REBUKING! Is it Biblical?

As Christians we are called to follow the full counsel of God as found in His word.I believe each sincere individual strives to follow God fully despite our humanity. One aspect found in God’s word, that I was prompted to study more, is the subject of rebuking.  Below are gleanings I got from the study of the word rebuke. 

Since this is a biblical study, below is one of the definitions of the word rebuke:

The Greek word is e˙piti÷mhson which has this meaning: “to rebuke — in order to curb one’s ferocity or violence.” “to tax upon, i.e. censure or admonish; by implication, forbid: — (straitly) charge, rebuke.”

Now that we know this definition, more will follow, let’s examine some verses that use the word rebuke. 

Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”

Here we read Jesus calling for his believer to rebuke a “brother” who has offended him. Interesting to note is that the rebuke may or may not illicit the brother’s repentance. Yet the implication is that you should rebuke someone simply because he has sinned against you—sin being the operative word.  The need for rebuke is not dependent on the outcome expected.  (Although in Matthew 18, there is a stated desired result—the regaining of an injured relationship.) Rather, the rebuke is to “curb/forbid” or declare a boundary—declaring that a brother cannot continue to sin against you without response.

(The danger in this verse is in someone using the injunction to rebuke when no sin is involved, but simply an offense caused by misunderstanding or need for training.  Our first line of action must always be that of differentiating between sin and mistakes/misunderstandings between you and your ‘brother.’  A high percentage of offenses seen are not due to sin, but to misunderstanding another’s words or action—and then someone jumping to wrong conclusions.  No rebuke is needed in that case—only clarification and explanation to renew trust that may have been lost.)

With that understood, if sin is the cause of the offense, the attitude that…

“I am not going to say anything because it won’t change his or her mind,” will not be beneficial to either party.

I may at times need to rebuke another to stop him from continuing to sin against me.  But my goal is not to protect my feelings, but to protect the relationship, regain unity, and protect the brother from sin.  However if my brother repents I am commanded to forgive him.  Both the call to rebuke and to forgive is given to us as a command by Jesus Himself.  We move on to our next verse.

1 Tim 5:1  “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers.” 

The word translated rebuke in this verse is different and adds the nuance of not doing so “sharply” when it comes to those advanced in years. This rebuke is:

“To be very tender in rebuking elders--elders in age, elders by office. Respect must be had to the dignity of their years and place, and therefore they must not be rebuked sharply nor magisterially;”

    By implication it also includes the other groups mentioned in the verse. Therefore the key to appropriate rebuke (or correction) is in understanding the nature of the offense.  If rebellious, sharp rebuke; if an offense of ignorance, simply correcting with all gentleness may suffice.

Nevertheless there is still implied a call to rebuke if the nuance added is taken into consideration, just not sharply. However the ideal and preferred would be exhortation.

1 Tim 5:20  “Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.”

Now the word for rebuke here adds still another meaning:

“But e˙le÷gcein is a much more pregnant word; it is so to rebuke another, with such effectual wielding of the victorious arms of the truth, as to bring him, if not always to a confession, yet at least to a conviction, of his sin (Job v. 17; Prov. xix. 25), just as in juristic Greek, e˙le÷gcein is not merely to reply to, but to refute, an opponent.” 

In the context of the chapter this is calling for an open rebuke of church elders who are sinning. I know people who would venture that this type of rebuke would be unbiblical, and yet here it is in the Bible. 

The reason for the rebuke is two fold: (1) to convict the individual of sin and (2) to make others know that they too will be not get away with sinning.

2 Tim 4:2   “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 

This rebuke is just like the first one we saw in Luke 17:3 where the rebuke is given mainly to set boundaries for the sinner. Conviction may or may not come.  Nevertheless the rebuke has to be given. These rebukes have to have Biblical principles behind them— hence inclusion of the phrase, “preach the word.”

What is scary is that in this context we have to be always ready to give a rebuke or hear one, ouch!

