"This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him." -2 Cor 2:6-8
Church discipline isn't a fun thing to address. But it was never intended to be a joyous thing but a sorrowful one, especially when the person in sin is unwilling to repent. Paul cautions believers not to keep company with or have fellowship with a person who claims to be a Christian but is living in willful disobedience. (1 Cor 5:11-13) I once used this illustration to better explain church discipline and excommunication i.e. kicking someone out of the church; You know when you have a dish sponge in your kitchen sink that is still good but it starts to stink? It stinks up your hands when you use it, and it even leaves a subtle odor in your kitchen, and sometimes it stays in the clean plates. To remove the smell some wash it with soap and hot water but it really doesn't do any good, others put it in a bowl with Lemon or orange juice and nuke it in the microwave but that never fully works either. However if you take the sponge outside and leave it under the hot sun for a couple days you will not only get rid of the bad odor but you will get to the source of the smell too i.e. the bacteria. It is believed that the sun's UV rays kill the bacteria and thus the smell in the sponge disappears. Church discipline is sorta like that you can try to ignore it, but you know it's still there and it can begin to rub off on the rest of the body. You can try to wash them with the water of the word, or nuke them with a strong warning of exhortation, but ultimately if none of that works you gotta put them out in the heat of the "Son" and allow them to deal with the consequences of their sin, in hopes that they feel the burn, let go of it and be restored back into the body.
No it's not a fun or a comfortable thing to do but it's the right thing to do if we are going to be as Paul says "obedient in all things." (2 Cor 2:9)
With that being said excommunication isn't about condemnation but restoration. The church isn't about pushing people away but about restoring them back into the fellowship after they repent.
The Corinthians were obedient in addressing the sin of an incestuous man, but they were to also be obedient in restoring him back with much love after he repented. Our job as a church is to continuously reaffirm our love for others especially those who have backslidden or fallen for a time. The goal is ultimately to have a mutual joy as we work together in the body for Jesus. But if we refuse to forgive someone, avoid fellowship with them, or have conditions attached to our love we are being partially obedient and don't understand the meaning of restoration.
No it's not a fun or a comfortable thing to do but it's the right thing to do if we are going to be as Paul says "obedient in all things." (2 Cor 2:9)
With that being said excommunication isn't about condemnation but restoration. The church isn't about pushing people away but about restoring them back into the fellowship after they repent.
The Corinthians were obedient in addressing the sin of an incestuous man, but they were to also be obedient in restoring him back with much love after he repented. Our job as a church is to continuously reaffirm our love for others especially those who have backslidden or fallen for a time. The goal is ultimately to have a mutual joy as we work together in the body for Jesus. But if we refuse to forgive someone, avoid fellowship with them, or have conditions attached to our love we are being partially obedient and don't understand the meaning of restoration.
- WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRACTICING SIN, SINS OF OMISSION AND SINS OF COMMISSION?
- "discipline glorifies Christ, protects the church, and restores Christians." -Albert G.