Augustine reconciles biblical instructions about correcting sinners, beginning with the contrast between Matthew’s private rebuke and the open reproof commended in Solomon’s proverb. Anger may serve discipline, but hatred is a deeper blindness that harms the person who harbours it; anyone correcting a brother must first remove this “beam” of malice. Fraternal correction seeks to “gain” the sinner, not to satisfy grievance, and harming a fellow Christian is ultimately an offence against Christ.

Reconciliation must precede prayer and offering, while humility is needed to ask forgiveness rather than remain in spiritual ruin. Private sins should normally receive private correction, whereas public offences may require public rebuke; if private efforts fail, witnesses and the Church are involved. Augustine urges public preaching that addresses the congregation generally rather than naming individuals, so that each person examines his conscience. He warns especially against sexual sin, since the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and calls for immediate repentance because death and judgment are uncertain.