Do We Want the Peace and Restoration of Unity and Mutual Forgiveness, or the “Torturers” of Mental Illness?

Our peace, joy and effectiveness are dependent on our unity as shown by forgiveness and the resolution of offenses between us, God takes division and unforgiveness so seriously because it damages all parties to the offense and limits the Body of Christ. When we neglect this, we are given over to the tormentors--guilt, fear, anxiety and mental illness.

     We are responsible to each other to maintain the unity of the Spirit, which requires forgiveness and a proper response to sins and offenses among us   

  God’s forgiveness of our sins, and our restoration from the effects of our sin, are fully realized only through our oneness with each other. They are not, as is commonly supposed, strictly personal matters between each of us individually and God. Numerous scriptures demonstrate this. For instance, in John 20:21-23, on the evening after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples, breathed on them, and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit! If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained.” (vv.22b-23, WEB).  Significantly, in the Greek this is all stated in the second person plural. At the very least, Jesus’ words show that he committed to the original Apostles, the leaders of the early Church, jointly, the Holy Spirit and the authority to release other people from their sins and the concomitant authority to bind them to their sins.

However, this authority was not limited to the Apostles, but was held by the Church and, in a more limited form, by its members individually. Thus, in Matthew 18, Jesus explained the role of other Christians and of the Church, corporately, in restoring the lives of believers caught in sin and in dealing with offenses between believers:

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

Matthew 18:15-20 (NIV).

            Therefore, we are responsible for each other. We are responsible to intervene in each other’s lives to seek restoration from sin and restoration of relationships, and with this responsibility comes authority, the authority to bind and loose, the authority to agree in prayer for each others’ recovery. The context of Matthew 18:18-20 clearly shows that these promises pertain neither to binding and loosing “spirits” that control cities, countries or unpleasant situations in our lives nor to agreeing in prayer for wealth or other things to meet our own desires (as is commonly supposed), but to binding those things which lead to sin in other Christians’ lives and to agreeing in prayer for each others’ cleansing and restoration.

This agrees with James 5:14-16, which teaches that, when one of us is sick, the elders of the church should go to that person, pray over and anoint that person with oil, and give the sick one an opportunity to confess to them the person’s sins—those places in which the person has missed the mark (hamartias)—and those weaknesses or habits (paraptōmata) that predispose the person to do wrong. James then promises that “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”¹ Thus, according to James, the leaders of the church are responsible to go to sick members to seek their restoration, both from their illness and from any sins that may be in their lives. (See the further discussion of these words in James 5:14-16 here).

Galatians 6:1-2 likewise instructs us that, if we see a brother overtaken in a “fault”(KJV) or “trespass” (NASB)—some paraptōmati, some misstep—those who are spiritual should approach him gently and seek to restore him. We have a clear responsibility to seek to bring each other to a place of forgiveness and restoration when one of us is caught in a fault. One of the benefits of unity is that sin in the Body is properly dealt with ordinarily leading to mutual forgiveness and restoration of all involved.

This also agrees with Ephesians 4:1-6, which reminds us that, even though we are, in fact, one in Christ, bound together by his Spirit (verse 4), living out that unity in a sinful world requires effort. We must walk worthily of our calling, showing humility, gentleness, patience and tolerance toward one another. We must “strive” to preserve our unity “in the bond of peace.”

Our peace, joy and effectiveness are dependent on our unity as shown by forgiveness and the resolution of offenses between us

            Exactly as all of this suggests, our peace and joy is dependent on our unity and mutual forgiveness. For instance, in John 14:27 Jesus gives us his peace–a peace that is not like the peace of the world–but this was in the immediate context of his promise to send us the Holy Spirit, John 14:25-26, who binds us together into one body^2,3. Jesus’ promise of his peace was also in the same context as his promise that “in that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you,” John 14:20, making us all one in Jesus and in his Father. It is also stated in the same context as his command to love each other, which is joined with the promise “by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35. They were all tied together by their context.

Joy is also a fruit of oneness–of loving each other and so abiding in the Father’s love.⁴ During his high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus prayed that the Father would keep those who followed him in his Name, so that “that they may be one even as We are” and then explained that he was praying this “so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” John 17:11-13. Recall that peace and joy are both components of the fruit of the Spirit⁵, and that the Spirit makes us one.^5b Likewise, boldness and fruitfulness in our witness and service are also a result of working together in unity.⁶ There are numerous examples of this in Acts.

