There is so much content in these few verses. In a society that tends towards tolerance and pursues pluralism, rebuking someone for an error is unheard of. Yet, it is a command. Just as much as loving a neighbor is a command, just as much as loving God is a command, so also is rebuking a brother a command. It is not cultural but it is Christian.
The next line is the command to forgive someone when they err. Rebuking and forgiveness go hand in hand. Rebuking is not done from a position of power but from a position of love, seeking the best for the other who is in error. Forgiveness flows from the same heart.
When it is all said and done, to have corrected another or forgiven them one hundred times means absolutely nothing about my spirituality. I means I am doing what God expects of me. It means I am being like him. It means I should not be held up, glorified or proud of myself. I am simply being what I was created to be.
Rebuke, forgive, stay humble. Three commands to live counter-culturally.
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