“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 tax collector.” (Mt. 18:15-17). This scripture Paul must have had in mind when he addressed the responsible brethren in 1 Cor 5, when he pronounced together with them the judgment upon the man according to Lev. 18:8. The man was guilty in a way even unknown to the heathen.

Apparently the elders were not being considered to give counsel, because the apostle rebuked those in the church of Corinth, “If, then, ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church? I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?” (1 Cor. 6:4-5)

In 2 Cor. 2 we are told what happened to a believer who did not listen to one or two witnesses, whose case was being presented to the church. “So that on the contrary ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore, I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ, lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (vv 7-11)

We realise, therefore, it is not the question of pronouncing one another guilty, as we are dealing with forgiveness. Only when God's order is established, a well-pleasing atmosphere is reached in His presence. The law pronounces all of us guilty, the grace declares that we are free. The LORD took all our guilt upon Himself and bore the same unto the cross. There divine forgiveness and reconciliation through the all-sufficient sacrifice of God's divine love took place in Jesus Christ, our LORD. HE brought peace to all who receive and accept Him. If somebody brings up the question of guilt towards another, annuls his own forgiveness. The finished redemption work including the total forgiveness loses its validity because a person does not forgive. In that way enmity and separation walls are being put up. If we hold guilt against somebody else, God holds our guilt against us, because we declare by our deeds the work done for us on Calvary as invalid. In such cases our own self has its way and our thoughts and actions rule over us. For ever is valid what God did in Christ, including the pronouncing of the blessings according to Rom. 4:7-8, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD will not impute sin.”

In Eph. 5, from verse 21, everybody is spoken to. Firstly in general, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God,” after this the women are shown their place and also the men theirs until the climax in the comparison of Christ and the Church for which He offered Himself, “…that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (vv. 26-27)

Perfection in the Bride cannot be reached in a doctrinal realm, but only in the divine love which is the bond of perfection. This divine unity must be achieved, before we can be taken up to meet our Lord. During his lifetime Brother Branham was taken in the spirit into paradise. He saw the white dressed multitude who shouted, “Our precious brother.” Then he heard a tremendous voice saying, “Only perfect love enters here. All you ever loved and all who ever loved you, God has given you.” “Love worketh no ill to its neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. 13:10)

Paul made reference to some of his special experiences and also about his visit to paradise (2 Cor. 12). He already testified in 1 Cor. 2:9, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

The apostle John writes much about this divine love. “…Everyone that loveth him that begot loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.” (1 Jn. 5:1b-2). Only those into whose hearts this redemptive, forgiving divine love which was manifested on Calvary through reconciliation and forgiveness is poured out by the Holy Spirit can truly practise divine love.

The epistles of the apostle John touch the kernel of God's life in the believers. He was the one who admonished us not to love in the manner of Cain who was from the wicked one and had slain his brother. ''My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. … Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. … No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him … If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?” (1 Jn. 3:18; 4:7-20)

“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 tax collector.” (Mt. 18:15-17). This scripture Paul must have had in mind when he addressed the responsible brethren in 1 Cor 5, when he pronounced together with them the judgment upon the man according to Lev. 18:8. The man was guilty in a way even unknown to the heathen.

Apparently the elders were not being considered to give counsel, because the apostle rebuked those in the church of Corinth, “If, then, ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church? I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?” (1 Cor. 6:4-5)

In 2 Cor. 2 we are told what happened to a believer who did not listen to one or two witnesses, whose case was being presented to the church. “So that on the contrary ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore, I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ, lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (vv 7-11)

We realise, therefore, it is not the question of pronouncing one another guilty, as we are dealing with forgiveness. Only when God's order is established, a well-pleasing atmosphere is reached in His presence. The law pronounces all of us guilty, the grace declares that we are free. The LORD took all our guilt upon Himself and bore the same unto the cross. There divine forgiveness and reconciliation through the all-sufficient sacrifice of God's divine love took place in Jesus Christ, our LORD. HE brought peace to all who receive and accept Him. If somebody brings up the question of guilt towards another, annuls his own forgiveness. The finished redemption work including the total forgiveness loses its validity because a person does not forgive. In that way enmity and separation walls are being put up. If we hold guilt against somebody else, God holds our guilt against us, because we declare by our deeds the work done for us on Calvary as invalid. In such cases our own self has its way and our thoughts and actions rule over us. For ever is valid what God did in Christ, including the pronouncing of the blessings according to Rom. 4:7-8, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD will not impute sin.”

In Eph. 5, from verse 21, everybody is spoken to. Firstly in general, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God,” after this the women are shown their place and also the men theirs until the climax in the comparison of Christ and the Church for which He offered Himself, “…that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (vv. 26-27)

Perfection in the Bride cannot be reached in a doctrinal realm, but only in the divine love which is the bond of perfection. This divine unity must be achieved, before we can be taken up to meet our Lord. During his lifetime Brother Branham was taken in the spirit into paradise. He saw the white dressed multitude who shouted, “Our precious brother.” Then he heard a tremendous voice saying, “Only perfect love enters here. All you ever loved and all who ever loved you, God has given you.” “Love worketh no ill to its neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. 13:10)

Paul made reference to some of his special experiences and also about his visit to paradise (2 Cor. 12). He already testified in 1 Cor. 2:9, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

The apostle John writes much about this divine love. “…Everyone that loveth him that begot loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.”  (1 Jn. 5:1b-2). Only those into whose hearts this redemptive, forgiving divine love which was manifested on Calvary through reconciliation and forgiveness is poured out by the Holy Spirit can truly practise divine love.

The epistles of the apostle John touch the kernel of God's life in the believers. He was the one who admonished us not to love in the manner of Cain who was from the wicked one and had slain his brother. ''My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. … Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. … No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him … If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?”  (1 Jn. 3:18; 4:7-20)