolved stress occurs. Unfortunately, irresponsible parents do not solve the problems of their children, and so allow stress to function in the lives of their children. On the other hand, responsible parents solve their children’s problems, and so are able to prevent stress from developing in their children’s souls.

 

Unfortunately, some parents abuse their children in every possible way. These are degenerate parents - parents who possess no wisdom, humility, or integrity, and therefore fail in many of their responsibilities toward their children.  They not only fail to prevent stress in their children but cause a lot of stress for them.  Some examples follow: They scream in anger at their children, causing fear to lodge in the child’s subconscious.  They fight in front of their terrified children.  They worry and explain their worries to their children so that their children learn how to worry.  The abuse is monstrous.  

 

Parents lacking wisdom abuse their children by failing to supervise them properly.  This abuse may take many forms.  For example, they may be unaware of their child’s sinful masturbation, or on the other hand even allow it as a way of relieving stress.  These parents do not realize that masturbation not only is destructive to the soul, but also affects sexual relations in marriage later-on in life.  They permit their children to read or watch pornographic material, not realizing that this not only encourages the lust pattern of their child’s sin nature, but also puts garbage in the subconscious. Other forms of soul abuse are more subtle. For example, many parents permit their children to constantly read or watch science fiction cartoons and movies without thinking about the consequences this may have to their child’s development. Science fiction develops a pseudo frame of reference in the thinking of their child, isolating them from reality. Children need to learn truth, not fiction and fantasy.  All children need to learn truth and principles related to the laws of establishment; and if they are believers, they must also learn principles related to the spiritual life. Wise parents provide an environment that nurtures their children in truth.

 

God designed the soul so that the child would naturally have complete faith in his parents. Consequently, any form of child abuse is a betrayal of the child’s trust, though not all forms of child abuse have the same destructive effect on faith. In occurrences of extreme child abuse such as torture and sexual abuse, faith as a system of learning is severely damaged. Furthermore, child abuse - and especially extreme abuse - destroys humility and replaces it with arrogance (preoccupation with self) and the emotional complex of sins.

 

The most important learning period in a child’s life is between the ages one through to about eight, when his personality and character are being formed. During these formative years the child should learn many important principles and values in life; he should be able to develop a conscience with correct norms and standards, and a humility that will orient him toward all legitimate authorities. This learning process is facilitated by the child’s complete trust in his parents, a faith directed toward his parents that he will never have in his life again.  However, if the child is abused by his parents this most important period for learning is lost.  

 

Furthermore, if the child is betrayed by his parents through extreme abuse, his faith in them will be destroyed. Instead of developing humility, he will develop arrogance.  Instead of learning authority orientation, he will easily incur bitterness and rebelliousness toward those in authority. So, instead of learning beneficial things, he will end up learning harmful things during this very important period of his life.    

 

Usually, the sexually, the traumatically abused child is unable to find help anywhere. His family has betrayed him and in many cases others either don’t care or don’t believe the child’s claims of abuse. He is left alone to cope with this trauma by use of his or her own resources.  In the case of the child who has never learnt to solve his problems through Bible doctrine, which can only be inculcated into the soul through academic learning, he must rely upon some psychological defense method instead. Two examples of psychological defense methods are repression - burying anxieties such as fear and anger into the subconscious mind and denial (of these emotions).  Use of these defense methods may also lead to projection, where the child assigns his own sinful emotions to others.  Defense mechanisms are defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, 3rd ED (Revised), pp 393-4: “Defense mechanisms are patterns of feelings, thoughts, or behaviors that are relatively involuntary and arise in response to perceptions of psychic danger.  They are designed to hide or alleviate the conflicts or stressors that give rise to anxiety.” These defense mechanisms used for survival by abused children especially those abuses which involve sex or torture ultimately result in garbage (harmful emotions and ideas) in the subconscious and cause deep-seated psychological defects.

 

There are at least five categories of child abuse; some are more traumatic than others:

 

1. Sexual abuse:  Parents, siblings, relatives, or others victimize and traumatize a child through various categories of sexual activity such as incest, prostitution, and exposing one’s naked body to children.

 

2. Physical abuse:  This includes beating, burning and other forms of torture; selling into slavery, prostitution, and murder.

 

3. Soul abuse:  This is destruction of the child's faith and humility, caused by the parent’s failure to prevent stress from developing in the souls of their children during their formative years (Ephesians 6:4; and Colossians 3:21). 

