The church has final authority regarding these offenses. By the time the issue is presented, it should be clear what the offending party has done and what he needs to do to correct the situation. If the church's decision is not obeyed in this regard, then the one who committed the offence is to be as a heathen or publican. We must practice the instruction that Jesus gave about personal relationships regardless of our own personal discomforts.
Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:8, "And above all things have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins." When we go to a brother privately and discuss things and resolve them, we have helped to prevent spreading things beyond what should be known publicly. The Holy Spirit calls this love. We should not desire to broadcast every person’s private sin to the world.
Christians may succumb to the same bad attitudes. When we do, we become objects of Jesus’ rebuke. It is easy for us to listen to gossip about others, but we cannot know another person’s heart unless we talk to them and listen to their side of the story. The Bible gives us several principles to ensure that our Christian relationships remain healthy. These are love, patience, long suffering, and brotherly kindness.
In the end, they cause strife and division within the church, all because someone judged another based upon a perception. Many today have been infected with this notion. Is this concept correct? The Bible clearly teaches that it is not. We read in John 7:24: "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment."