Bringing Reproach Upon the Church

[325 words] This is an expression that was commonly used in years past, but is seldom heard today. It refers to someone sinning in such a way and in such a public place or under such circumstances that everyone in the community is aware of it and of the sinner’s membership in the church of Christ. Not all sins fall into this category. A man who regularly loses his temper and yells at his wife in their own home has violated 1 Peter 3:7 and is therefore guilty of sin, but if it’s known only to the two of them, he needs to ask forgiveness only of her and of God. But if he is so loud that the neighbors hear it, or he does it in the grocery store or some other public place, then he not only has caused the entire community (and there are no secrets in…