      

Soul abuse results from the failure of parents to teach their children what is right and wrong, and then to embed right concepts into their child’s soul by rendering just punishment to him when he is disobedient or has violated establishment principles.  If parents do not punish their child for wrongdoing, he will not learn to respect authority, but will accumulate guilt in his subconscious and thus develop emotional and psychological problems.

 

Teaching a child to hate the other parent in a divorce is also soul abuse. Children should never become involved in the problems and antagonisms that occur in marriage.  Differences should be solved away from the children. 

 

Christian parents abuse their children if they fail to evangelize them and teach them basic Bible doctrine. This is abuse through neglect. As children learn the spiritual life, step by step they will learn to solve their own problems. “You, parents, stop provoking your children to anger [Children react to pettiness, too many restrictions, unfairness, and legalism], but always rear them in the training and instruction about the Lord.”  (Ephesians 6:4).

 

4. Emotional abuse: Seeking to control a child through emotional sins such as fear, or guilt is abuse. Some parents attempt to make their child a responsible and hardworking student by using guilt to instill a false motivation in his soul.  They may say to him: “Mommy and Daddy will be very unhappy if you don’t get good grades in school this semester.”  If the child should then fail to get good grades, he would feel responsible for his parent’s unhappiness and be filled with guilt.  This is not a true sense of responsibility in a child, but an incorrect form of motivation which can lead to neurosis, and even suicide. Parents should never motivate their child through guilt, anger, hatred, malice, fear, or violence.

 

Parents must never encourage insensitivity toward either people or animals. Parents who laugh at the misfortune of others are teaching their child to be insensitive and cruel. Parents who ridicule and denigrate other races are teaching their child to be callous and insensitive toward those for whom the Lord died on the cross. Parents who abuse animals are teaching their child to be cruel to God’s creatures.  They should instead be teaching their child to be thoughtful and sensitive toward the feelings of others and to be caring and considerate of animals.  

 

Parents should not encourage arrogance. Many parents treat their children as if they were royalty. Children are born with a sin nature and are prone toward becoming arrogant. Until they develop respect for their parents and some humility there is nothing inherently good about them.  So, don’t brag to others about how smart your son is or how beautiful your daughter is.  In God’s eyes this is not greatness.

 

Parents should not encourage hypersensitivity.  Children should never be permitted to sulk or whine in self-pity, or to throw a tantrum which is arrogant preoccupation with self. Some parents actually encourage hypersensitivity by comforting or commiserating with their child who is wallowing in self-pity. Hypersensitivity must be discouraged by good teaching and correct discipline. 

 

A child must be taught to solve his problems rationally.  If a child is a believer, he must be encouraged to gather the facts and to apply some Biblical principle or doctrine to his problem or perplexity. If he does get out of fellowship, his parents must encourage him to name his sin or sins to God the Father, and then to apply some Biblical principle to that situation. Whether the child is a believer or unbeliever, the parent must not permit emotion to intrude into the problem-solving procedure since problems and perplexities can only be solved by gaining the facts and by making correct decisions through cognition.     

When punishing a child, parents should never threaten the child or his pet-animal with physical abuse, belittle a child with insults (you idiot, you, ugly duckling etc.), or isolate the child from fellowship with the parents by confining a child in his bedroom, closet etc.  When punishing a child, the parent must be motivated by his love for his child, and the desire for his child to become a happy and responsible person in society.

 

5. Neglect and Deprivation: This includes failure to provide the necessities of life (food, shelter, and clothing), failure to teach the basic concepts of life (like good hygiene, manners, social and thinking skills), and failure to provide medical care when necessary. In the case of Christian parents, they also have a duty to evangelize and teach basic doctrine to their children.

 

Parents need to learn how to influence their children correctly.  Children begin life with blind faith and trust. If the parents destroy their child’s trust, the child will develop substitute defense mechanisms to protect the soul from unbearable stress.  These defense mechanisms create garbage in the subconscious of the child’s soul which hinders him from trusting God and metabolizing Bible doctrine. Parents have a tremendous influence in a child's life and must take heed of their great responsibility.

 

Ideally, children need both parents every day. So, parents should always consider their children before making decisions related to any form of separation. Divorce for example should never be entered into lightly, and especially if children are involved. Divorce is a traumatic experience for children. Any kind of separation from one parent can be somewhat to extremely difficult for children. Children want to be with their mother and father daily. So, parents be careful how you plan your lives. 

 

Part 2: Consequences for the Offenders of Child-Abuse (Matthew 18:5-10)

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Matthew 18:5

 

καὶ ὃς ἐὰν δέξηται ἓν παιδίον τοιοῦτο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόµατί µου, ἐµὲ δέχεται.

