Brittany, I you were referring to me, I didn't say to have him charged and arrested. I said that we have laws and law enforcement for a purpose. God had His hand in those laws and uses those leaders. We are to respect our laws because they are there to protect us. God uses manmade things for our benefit. The verse you referenced still applies in some sense, but here's the difference. First, confronting a brother is a good thing in any case. However in certian circumstances because of our society and law, there are legal avenues for the confrontations in extreme circumstances. In the past, the legal authorities were the church which is why they didn't go to a separate entity to confront a brother. Because the church had legal rights to deal with issues, people were punished. When women were stoned for adultery, they were brought to church leaders, convicted, and sentenced. Nowadays, our churches don't have legal authority to punish many crimes. Therefore, we go to police. Going to the police is our part and God can still have mercy there if He pleases. We reap what we sow. What this boy did was wrong, but repentance doesn't prevent the consequences of our behavior. Abraham took Gods promise into his own hands. He realized later he was wrong and repented, but Ishmael was still born. And he was still a beloved son that he was forced to give away. Jonah repented in the belly of a great fish, but he stole had to wait in that belly until he was spewed out. It wasn't immediate.
Paige, I want you to know I'm on your side. Written word is easily misinterpreted communication. You are new, so you have not heard my story. I am not saying at all that you are responding the same way, but I hope you will see it as a possibility.
I was raped and otherwise assaulted for about 8 yrs by my father. This began when I was an infant, and so I was raised thinking very wrong actions were perfectly appropriate. I was only when I was 6 and molested at school that I began to object to my fathers treatment, but he ignore my objections until my mother finally took me seriously about 2 yrs later. However, my whole life I just considered him stupid. I minimized his treatment of me as him being ignorant or me not being clear enough. Over the years, I was molested over and over by family friends mostly. In addition, my mother would take me to drinking an drug infested parties and leave me alone with plastered middle aged men crawling all over me. As a young teenager at that point I didn't realize that it was my moms job to protect me. So I minimized her treatment. She was lonely. She was bored. I just had a scarlet letter so any treatment I got meant I would let the other person off an blame myself. Since it was something about me that drew them, it had to be my fault.
At 17 I was raped. I remember waking up the next day thinking, "what just happened?" I was injured and shamed. My first reaction was, "look at what I did again." But as I realized my injuries were worse than of thought, I got scared. I had just moved to college and as a minor I had to tell a parent. For three days I held it in because I didn't want to face my mother. I reported him and after two weeks of hell, it was over. Nothing happened to him beyond academic probation.
With every perpetrator in my life, I avoided punishing them though they deserved punishment. People reap what they sow and its not our jobs to prevent their reaping. God may have mercy on them, but God chooses that. I'm too nice. I have in the past allowed myself to e run over by people over and over again just because they apologize. My mother is bipolar and schizophrenic, but she was not diagnosed when I was little. She bulldozed me left and right, and I was raised to allow her to because she said sorry. That was not right. As an adult I have learne to draw boundaries with her. I cut off (most) communication with her for several
months. While its been very difficult, she is finally getting help and I am able to talk to her again. But I had to do the "unloving" thing first. I also confronted my father. He disowned me and I got an emergency call 6 months later. He died two days later. But I was able to tell him I forgave him, offer him grace, pray with him, worship over him, and hold his hand while he died. I planned his funeral, wrote his obituary, sang at the funeral, and gave the closing prayer. Had I not confronted him, this healing would not have taken place.
Paige, I understand a lot of the process and the emotions. You're still young and God has given you resiliency. I am 28 yrs old, and I've through this stuff too many times over. God is still doing amazing things. I'm here if you wanna chat.