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Firstly, the Church - and each individual
follower of Christ - has a responsibility to offer comfort and help to those who are oppressed (by their partner), needy (of
reassurance and protection), weak (due to the constant onslaught of abuse) and in distress.
Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Hebrews 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands
which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in
bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to
do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Proverbs 31:8,9 Speak
up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Ezec 34:4 Jeremiah 22:3
Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out
of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed
innocent blood in this place.
Genesis 42:21 And they said one to another,
We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not
hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
Isaiah 35:3,4 Strengthen ye the weak
hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Say
to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence;
he will come and save you.
Secondly, the Church also has a responsibility to hold the abuser accountable, to admonish him, to judge
(that is, to investigate and discern right from wrong) and to encourage the abuser
to change his/her ways:
Romans 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also
are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
James 5:19,20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert
him;
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall
hide a multitude of sins.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another,
even as also ye do
1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly,
comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
Eph. 5:11-14 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even
to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes
everything visible.
1 Corinthians 6:1-3 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to
law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world
shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much
more things that pertain to this life?
As the above verses indicate, we, today, are encouraged to show a sinning Brother or Sister the error of their ways.
In the Old Testament, those who had the position of being the spiritual guides of the God's people likewise had an obligation
to warn those who were doing wrong of the consequences that would ensue if they did not change their ways. The words are non-compromising:
Ezekiel 3:17-19 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel:
therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die;
and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man
shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from
his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Thirdly, the manner in which the abuser is to be admonished (i.e. the spirit
in which to approach him/her) is also spelled out for us Not one of us is perfect - our aim is not to condemn the person -
whom Christ has called - but to condemn the actions, and try to encourage recognition of the sin, repentance and a change
in ways:
2 Thessalonians 3:15 Yet count him not
as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Galatians 6:1 Brethren,
if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted.
Luke 15:7 I say
unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons,
which need no repentance.
Note: in
all our dealings and communication with someone who has sinned, with an abuser in this instance, we have to remember that
the aim is ALWAYS to try to seek a change of heart and ways in them. Hence it is also our duty to continuously encourage the
abuser to face up to his personal responsibility, to repent and to seek forgiveness, and thereby be healed. Unrepentant, they
are as the lost sheep in Christ's parable:
Matthew 18:12-14 How think ye? if a man
have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains,
and seeketh that which is gone astray?
And
if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not
astray.
Even so it is not the will
of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Jesus laid out a clear and simple procedure to follow in the event of dealing
with an erring brother or sister:
Mat. 18:15-17 Moreover if thy brother
shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained
thy brother.
But if he will not hear
thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell
it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Those, who after several admonishings still stubbornly refuse to change
their ways, are to be 'marked' or 'put away' - they are to be 'shamed' to the end that they realize the seriousness of their
sin and repent:
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
2 Thessalonians 3:6
2 Thessalonians 3:14,15
The abused
person has a responsibility to prepare a safety plan and is Biblical Exhorted to do so
A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
–Proverbs
22:3
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