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“Moreover whoever receives one child such as this one because of My person receives Me.”

 

In this verse Jesus Christ is emphasizing the extreme importance of child-rearing. This is a mandate to avoid child abuse, and for parents to fulfill their responsibility toward children by protecting the souls of their children from stress. When parents fail in this regard, the child loses faith in his parents and becomes totally preoccupied with self. So, parents should take this responsibility very seriously.

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Matthew 18:6

 

Ὃς δí ἂν σκανδαλίσῃ ἕνα τῶν µικρῶν τούτων τῶν πιστευόντων εἰς ἐµέ, συµφέρει αὐτῷ ἵνα κρεµασθῇ µύλος ὀνικὸς περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ καταποντισθῇ ἐν τῷ πελάγει τῆς θαλάσσης.

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“But whoever causes one of these little ones who have believed in Me to be trapped [σκανδαλον skandalon - reference to child abuse], it would be better for him [the one guilty of child abuse] that a millstone turned by an ass were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the deepest part of the sea.”

 

Since this is a reference to extreme child abuse, the evil child abuser should not have a decent burial, but an unmarked grave far out to sea. In this way child abuse is discouraged in society. The memory of such people should be removed from the memory of those who knew him, especially from the memory of the abused person. The abused person should disregard his abuser as per Philippians 3:13 which states that we are to “forget [disregard, not to think about] those things which are behind.”   

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Matthew 18:7

 

οὐαὶ τῷ κόσµῳ ἀπὸ τῶν σκανδάλων· ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἐλθεῖν τὰ σκάνδαλα, πλὴν οὐαὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ διí οὗ τὸ σκάνδαλον ἔρχεται.

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“Woe to the world because of entrapment! [skandalon – further reference to child abuse] For it is inevitable that entrapment occurs, but woe to that person through whom the child abuse comes!”

 

The Greek word skandalon means to hurt, to cause disaster, to cause to sin, to trap someone who is innocent. The innocent child is trapped by the evil lust of parents or siblings in child abuse, by those responsible for protecting the child. In this metaphor, it is the abuser who sets the trap for the child. 

                          

The person who causes trauma in another person will be judged by trauma. Galatians 6:7 states, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” There are certain judgments that occur in human history that apparently have no explanation. Since the abuser brings great shock to the child, God will judge the abuser through great shock. The supreme court of heaven never lets a child abuser get away with his abuse.

 

When an unbeliever abuses a child sexually, he builds up tremendous scar tissue in the soul. This scar tissue can eventually destroy his ability to use faith. So, later in life, the child abuser may desire salvation, but is unable to express faith in the Lord Jesus Christ due to the build-up of scar tissue. 

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Matthew 18:8-9

 

Εἰ δὲ ἡ χείρ σου ἢ ὁ πούς σου σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ· καλόν σοί ἐστιν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν κυλλὸν ἢ χωλόν, ἢ δύο χεῖρας ἢ δύο πόδας ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον. (9) καὶ εἰ ὁ ὀφθαλµός σου σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ· καλόν σοί ἐστιν µονόφθαλµον εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν, ἢ δύο ὀφθαλµοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός.

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“Moreover, if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble [a sin of child abuse], cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter [eternal] life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire.” (9) “And if your eye causes you to sin [causing trauma in another person through child abuse], pluck it out, and throw it from you.  It is better for you to enter [eternal] life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the lake of fire.”

 

Verses 8 and 9 are addressed as a warning to the unbeliever involved in child abuse. The hand represents the function of sexual abuse and other forms of physical abuse. The foot represents the decision to abuse, and the following action to move in the direction of child abuse. The eye represents the lust pattern of the sin nature. This passage is not saying that self-mutilation is the solution to child abuse for the Bible does not advocate self-mutilation. Rather, this is a Greek idiom of comparison and exclusion: better one thing than another thing, better no eyes, hands etc. than child abuse, which builds scar tissue in the soul. When the unbeliever’s soul becomes saturated with scar tissue, he is unable to believe in Christ because scar tissue of the soul destroys the ability of the soul to use faith as a system of perception.

 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 states, “Moreover, even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the God of this world [Satan] has blinded the thinking of the unbelieving.” Satan blinds the thinking of the unbeliever through his cosmic system of religion, self-righteous legalism, degeneracy, and evil like child abuse. It is possible for an unbeliever to accumulate so much scar tissue that he is unable to use faith to believe in Christ Jesus.  The unbeliever who persists in child abuse will suffer forever in the Lake of Fire, not directly because of child abuse, but because he after destroying his faith through his abuse was unable to believe in Christ as savior. 

