5 Ways to Call Out Something That You Know Is Wrong

1. Address the Person One-On-One

The Lord is clear on matters of pointing out things that we know are wrong. Jesus tells us, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15). From what the Lord says here, we are to address the person one-on-one. Instead of bringing many people into the mix, we need to first talk with them individually.

The hope is that they will listen to you and they will stop doing their bad behavior. If this is what happens when you address someone for their incorrect actions, know that you have won them over. It is a beautiful thing when a believer can point out a sin and help the other believer turn away from the sin. Sometimes we can be blinded to our own sins, errors, and wrongdoings. 

This is why we need other people in our life to point out our faults. In the same way, we need to point out evil and sin when we see it. We don’t need to sit idle and say nothing. Instead, we need to speak up and call out individuals when we see them doing something wrong. Genuine love for someone else would stir us to speak up and say something.

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2. If They Don’t Listen, Bring Them Before Other Believers

Jesus tells us that if the person will not listen to us when we talk to them individually, that we must bring them before other believers. He says, “But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses’” (Matthew 18:16). As Jesus tells us, we are to take the person who is doing the wrong before one or two other believers. 

By doing this, the person will be convicted of their sin in a more serious sense. Once again, the hope here is that the person will see the error of his or her ways and choose to repent of the sin. In other words, they will stop doing the wrong behavior. If the person listens to you along with the other believers, you have won the person over. However, if they still do not listen, the Lord gives us further instructions.

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3. Take the Matter before the Church

If the person still does not listen, we are told by the Lord to bring the individual before the church, “If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). Just as the Lord tells us, if the person still refuses to even listen to the church, they should be treated as a pagan or a tax collector. While some might feel this is too severe, it is not. Sin is horrible and we should not endorse any sinful practices within the body of believers.

Jesus warns us to place this person out of the church because they will start to influence others in the church. Rather than the bad apple following the example of the good apple, they will begin to rot the entire barrel. This is true not only for us as school children, but also in our adult life. We do not need to promote or endorse sinful actions. 

If we don’t stand up for God, we will become one with the world. It is not beneficial to accept the sinful practices of the world. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit inside of us and call out sinful behavior when we see them. It is more important to try to turn people from the errors of their way rather than trying to make them like us. Sinful practices are never to be accepted or seen as “no big deal” within the church.

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4. Point out the Truth of the Bible

If the individual chooses to continue on in their wrong behavior, we can still choose to point out the truth of the Bible to them. Even though they might not be willing to listen, we still need to share the truth of the Gospel with them and the severity of sin. If the person is a Christian, they probably have already been convicted by the Holy Spirit, but they are ignoring Him. This is dangerous as it can cause them to become callous to the Holy Spirit. 

In this scenario, we need to pray for them and ask God to bring their heart back to Him. In our own abilities, we also need to continue pointing out the truth of the Bible to them even if they don’t listen. If the person is not a Christian, we can use it as a chance to share the Gospel. It could be they are already convicted of their wrong behavior and are desperately looking for forgiveness. 

If this is true, then you have the perfect opportunity to share how Jesus died for their sins and that through placing faith in Him, they can receive forgiveness, salvation, redemption, and eternal life (John 3:16-17). This alone might help the unbeliever come to know Jesus and turn away from their wrong practices. We never need to shy away from sharing the Gospel with all people, whether they are unbelievers or believers.

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5. Find Someone Who Might Be Closer & Influential on Them

Lastly, a way to call out something that you know is wrong is to bring someone to them who is a closer person to them and has an influence on their lives. This could be a parent, a best friend, a partner, or a sibling. A person such as this will be able to help the person see the severity of their sin. The hope and prayer here is that they will listen to the closer, influential person in their life because they value their opinion.

As an example, if a man is struggling with the wrong and sinful action of profanity, then maybe his mother or father could be an influential person in his life, who can help them know that their action is wrong. While this might not always work, it is something that could help many people. Sometimes simply having a more influential person to address a concern can make the person who is doing the wrong behavior feel remorseful over their sinful actions and cease participating in them.

A closer person to them would also be able to hold them accountable for their actions in the future. This is especially true if the person is a parent or a sibling. While it would be nice if everyone would listen to a fellow believer, it does not always work this way. Sometimes, we have to bring someone into the mix who will have a better chance at making them see the severity of their wrong behavior.  

Calling out others for their wrong behavior is hard, but it isn’t impossible. God can strengthen us and give us the bravery to speak out against sin. A few ways we can call out something that we know is wrong is to address the person one-on-one, to bring them before other believers, to bring them before the church, to point out the truth of the Bible, and to find someone who might be closer and more influential on them to help the person see the severity of their actions and behavior.

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