In the case you ask, the person stated that they had committed fornication shortly before the wedding. From that, I concluded that there was no direct evidence that the sin occurred because the child conceived would have come about nine months later. Therefore, this wasn’t a matter of a sin that was publicly known. It was their own guilt that led them to talk to the elders about their sin.<\/p>\n
The elders correctly stated that there was no reason to bring up a sin that generally wasn’t known just to tell people that it was forgiven. This was a case where it was proper to bury a past sin that was repented of.<\/p>\n
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and\u00a0cover a multitude of sins<\/strong><\/em>” (James 5:19-20).<\/p>\n“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins<\/em>” (Proverbs 10:12).<\/p>\n“He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends<\/em>” (Proverbs 17:9).<\/p><\/blockquote>\nIt was this last proverb which this woman was directly violating. Perhaps you are wondering how this woman found out if it was not generally known. I found out later that she was one of the elder’s wives and was undermining her husband and the elders’ authority by going behind their backs because she disagreed with their conclusion. Worse, she went to the couple’s friends instead of the couple directly. It is she who was in sin in this situation.<\/p>\n
In regards to this young couple, the matter is simply addressed if anyone ever asked about the sin. It was a private sin which after it was repented of and forgiven was made more generally known by a gossiper. The couple needs only to say that they repented of that sin. A brother or sister ought to accept their word on that matter. If they need further confirmation the couple could direct them to the elders. If someone brings the matter to the elders instead of the couple, they too can confirm that it was handled and repented of and there is no need for concern. Anyone bringing up the matter to any other member of the congregation is involved in gossiping and it is that sin that needs to be addressed.<\/p>\n
“A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter<\/em>” (Proverbs 11:13).<\/p>\n“Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not disclose the secret to another; lest he who hears it expose your shame, and your reputation be ruined<\/em>” (Proverbs 25:9-10).<\/p><\/blockquote>\nTo say that this couple needs to publicly confess to a sin that had been forgiven because of a malicious gossip is giving the gossip the upper hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Hello! I have a question about an article that I have recently found. I am a Christian and grew up in the church always believing you “need to let the congregation know you have repented of your public sins” by going forward. In the article “Does sin require a public confession before a congregation?”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[51,1573],"class_list":["post-21276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-confession","tag-gossip"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20087,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-sin-require-a-public-confession-before-a-congregation\/","url_meta":{"origin":21276,"position":0},"title":"Does sin require a public confession before a congregation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: It is with great difficulty that I find myself writing to you with this question. I have been married for about several months now.\u00a0 Shortly before the wedding, we made a grievous error and fell into sexual sins.\u00a0 A child was conceived from this sin.\u00a0 We are overjoyed over\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21733,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-detailed-does-a-confession-of-sin-have-to-be\/","url_meta":{"origin":21276,"position":1},"title":"How detailed does a confession of sin have to be?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How detailed does a confession of sin have to be? Do you need to list out all that you've done wrong? Answer: First, we need to remind ourselves what is the purpose of confession. Confessing our sins means we are facing up to the fact that we were in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49865,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-got-pregnant-from-fornication-i-repented-of-it-but-does-it-need-to-be-confessed-before-the-entire-congregation\/","url_meta":{"origin":21276,"position":2},"title":"I got pregnant from fornication. I repented of it, but does it need to be confessed before the entire congregation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi. I recently wrote concerning confession of sin. I wrote a letter confessing my sin of fornication that resulted in pregnancy to the church elders. They called a meeting with me to discuss the letter. I was instructed to turn to James 5:16 in which they interpreted to me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31379,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-a-single-person-is-aware-of-sin-then-sin-must-be-publicly-confessed\/","url_meta":{"origin":21276,"position":3},"title":"If a single person is aware of sin then sin must be publicly confessed!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Regarding your expose' as to your opinion of the couple who engaged in pre-marital sex, I couldn't disagree more with your summation that there was no need to publicly confess. One of your errors is to suggest that the act(s) occurred so closely to vows being exchanged that it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41831,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-many-people-know-that-someone-was-looking-at-pornography-is-that-a-public-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":21276,"position":4},"title":"If many people know that someone was looking at pornography, is that a public sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a member of the Lord's church. Would, or could, the sin of viewing pornography be considered a public sin if the person who was guilty was another gospel preacher who had done so over the entire period he served at his congregation, and others in that congregation,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50811,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-sexual-touching-a-public-or-private-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":21276,"position":5},"title":"Is sexual touching a public or private sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: This is a situation involving a Christian man and a woman. I have several questions. The man is married and his wife is still living. The woman's husband has passed away. and she is now single. As friends, they became close. At times they have embraced each other. 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