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Matthew 18:10

 

Ὁρᾶτε µὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν µικρῶν τούτων· λέγω γὰρ ὑµῖν ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός µου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς.

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“See to it that you do not despise [treat with contempt, abuse] one of these little ones. For I say to you, that their [guardian] angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”

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This verse is a strong warning to parents and others not to abuse children. This warning comes from the Supreme Court of Heaven.  God the Father is the presiding judge of all cases of child abuse.  The child’s guardian angel will report to God the Father all cases of such abuse. The Father who is the presiding judge of the Supreme Court of Heaven will bring down severe judgment upon the abuser.

 

 It is the sovereign will of God that all victims of child abuse be spared the trauma of such injustice. God therefore takes some children in death before they reach accountability, while for the others He has provided perfect solutions through the Gospel and Bible doctrine by which they can recover psychologically from this abuse and live a normal life.

 

Part 3:  Rehabilitation for the Victim of Child Abuse

 

An abused child can recover. When a child experiences trauma over a prolonged period of time, he will develop natural defense mechanisms which divorce him from the reality of the situation and thus protect his soul from the excessive stress. Through the use of these mechanisms, such as repression, dissociation, denial etc. the experience is buried into the subconscious of the soul and the child is able to maintain his sanity for an extended, yet limited, period of time.  Without these defense mechanisms the child would become psychotic almost immediately. However, as the child matures into adulthood these problem-solving devices of childhood no longer become effective. As the adult becomes more responsible for his own life, he must accept the realities of life, rather than suppressing or rejecting reality as he did during childhood. He must also deal with the garbage in his subconscious, which needs to be cleaned out before he can stabilize psychologically. 

 

God has infinite concern for abused children and always provides a grace solution. The garbage and flaws which accumulate through child abuse can be removed from the soul by regeneration through faith in Christ and development of the spiritual life. Bible doctrine circulating in the soul of the believer and his response to God’ love for him will remove the flaws and garbage step by step. 

 

In Matthew 18:6-10 Jesus is teaching his disciples about the warnings and consequences due to child-abuse offenders. In verses 12-14 he continues to expound on the subject of child abuse though now referring to the believer who was abused in childhood. Verse 11 does not exist in the best and oldest manuscripts and does not belong in this passage.  This verse occurs in Luke 19:10, though some scribe who had no understanding of the context thought it should also belong in the Matthew passage and inserted it here, distorting the original message. In our context (Matthew 18:12-13) we have a straying sheep, not a lost sheep.  In Luke, Jesus is talking to the Scribes and Pharisees. In Matthew, Jesus is talking to His disciples. The Luke passage is a parable regarding salvation; the Matthew passage is about child abuse.

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Matthew 18:11

 

Early manuscripts do not contain this verse

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Matthew 18:12

 

Τί ὑµῖν δοκεῖ; ἐὰν γένηταί τινι ἀνθρώπῳ ἑκατὸν πρόβατα καὶ πλανηθῇ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν, οὐχὶ ἀφήσει τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ πορευθεὶς ζητεῖ τὸ πλανώµενον;

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“What do you think? If any man owns a hundred sheep [are believers by analogy], and one out from among them has gone astray [the believer out of fellowship], will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one who has gone astray [reacted to child abuse]?” 

 

By application, this question becomes a challenge to the abused child who has become an adult believer.  He is an adult believer who has reacted to his child abuse and so has wandered away from the plan of God and divine solutions.

 

The hundred sheep in this context are all believers. The shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ (John 10:11). “The sheep that has gone astray” refers to the believer who has reacted to child abuse and wandered off from the function of metabolized doctrine in the soul.

 

God has provided for every believer a solution to every problem in life.  There is no such thing as a unique problem for which the grace of God has not provided. As an adult, reaction to abuse which occurred in childhood is failure to apply God’s solution.  Many believers stray from God's plan simply because they fail to use the divine solution. They fail to remove the bitterness, anger, hatred etc. which resides in their souls. This stress prevents spiritual growth - they have wandered away from God’s solution and the opportunity to live a psychologically normal and happy life. 

 

Recall of child abuse as an adult creates a tendency for self-justification for carnality or personality disorders, or both. The believer formerly abused as a child uses his past as justification for allowing the sin nature to now control his life. Post-traumatic stress syndrome, dissociation, and schizophrenia (James 1:8, James 4:8) etc. are all forms of straying.  If he blames his stress on his past trauma and adverse circumstances, that is the end of any spiritual growth. His subconscious garbage always thinks “I have to be right; I am right; the other person is wrong.” He makes a great effort to maintain righteousness based on self-justification and has such a preoccupation with self that he is unable to use the divine solution. The garbage in his subconscious and scar tissue in his soul create a stone wall of arrogance between his volition and God’s grace solutions. Therefore, he convinces himself by thinking that Bible doctrine does not work.  I've tried it.”