            For example, the unity of the Church just after Pentecost⁷ set the stage for the miraculous healing of the lame man in Acts 3:1-10—a healing in which Peter and John acted together. That healing, in turn, created an opportunity to be heard,⁸ which Peter seized to great advantage, preaching a sermon⁹ so powerful that 5,000 people were saved even though the preachers were arrested before they could give an altar call.¹⁰ Then when brought to trial, Peter and John stood together again, and Peter preached boldly to the Court, so effectively that the members of the Sanhedrin were “astonished” and “took note that they had been with Jesus.”¹¹

Similarly, though many in Samaria had believed in Christ and been baptized through the preaching of Philip (whose ministry was itself the fruit of unity in the Jerusalem Church, as previously noted), the new believers in Samaria only received the Holy Spirit after the Apostles in Jerusalem agreed to send Peter and John, together, to lay hands on them.¹²

God again used a group of believers acting together to open the door to the Gentiles. Although Peter alone received the vision telling him to go to Cornelius’ house, and the angel only told Cornelius to send for Peter, Peter in fact took some disciples from Joppa with him when he visited Cornelius. He did not go alone.¹³ When Peter preached to those gathered in Cornelius’ house, all who heard his words believed and instantaneously received the Holy Spirit, on that occasion immediately manifested by speaking in tongues. This led directly to the recognition by the brothers who had come with Peter that these Gentiles were true and legitimate believers and that God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.¹⁴ The Joppa disciples who accompanied Peter to Cornelius’ house were, thus, important to his success in two ways—first, because they manifested the willingness of the Church (not just Peter) to reach out to the Gentiles, and, second, as witnesses to the Church (until then entirely Jewish or Samaritan) that God now accepted Gentiles.

            It is also noteworthy that Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, usually traveled with at least one partner, and often with an entourage. Initially, the Holy Spirit told the church in Antioch to send Paul and Barnabas, together, to do the work for which He had called them.¹⁵ Apparently, they left on their first journey with John Mark, although he left them partway through the assignment. However, by that time, Paul had a “company” traveling with him.¹⁶ This seems to have been his normal practice.¹⁷ After Paul and Barnabas came into disagreement about John Mark—a disagreement that was later reconciled (see, 2 Timothy 4:11)—Paul chose Silas as a partner, and not much later added Timothy.¹⁷ Their preaching everywhere they stopped was so effective that their enemies in Thessalonica accused them of turning the world upside down.¹⁸

Everywhere they stopped except Athens, that is. The brothers in Berea escorted Paul to Athens alone, for his own safety.¹⁸ In Athens, Paul first reasoned with the Jews and some of the Greek philosophers in the marketplace¹⁹, and then preached a model sermon to a meeting of the Areopagus.²⁰ Yet only a few believed his message in Athens²¹ and no great church was started there. Athens was the only city in which Paul’s preaching had only mediocre results, and it is also the only city in which he ministered completely alone.

Thus, our peace and joy, and our power in proclaiming Christ, all depend on our efforts to overcome the offenses that arise between us and live out our unity. But, because we have to live it out–or, more correctly, permit Jesus to live it out through us–it is optional. There is an alternative–but it is unpleasant. The alternative is individual and collective impotence–such as we see in the Church today–and the “torturers” that arise from unforgiveness.

Disunity limits brothers and sisters around us, leading to individual loss of effectiveness and to a lack of manifest power in the whole Church. God takes unforgiveness that divides his Body very seriously. In teaching his disciples how to pray, Jesus included the words “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” and followed the prayer with the instruction that, if we forgive men their trespasses, God will also forgive us, but if we do not forgive, God will also not forgive.²² However, it is not just our own attitudes with which we are to be concerned. We are to seek reconciliation whenever we know one of our brothers or sisters is holding something against us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke these hard words:

You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

Matthew 5:21-26.

Thus, God takes unforgiven offenses between us very seriously, and gives each of us the duty to seek reconciliation, whether we are the offender or the offended.

