If we must speak about a brother’s wrongdoing, we should be restrained and be careful not to exaggerate. Since every brother is precious to the Lord Jesus and is treasured by Him, having been purchased by Him with His blood, a great price (1 Pet. 1:18-19), it is sinful to degrade a brother by criticizing him or by speaking excessively of his wrongdoing.

This judgment reveals God’s love, for in His love for the one who died, God wanted the name of that one to be preserved among the people. Applied spiritually, this judgment also reveals that God wants us to be spiritually productive. On the one hand, we all need to have spiritual children as our successors; on the other hand, we need to help our brothers in the Lord to have spiritual children.

The dishonest practice of having differing weights and measures is a lie and is surely from Satan (John 8:44). In spiritual application, to condemn a certain thing in others while justifying the same thing in ourselves indicates that we have different weights and measures, i.e., different scales — one scale for measuring others and a different scale for measuring ourselves. In the house of God, the church (1 Tim. 3:15), only one scale should be used to weigh everyone. If we have only one scale, we will be fair, righteous, and just, even as God is, and we will keep the oneness and one accord in the church. Cf. Matt. 7:1-5 and notes.