 

Scripture commands the believer to forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are in front of you. The garbage is not emptied from the subconscious by reacting to the traumatic experiences of the past. Garbage is removed from the subconscious, and scar tissue of the soul is healed through the application of divine solutions.

 

Divine solutions to problems are progressive rather than instantaneous. Most people want instantaneous solutions to problems, but that is not the way the plan of God works.  Many believers in churches where the pastor neglects to teach doctrine to his congregation are led to believe that holding hands and singing songs, making group confessions, praying loudly etc. will instantly solve all problems. However, permanent solutions demand your day-by-day perception and application of Bible doctrine over a long period of time. Divine solutions are permanent because they require divine thought in the stream of consciousness which must ultimately produce a love for God. This love then provides the motivation to apply grace to self and others, which allows him to heal the wounds that occurred in childhood. 

 

The steady accumulation of doctrine in the soul must not only deal with the issue of the sin nature but also must progressively clean out the garbage in the subconscious and the trash in the stream of consciousness which includes the subjective arrogance of self-absorption, emotional revolt of the soul, blackout of the soul, scar tissue of the soul, accompanied by an accumulation of a false scale of values related to human viewpoint.

                          

Injustice is one of the most difficult problems to face in life. However, God has provided the solution to injustices as well as every other problem in life. Every time we use human solutions, we postpone the divine solution. The life of Joseph is one of the greatest examples of God handling the problems of injustice.  Injustices are some of the greatest challenges to the spiritual life of a believer. These injustices are going to occur, and you must put them in the hands of the Lord, turning them over to the supreme court of heaven. 

 

To come back with the Lord to the flock you must want to recover. Some believers do not want to recover. The only hindrance to recovery is the volition of the straying believer.  It is the will of God for full recovery to occur. Therefore, God will do everything he can to bring the stray back to the spiritual life.  It is not God’s will that a believer who was a victim of child abuse be ruined by trauma.  However, full recovery demands that you seek God's plan and God's solution.  (You and you alone are the only one who can live your spiritual life; no one else can live it for you.) God assigned to you your very own spiritual life. All the counseling in the world will not solve your problems.  Only, through the use of your own volition can you solve your problems. 

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Matthew 18:13-14

 

καὶ ἐὰν γένηται εὑρεῖν αὐτό, ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν ὅτι χαίρει ἐπí αὐτῷ µᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα τοῖς µὴ πεπλανηµένοις. (14) οὕτως οὐκ ἔστιν θέληµα ἔµπροσθεν τοῦ πατρὸς ὑµῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἵνα ἀπόληται ἓν τῶν µικρῶν τούτων.

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“And if it turns out that he finds it [the straying sheep], truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. (14) So, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these children should be ruined [apollumi appollumi – this word has the meaning ruin, destroy, to lose, to die, or to perish. In the context of the believer, we should therefore translate this word as ruin. The believer’s spiritual life is ruined through reaction to abuse].”

 

During the ministries of Moses and Jeremiah, the adults rejected the message, but their children were positive to the teaching of the word of God.  The parents were evil and initially caused a lot of stress in the souls of their children – however under the faithful ministries of Moses and Jeremiah the children were able to become great believers through metabolization and application of Bible doctrine.

 

Through the step-by-step process of learning, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine, a believer can remove the psychological defense mechanisms which he has relied on in childhood and replace them with the Problem-Solving Devices of the spiritual life. In grace the abused child can become a normal person, able to face reality and having great capacity for life, love, and happiness. One of the greatest and highest functions of one’s spiritual life is to win a complete victory over any traumatic experience in one’s life.

 

In this verse Jesus Christ is emphasizing the extreme importance of child-rearing. This is a mandate to avoid child abuse, and for parents to fulfill their responsibility toward children by protecting the souls of their children from stress.  When parents fail in this regard, the child loses faith in the parents and becomes totally preoccupied with self.

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Matthew 18:15

 

Ἐὰν δὲ ἁµαρτήσῃ [εἰς σὲ] ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν µεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ µόνου. ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου·

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"And if your brother [a fellow Jew in the synagogue] sins against you [not others, just you: gossiping, maligning etc.], go and reprove [to convince someone of a fault or error in an objective manner] him in private [just between the two individuals]; if he listens to you [maybe he will and maybe he won’t], you have won-over your brother [established harmony and won over for reconciliation]."