God takes division and unforgiveness so seriously because it damages all parties to the offense and limits the Body of Christ

            Why does God take reconciliation of offenses between us so seriously? One of the major reasons is that unforgiveness damages both parties to the offense and limits the effectiveness of the entire Body. Immediately after Jesus explained to his disciples what they were to do to restore a brother who sinned against them, Peter asked how often he had to forgive his brother, if his brother repeatedly sinned against him and each time repented.²³ Jesus answered that Peter’s forgiveness should be essentially infinite—he should forgive his brother the same offense seventy times seven times.²⁴

Jesus then illustrated his teaching on this matter with the familiar parable of the unforgiving servant. He likened the Kingdom of the Heavens–which, recall, exists all around us–to a king who wished to settle his accounts with his servants.²⁵ A servant who owed an enormous debt begged his master to forgive it, and, like God, the master graciously forgave the whole debt. The servant who had been forgiven the huge debt then went out and found another servant who owed him a small debt—very small indeed in comparison to the debt the master had forgiven—and demanded that the small debt must be paid.

The unforgiving servant refused to forgive his fellow servant the small debt he owed, and here is the detail of the story that is important to our responsibility for each other: he had his fellow servant thrown into prison for the small debt.²⁶ The text does not say that the unforgiving servant held a grudge against the servant who owed him a small debt, and thus imprisoned himself in bitterness. It says that he exercised his legal right to have the other servant thrown in prison for his debt. It is often taught that unforgiveness hurts only the person who refuses to forgive, but this is simply not true. Our unforgiveness hurts the whole Body of Christ. We can restrict each other—figuratively, at least, imprison each other—by holding on to unforgiveness.

            Moreover, as this parable teaches, even God will not release us from this bondage. We must release each other. When the master heard what the unforgiving servant had done, he had that “wicked” servant also thrown into prison and delivered to the “tormentors, till he should pay all that was due.”²⁷ Since the original huge debt had been forgiven, what the unforgiving servant now owed was forgiveness for his fellow servant who owed the small debt. This debt of forgiveness was something that only the unforgiving servant could pay—the master had no right to release the other servant from his debt to the unforgiving servant. The text says nothing about the master releasing the other servant from the debtors’ prison. One of the consequences of our lack of oneness, manifested in unforgiveness, is that we limit each other’s lives and each other’s effectiveness. We keep each other bound in our refusal to forgive. Our unforgiveness injures the whole Body of Christ. That is why God takes it so seriously.

When We Neglect This, We are Given Over to the Tormentors—Guilt, Fear, Anxiety and Mental Illness

            As the parable of the unforgiving servant also implies, when we live in division, when we fail to forgive our brothers, we are given over to the “tormentors.”²⁸ (“Tormentors” is the word used in the KJV; the NASB and NIV use the word “torturers” to similar effect). It is not difficult to understand what some of the “tormentors” are. We see them all around us—in the Church and in our own experience when we hold onto bitterness.

First of all, the person who does not forgive cannot experience forgiveness of his own sins.²⁹ Thus, both guilt over offenses for which we feel we have not been (or cannot be) forgiven and shame regarding characteristics we cannot change are consequences of our unforgiveness. If we understood and exercised God’s forgiveness, we would know that He has forgiven all.

Again, John wrote that there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear, because fear has “torment” (the KJV³⁰ rendering of kolasis) in that it “involves punishment” (the NASB rendering of the same word) and the person that fears has not been perfected in love. The person who keeps the commandment to love their brother has boldness, not fear.³¹

Fear is thus one of the “tormentors” that plagues those who live in disharmony with the Body. Moreover, fear that settles into a pattern is called “anxiety.” We are told more than once in the Scriptures not to be anxious but to give our cares to God.^32,33 However, we cannot give our cares to God if we are estranged from Him by guilt, shame and fear. Anxiety disorders are a separate class of mental illnesses recognized by the medical and psychological professions, and anxiety, guilt and shame are known to cause or trigger many other kinds of mental illnesses. Thus, many of the psychological problems that are so prevalent in the modern Church are nothing but the evidence of disunity. They are the “tormentors” to which we have given ourselves over by clinging to our unforgiveness.

My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.

Matthew 18:35.