“But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away
from among yourselves that wicked person” (1 Corinthians 5:13).
Paul thus concludes his instructions to the Corinthian church concerning a member guilty of incest. The goal of such excommunication was that the man’s “spirit may be saved” (1 Corinthians 15:5). Ousting such an offender also would keep sin from spreading. In other letters, Paul called for churches to disfellowship or reject members involved in blatant sin. Such extreme action was called for, because, to use the words of Church Father Chrysostom, “This man, if he be let go unpunished..., will corrupt likewise all the rest.”
In keeping with Jesus’ words in Matthew 18, those wishing to bring back wanderers should begin at a personal level. Keep the matter “between thee and him alone.” Jeremy Taylor urged: “Let not your reproof be public and personal: if it be public, it must be in general; if it be personal, it must be in private.” Oftentimes straying sheep can be reclaimed without the wider church ever being aware of a problem. If such a private approach fails, a small delegation can often prompt repentance.
Sometimes, however, when the above measures fail and the sin is blatant and public, the church at large must be involved. James Arminius wrote: “If it [the sin] be known to the whole church, the sinner must be reprehended before all the members; for this practice conduces both to the shame of him who has sinned, and to deter others from sinning after his example.”
When churches engage in such actions, kindness and love should always be forefront. The possibility of legal ramifications must also be considered.
At times, the church has gone to extremes. Basil the Great (A.D. 330–379) taught that a repentant murderer should be “excommunicated from the sacrament for twenty years.” Adulterers, 15 years.
Such extremes aside, oh, the beauty of a repentant soul returning to the flock! Benjamin Randall described Thomas Davise, a member of the Free Will Baptist Church in New Durham, New Hampshire, who was disciplined “for his wayward living.” On June 1, 1799, a heartbroken Davise wrote to his church:
I have brought death upon my own soul!...But glory to God, through the riches of His grace and boundless love and tender mercy extended towards me as one of the worst of backsliders, I have found a place of repentance!...He has softened my heart, and so it is I feel the power of His love in my soul....While I beg for a reunion with you into the fellowship of the faith, for I want to be readmitted into the privileges of the church and know a union with you again my brethren, I pray you my brethren and sisters to overlook and bury all my faults in oblivion. I hereby promise thee in the strength of the Lord to be more circumspect over my conduct and be engaged more in the cause of God, and to be more faithful and obedient to the commands of God.
About the Columnist: Paul V. Harrison has pastored Madison FWB Church in Madison, Alabama since 2015. Previously, he pastored Cross Timbers FWB church in Nashville, Tennessee, for 22 years. He was an adjunct professor at Welch College for 17 years, teaching church history and Greek. Paul is the creator of Classic Sermon Index, a subscription-based online index of over 66,000 sermons, with clients including Harvard, Baylor, and Vanderbilt, among others: classicsermonindex.com.