 

The Lord decided to teach the following problem-solving procedure not only for the benefit of his disciples who were competing with one another, but for the benefit of others as well. By interpretation, "Brother" here refers to a fellow Jew who sins against another Jew in the Age of Israel. Your first option would be to go to the person to find out what the problem is all about. You should discuss the problem privately with the person who has sinned against you as your first option. If he listens to you, you have solved the problem quite simply.   

               

What can we learn from this? Generally, the believer should leave these problems in the Lord’s hands. However, most of us have approached someone who has been doing something against us and sometimes the matter can be straightened out through discussion.

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Matthew 18:16

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ἐὰν δὲ µὴ ἀκούσῃ, παράλαβε µετὰ σοῦ ἔτι ἕνα ἢ δύο, ἵνα ἐπὶ στόµατος δύο µαρτύρων ἢ τριῶν σταθῇ πᾶν ῥῆµα·

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"But if he will not listen to you, take one or two more with you [impartial individuals], so that `By the mouth of two or three witnesses [witnesses possibly with authority from the Sanhedrin or synagogue to function as witnesses and even judges outside of a court of law] all the conversation may be established.'"

 

This does not mean your friends right or wrong, it means one or two people who have no axe to grind in the matter and who are strictly objective; “that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” The meeting takes place so that you have witnesses who will establish the facts.

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Matthew 18:17

 

ἐὰν δὲ παρακούσῃ αὐτῶν, εἰπὲ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας παρακούσῃ, ἔστω σοι ὥσπερ ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης.

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"And if he refuses to listen to [to ignore] them, then go to the assembly [the leadership of the synagogue, the place of Jewish worship or the Jewish court, the Jewish Sanhedrin]; and if he refuses to listen even to the assembly, then treat him as a Gentile and a tax-collector [separate oneself from that person socially or even ostracize him]."

 

The third step is to take the matter privately before the court of the synagogue. By interpretation, Matthew 18:15-17 cannot be directly applied to the function of the Church Age. What can be correctly applied by principle is that there are certain procedures that have carried over into the Church Age. For example, the laws of evidence as part of juris prudence in a church court. Also, there must never be any indictments without two or three witnesses and thorough investigation. Investigation must always precede indictment.

 

Romans 16:17, 18, “Now I urge you, brethren, look out [have discernment] for those who are causing dissensions and apostasies contrary to doctrine, which you have learned from a teacher; in fact, be separating from them. (18) For such believers do not serve our Lord Christ but their own emotions [enslaved to their emotions] serving themselves; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts [mentalities] of the unsuspecting [believers ignorant of doctrine].”

                     

Verses 18-20: Hostility must be removed from among believers for effective evangelism, prayer, and worship. For example, the competition with some hostility which existed among the disciples.

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Matthew 18:18

 

Ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµῖν, ὅσα ἐὰν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται δεδεµένα ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ὅσα ἐὰν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται λελυµένα ἐν οὐρανῷ.

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Truly I say to you, Whatever you shall bind on earth [the aorist tense is the point of time a person responds to your evangelism], it shall have been bound in Heaven [the decision is also bound in heaven]; and whatever you shall loose [the aorist tense is the point of time when the unbeliever rejects the gospel as communicated by the disciples] on earth, it shall have been loosed in Heaven [unbelievers who reject the gospel will be eternally separated from God].

 

This is related to the Keys of the Kingdom as taught in Matthew 16:19. 

 

There are two periphrastics in this verse. The periphrastic future perfect (with the intensive perfect) “it shall have been bound” means that when someone responds to the gospel message of one of the disciples, it becomes a completed action in heaven at that time with results that go on forever namely eternal security. On the other hand, the periphrastic future perfect (with the intensive perfect), “it shall have been loosed” becomes a completed action when the unbeliever by his death fails to have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The results go on for all eternity first in Torments and then in the Lake of Fire forever.  

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Matthew 18:19

 

Πάλιν λέγω ὑµῖν ὅτι ἐὰν δύο συµφωνήσωσιν ἐξ ὑµῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς περὶ παντὸς πράγµατος οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται, γενήσεται αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ πατρός µου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς.

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Again I say to you that if two of you shall agree on earth as regarding anything that they shall ask [in public prayer], it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven.

