How Jehovah Want Make the Congregation Treat Person Wey Commit Serious Sin

1. Wetin Jehovah want for everybody?

WHEN Jehovah create us, e give us freedom to fit choose. We de make decision everyday. The decision wey dey important pass wey we fit make na to give our life to Jehovah and become part of im family. And na wetin Jehovah want for all of us be that. Why? Because Jehovah love us and want the best for us. E want us to enjoy tight friendship with-am and make we live forever.—Deut. 30:​19, 20; Gal. 6:7, 8.

2. Wetin Jehovah want for people wey commit serious sin and wey never repent? (1 John 2:1)

² But Jehovah no de force anybody to worship-am. E de allow each person to decide wetin e go do. Wetin go happen if Christian wey don baptize commit serious sin? If e no gree repent, them go remove-am from congregation. (1 Cor. 5:13) But even if them remove the person from congregation, Jehovah really want make that person repent and be im friend again. In fact, one of the important reason why Jehovah allow make im son die for us, na to make-am possible for-am to fit forgive people wey repent from their sins. (Read 1 John 2:1.) Jehovah na God wey really love people and e want people wey don commit serious sin to repent.—Zech. 1:3; Rom. 2:4; Jas. 4:8.

3. Wetin we go discuss for this article?

³ Jehovah tell us how e de feel about sin and about the people wey commit serious sin. And e want make we feel the same way. For this article, we go talk about how we fit do this one. As you de read the article, see (1) wetin apostle Paul tell the congregation for Corinth to do when one brother commit serious sin, (2) wetin apostle Paul tell the congregation to do after the man don repent and (3) how Jehovah de feel about Christians wey commit serious sin.

HOW THEM HANDLE SERIOUS SIN FOR THE TIME OF THE APOSTLES

4. Wetin happen for the congregation for Corinth? (1 Corinthians 5:1, 2)

⁴ Read 1 Corinthians 5:1, 2. For apostle Paul third missionary journey, e hear one bad news about the new congregation for Corinth. One brother for the congregation de sleep with im papa wife. That kind behavior de shock person and e “no even dey among people of the nations”! But the congregation be think say e dey okay for the brother wey de commit this kind serious sin to continue to stay for the congregation. E fit be say some of them for that congregation be de think say them de show mercy like Jehovah as them allow-am. But Jehovah no de allow-am make im people de put hand for serious sin. This serious sin wey the brother commit even shock some people wey no de worship Jehovah, sotey them start to talk bad about the congregation. And if e remain for congregation, other brothers and sisters fit start to copy im bad example. So wetin Paul tell the congregation make them do?

5. Wetin Paul tell the congregation make them do, and wetin e mean? (1 Corinthians 5:13) (Still check the picture.)

⁵ Read 1 Corinthians 5:13. Jehovah use im spirit move apostle Paul to write letter to the congregation and explain say make them remove the man from the congregation because e no gree repent. How other Christians for congregation suppose treat the man? Apostle Paul tell them to “stop to mix” with the man. Wetin this one mean? Paul still explain say this command mean say them no go “even chop” with-am. (1 Cor. 5:11) When we sitdown to chop with person, na chance to spend time together and talk. So wetin Paul mean be say make the congregation no just de spend time with-am anyhow. This one go protect the congregation make other people no copy im bad example. (1 Cor. 5:​5-7) Apart from that one, when people no de do things with-am, this one go help the man understand say wetin e do really bad, e fit make-am regret wetin e do and this one fit move-am to repent.

6. Wetin the congregation do when them receive Paul letter and wetin the man wey de commit serious sin do?

⁶ After Paul send this letter to the Christians for Corinth, e start to wonder how the congregation go behave when them receive the letter. E no too tey wey Titus bring better news come. The congregation don follow wetin Paul talk for letter and remove the man from the congregation. (2 Cor. 7:6, 7) Another thing be say, after Paul send the first letter, e no tey wey the man repent! E don change from im ways and start to live im life the way Jehovah want. (2 Cor. 7:​8-11) Wetin be the next thing wey Paul tell the congregation make them do?

HOW APOSTLE PAUL SAY MAKE THE CONGREGATION TREAT THE MAN AFTER E DON REPENT

7. Wetin the man do after them remove-am from congregation? (2 Corinthians 2:​5-8)

⁷ Read 2 Corinthians 2:​5-8. Paul talk say the “correction wey plenty people give dey enough for that kind man.” This one mean say the correction don do im work. Wetin be im work? Na to help the man wey don sin to repent.—Heb. 12:11.

