Matthew 5:24

Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

It is useless to offer worship to God when some brother has been wronged and insulted, until the would-be worshiper shall seek out the one wronged and make amends. Christ's plan of maintaining harmony and fellowship in his church is really quite simple. It is "Go!" Three definite situations are outlined in which it is imperative that the true follower of Christ "go" to his brother. These are: (1) when a brother has aught against such a one (this passage), (2) when such a one has been wronged by a brother (Matthew 18:15-17), and (3) when one shall observe that a brother has been overtaken in any fault (Galatians 6:1). Need it be said that this is the only procedure laid down in God's word for dealing with the sins of a brother? Furthermore, these divinely imposed procedures are applicable to all types of sins and errors brethren may commit. The artificial and unscriptural distinction as to "public" and "private" sins with an implied waiver of God's commanded procedure if the sins are said to be "public," is a gross and sinful perversion of our Lord's teaching. To distinguish sins as "private" or "public" and make the application of God's word depend on man's classification is every whit as sinful as the unwarranted division of faith into "historical" and "saving" varieties, or as the Roman classifications of "mortal" and "venial" sin!

Where is the Scripture that says Matthew 5:34; 18:15 and Galatians 6:1 do not apply to "public" sins? Christ commands his servants to "go" to the brother who is sinned against or who has himself sinned against us, or when the brother has been overtaken in any "fault"! If obeyed, the Scriptures here outlined would prevent the sinful and destructive practice of venting animosities, pronouncing anathemas, shouting corrections, and launching vicious criticisms against one's brothers in Christ through such media as gospel papers, radio programs, and circulatory letters. See more on this under Matthew 18:15.