 

Nine reasons why prayer is not answered:

 

1. Lack of faith — Matthew 21:21, 22, “Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not entertain doubts [passive voice: one receives doubts], you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain [He points to the Mount of Olives], Be moved and be thrown into the sea [the waters of the Mediterranean will then flow through it as per Zechariah 14:4, 8]; it shall be done [at the 2nd Advent]. (22) And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive [logical future].” [They will pray ‘Mount of Olives move’ based on their understanding of Zechariah 14, and it will be split all the way from Haifa to the Dead Sea down the Arabah to the Red Sea].

 

2. Selfishness (a form of carnality) — James 4:2, 3, “You keep on lusting, and do not have [the tranquility and happiness of the spiritual life].  You murder and are jealous, consequently you are not able to acquire [the spiritual life]. You quarrel and fight and you do not have because you do not ask [failure to pray]. (3) You ask but you do not receive because you ask for yourself that you may squander it on your lusts [in your frantic search for happiness].”

 

3. Mental carnality — Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart [my mentality], the Lord will not hear [will not answer prayers].”

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4. Lack of compassion — Proverbs 21:13, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out [offer prayer] and not be answered.

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5. Lack of domestic tranquillity — 1 Peter 3:7, “You husbands in a similar manner, live with them according to knowledge [know about women in general and keep learning about your wife ], as the weaker vessel [dependent upon her husband for fulfillment as a responder], since she is a woman; and show her honor as a joint-heirs of the grace of life so that your prayers will not be hindered.”

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6. Pride or self-righteousness — Job 35:12-13, “He does not answer when people cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked. (13) Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea; the Almighty pays no attention to it.”

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7. Lack of the Filling of the Spirit — Ephesians 5:18, “Also, stop being intoxicated with wine by which there is indulgence in sensual pleasure [a disorderly lifestyle of dissipation and preoccupation with oneself] but keep on being filled [controlled] by agency of the Holy Spirit.”

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8. Lack of obedience to some point of doctrine — 1 John 3:22, “Furthermore, whatever we have asked, we receive from him because we keep on guarding his mandates and keep on doing the things that are pleasing in his sight.”

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9. Failure to comply with the will of God — 1 John 5:14, “In fact, this is the confidence [begins with eternal security as per the previous verse] which we have toward him [God] that if [3rd class condition] we ask [indirect middle: the subjects participates in the answer of that prayer] anything according to his will, he [God the Father] hears us [confidence increases as we increase in truth and virtue].”

           

Matthew 18:20

 

οὗ γάρ εἰσιν δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγµένοι εἰς τὸ ἐµὸν ὄνοµα, ἐκεῖ εἰµι ἐν µέσῳ αὐτῶν. 

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For where two or three are gathered-together in My name [during a worship service], there I am in their midst.

 

It only takes a small group of believers and a pastor for effective worship service. However, the larger the group the more privacy. Notice that one on one is excluded for that would be a violation of privacy and tantamount to bullying.

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Matthew 18:21

 

Τότε προσελθὼν ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Κύριε, ποσάκις ἁµαρτήσει εἰς ἐµὲ ὁ ἀδελφός µου καὶ ἀφήσω αὐτῷ; ἕως ἑπτάκις;

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Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?”

 

At this point in Peter’s spiritual life, he does not have the knowledge nor the capacity for impersonal love. A believer with great spiritual capacity, integrity, and grace orientation, has the ability to forgive without limitation. He would not ask the type of question which Peter asked the Lord.

 

Matthew 18:22

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λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Οὐ λέγω σοι ἕως ἑπτάκις ἀλλὰ ἕως ἑβδοµηκοντάκις ἑπτά.

 

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven [an idiom for no limitation].”

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Impersonal love has no limitation! 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is not swayed by emotion [is forbearing], virtue love is kind [merciful], love is not jealous, it does not brag [is not shamelessly disrespectful in thought, speech and behavior, insulting, presumptuous], is not inflated with arrogance [the advance stages of arrogance]. (5) does not behave dishonorably [indecently, or unmannerly], is not self-seeking [self-promoting; preoccupied with self, self-indulgent, irrationally ambitious] it is not provoked [does not become irritated, bitter, angry, petty, hypersensitive], does not react to evil [is not mindful of wrongs, does not react to the injustices or wrongs that comes into his life, does not think in terms of retaliation, does not react to hatred or antagonisms], (6). does not rejoice over injustices [violation of truth], but joyfully sides with the truth [rejoices in the truth] (7). It covers all things [keeps all things confidential: true love respects the privacy of another; it literally means to throw a cloak of silence over all things: avoids gossip, maligning, judging, vilification], always believes [advance function of the faith-rest drill] always has confident expectation [regarding one’s personal destiny both in time and in eternity], always perseveres [always maintains his relationship with God in a state of happiness under the testing of the three stages of the adult spiritual life],”

 

Matthew 18:23-25

 

∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὡµοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ βασιλεῖ ὃς ἠθέλησεν συνᾶραι λόγον µετὰ τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ. (24) ἀρξαµένου δὲ αὐτοῦ συναίρειν προσηνέχθη αὐτῷ εἷς ὀφειλέτης µυρίων ταλάντων. (25) µὴ ἔχοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀποδοῦναι ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος πραθῆναι καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει, καὶ ἀποδοθῆναι.