Titus 1:13 “This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,” 

In the context of this verse the word rebuke is the same as found in 1 Tim 5:20. It is to rebuke sharply in order to help convict the individuals of their sin.  If you read the context correctly you will notice this rebuke is to prevent people who claim to be in a relationship with God from influencing others toward their heresies—to prevent them from teaching false doctrines within the church.    We notice here again (according to the context) that the sharp rebuke is for the insubordinate—the idle talkers and deceivers, the dishonest ones, abominable and disobedient.  These cannot be reclaimed by gentle exhortation.  The purpose of open rebuke to the rebellious seems not so much for the ones being rebuked as it is for ones listening in, the whole church, to warn them of the sins condemned, and to separate their sympathies from the ones rebuked.

Titus 2:15 ¶ “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.” 

This too has the same meaning of both 1 Tim 5:20 & Titus 1:13.   Paul is giving Timothy the encouragement to be faithful to task of calling others to the purity of the gospel.

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF REBUKES: 

Acts 13:10 “and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” 

Read the words of above, spoken today, many would think they are “too harsh” or “un-Christ like” however they were used by the apostle Paul. They were spoken to someone whom he hardly knew, if he knew him at all. Furthermore the individual was not even a church member; he was outside the body of believers. What warranted the words? The individual was perverting the gospel.  God calls believers to guard the gospel truth as most precious. That constitutes a Godly rebuke:

“There are those who think that a Spirit-filled Christian will show only the relatively passive “fruit of the Spirit” catalogued by Paul in Gal. 5:22, 23. But the Spirit also leads His messengers to identify and define sin frankly, and to condemn it in clear terms. The Spirit-filled Paul did this very thing in the case of Elymas.”

  Of course, one of the descriptions of the fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness—which is demonstrated in those who are willing to rebuke as necessary.

Acts 2:23  “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;” 

Peter declares the truth to his listeners however unpleasant it might be. He is direct and precise. This type of precision would be frowned upon today, but why? Has man’s inner heart become better? People are still potentially as wicked now as the people who crucified Jesus.

Acts 7:51, 52  ¶ “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,”

Some observations: (1) Stephen knew they were not going to listen to him. (2) How did he know they resist the Holy Spirit?  Because of their habitual actions   (3) He even rightly accused their heritage because their spirit showed they shared the same father.

Acts 8:20-23  “But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 

For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” 

Some observations: (1) actions do give us insights into the heart. (2) God’s gifts cannot be purchased; hence it is by grace alone.  (3) You CAN recognize and call someone’s actions “wickedness.”  (4) You can recognize in others a “bitter/poison filled, heart/attitude who is bound by sin.”  We have not condemned the person, but that which is controlling the person. 

Acts 16:16-18  “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.”

 "But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour." But, you say, she spoke good words, and why should Paul rebuke her? It was Satan speaking through her, hoping to mingle his sophistry with the truths taught by those who were proclaiming the Word of God.”

  

It is important that he who speaks the gospel lives the gospel, otherwise the influence is ultimately for evil.

“The same danger exists today. The enemy is trying to bring in his sophistry through those who ought to be on their knees before God, praying for an understanding of what saith the Scriptures, that they may stand against the evil influences that fill the world. God desires scientific sophistry to be purged from every heart. He desires us to rebuke every evil devising, every evil work. If we allow such devising to go un-rebuked, we shall have to suffer the consequences. . . . God wants us to go to Him for light, and to carry His presence with us wherever we go. . . .”

  

Nevertheless a word of caution:

There are individuals who rebuke and harshly correct when only recommendations, guidance, and assistance in understanding are what is needed.  It takes grace and patience to know the difference.  In bringing correction to the non-rebellious, we must always remember the gentleness of Jesus.  The rebellious person is the one in need of a sharp rebuke.  May God help us to know the difference.

In conclusion: Rebuking is Biblical and yet it is certainly a lost art. This lack of rebuke is much of what is hindering the church today. No one is willing to call sin by its name, and this is blunting our witness to the world.  May God help each one of us to live authentic, Biblically-centered lives for His glory and honor.