8. Wetin be the next thing wey Paul tell the congregation to do?

⁸ Because the man don repent, Paul tell the elders make them allow the man to come back to the congregation. E still tell them say make them ‘forgive-am with all their heart and comfort-am’ and ‘make them make-am see say them love-am.’ Apostle Paul want make brothers and sisters show the man say them don really forgive-am and say them love-am with wetin them de talk and do. This one go make the man know say the congregation de happy as e come back to Jehovah

9. Wetin fit don make-am hard for some people to forgive the man wey don repent from the serious sin wey e commit?

⁹ E fit be say some brothers and sisters no happy when them first hear say the man wey commit serious sin don be part of the congregation again. Na true say Bible no tell us, but why we think like that? E fit be say some people de vex because wetin e do cause problem for the congregation. And other people wey wetin e do really affect, fit still de feel the pain. And some people for congregation fit de feel say them don really work hard to keep Jehovah command, so e no really make sense for them say them allow this person to come back to the congregation. (Compare Luke 15:​28-30.) But why e dey important for the congregation to show real love for their brother wey don repent?

10-11. Wetin fit happen if the elders no gree forgive the man as e don repent?

¹⁰ Think of wetin fit happen if the elders no gree allow the man wey don repent to come back to the congregation or if after e don come back, the congregation no gree show-am love. This one fit make the man really feel sad and make life tire-am. E fit start to feel say e no fit ever serve Jehovah again. E fit even stop to do im best to make im friendship with Jehovah strong again.

¹¹ The one wey bad pass be say, if the other brothers and sisters for congregation no gree forgive the man wey don repent, this one fit spoil their friendship with Jehovah. Why? E go show say them no de copy Jehovah example, the God wey de forgive sinners wey don repent. Instead, them de copy the example of Satan wey wicked and wey no de show mercy. And them fit allow Satan use them to make the man stop to serve Jehovah.—2 Cor. 2:​10, 11; Eph. 4:27.

12. How the congregation fit copy Jehovah example?

¹² So, how the congregation for Corinth fit show say them de copy Jehovah example no be Satan? Na to treat people wey don repent the way Jehovah de treat them. See wetin some people for Bible talk about Jehovah. David talk say Jehovah “good and [e] ready to forgive.” (Ps. 86:5) Micah write say: “Who be God like you, you wey de forgive sin and de overlook the offence of the ones wey remain among your people? E no go continue to vex forever, e de happy to show love wey no de fail.” (Mic. 7:18) And Isaiah talk say: “Make the wicked person leave im wicked way and make bad person stop to think for bad way. Make e come back to Jehovah, e go pity-am, make e come back to our God, because e go open hand to forgive.”—Isa. 55:7.

13. Why e good to bring the man wey don repent back to the congregation? (Check the box “When Them Bring the Man for Corinth Back to the Congregation?”)

¹³ To copy Jehovah example, the congregation for Corinth need to forgive the man and show say them dey happy say e come back. Paul talk say if them forgive the man wey don repent, this one go show say them “de obey for everything.” (2 Cor. 2:9) Na true say na only few months don pass since them remove the man from congregation, but now e don repent. So need no dey for the elders to delay before them bring the man back to the congregation.

HOW WE FIT COPY JEHOVAH EXAMPLE TO DE JUDGE WELL AND SHOW MERCY

14-15. Wetin we don learn from the way them handle the matter of the man for Corinth? (2 Peter 3:9) (Still check the picture.)

¹⁴ Jehovah allow make them keep the story about how them handle the case of serious sin wey happen for Corinth that time “to teach us” better lesson. (Rom. 15:4) From that story, we learn say Jehovah no de allow people wey commit serious sin and no gree repent to remain for congregation. Some people fit de think say because Jehovah de show mercy, e go allow person wey no gree repent to remain for congregation, but no be so Jehovah de show mercy. Even though say Jehovah de show mercy, e no de accept all kind of behavior. Wetin e talk about wetin dey right and wetin dey wrong no de change. (Jude 4) If Jehovah allow people wey no gree repent for congregation, that one no go show say e de show mercy, because e fit affect the congregation for bad way.—Prov. 13:20; 1 Cor. 15:33.

¹⁵ Even with this one, we learn say Jehovah no like to destroy anybody. Instead, e want save people when e dey possible. E de show mercy to people wey change their bad ways and want be im friend again. (Ezek. 33:11; read 2 Peter 3:9.) So, when the man for Corinth repent and change im life, Jehovah use Paul to explain to the congregation say make them forgive the man and welcome-am back to the congregation.

16. How you de feel about Jehovah after you don learn about the way them treat the man for Corinth?

¹⁶ How them handle wetin happen for the congregation for Corinth show say Jehovah really love us, e dey righteous, and e de judge well. (Ps. 33:5) This one no de move you to praise Jehovah more? We de happy say Jehovah de show mercy because all of us na sinners and we need Jehovah to forgive us. Each of us get plenty reasons to happy say Jehovah send im Son to die for us because this one make-am possible for-am to forgive our sins. E de really make our mind come down to know say Jehovah really love im people and want the best for them!

17. Wetin we go talk about for the next articles?

¹⁷ What about today? If person commit serious sin, how elders for congregation fit copy Jehovah example to show the person love and help-am to repent? Wetin the congregation suppose do when the elders decide to remove person from congregation or when them bring person wey don repent back to the congregation? We go answer this questions for the next articles.