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Therefore the kingdom of Heaven has been compared to a certain king [analogous to God the Father] who desired to make an accounting [settle his accounts] with his servants [analogous to believers]. (24) And when he had begun to count, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents [millions of dollars of debt analogous to pre-salvation sins forgiven and post-salvation sins forgiven up to that point]. (25) But as he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded that he, and his wife and children, and all that he had, be sold, and payment be made.

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This was customary in the ancient world.

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Matthew 18:26-30

 

πεσὼν οὖν ὁ δοῦλος προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγων, Μακροθύµησον ἐπí ἐµοί, καὶ πάντα ἀποδώσω σοι. (27) σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἀπέλυσεν αὐτόν, καὶ τὸ δάνειον ἀφῆκεν αὐτῷ. (28) ἐξελθὼν δὲ ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος εὗρεν ἕνα τῶν συνδούλων αὐτοῦ ὃς ὤφειλεν αὐτῷ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια, καὶ κρατήσας αὐτὸν ἔπνιγεν λέγων, Ἀπόδος εἴ τι ὀφείλεις. (29) πεσὼν οὖν ὁ σύνδουλος αὐτοῦ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν λέγων, Μακροθύµησον ἐπí ἐµοί, καὶ ἀποδώσω σοι. (30) ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἤθελεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπελθὼν ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς φυλακὴν ἕως ἀποδῷ τὸ ὀφειλόµενον.

 

Then the servant fell-down and kept on begging him, saying, to him [his Lord], have patience with me and I will pay you all. (27) Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion [grace] and released him and forgave him the debt [the debt was completely cancelled, pre-salvations sins forgiven]. (28) But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii [twenty dollars analogous to post-salvation sins]. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe’. (29) And his fellow servant fell-down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will pay you all.’ (30) And he would not but went and cast him into prison until he should pay the debt.

 

A believer who would not forgive another believer for he was implacable and vindictive.

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Matthew 18:31-34

 

ἰδόντες οὖν οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτοῦ τὰ γενόµενα ἐλυπήθησαν σφόδρα, καὶ ἐλθόντες διεσάφησαν τῷ κυρίῳ ἑαυτῶν πάντα τὰ γενόµενα. (32) τότε προσκαλεσάµενος αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ λέγει αὐτῷ, ∆οῦλε πονηρέ, πᾶσαν τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἐκείνην ἀφῆκά σοι, ἐπεὶ  παρεκάλεσάς µε· (33) οὐκ ἔδει καὶ σὲ ἐλεῆσαι τὸν σύνδουλόν σου, ὡς κἀγὼ σὲ ἠλέησα; (34) καὶ ὀργισθεὶς ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν τοῖς βασανισταῖς ἕως οὗ ἀποδῷ πᾶν τὸ ὀφειλόµενον.

 

So, when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry. And they came and told their lord all that was done. (32) Then his lord [analogous to God the Father], after he had called him, said to him, ‘O wicked servant [a reversionistic believer], I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.’ (33) Should you not also have compassion on your fellow servant [analogous to a fellow believer], even as I had compassion on you [forgave all your debt analogous to the forgiveness of all pre-salvation sins]? (34) And his lord was angry [analogous to the function of the integrity of the Father] and delivered him to the tormentors [analogous to intensive divine discipline] until he should pay all that was due to him.

 

The vindictive and implacable believer is both under self-induced misery and under divine discipline.

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Matthew 18:35

 

Οὕτως καὶ ὁ πατήρ µου ὁ οὐράνιος ποιήσει ὑµῖν ἐὰν µὴ ἀφῆτε ἕκαστος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν καρδιῶν ὑµῶν.

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So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also to you [disciples], if each one of you from your hearts [souls] do not forgive his brother [forgiveness must be in the soul, not just an expression of the mouth].

 

This should have answered Peter’s question regarding forgiveness. If God the Father forgives us every time we use the Recovery Procedure, then we should be able to forgive others also in grace.