Purge the Evil from your Midst

After unpacking the text of 1 Corinthians 5 we were faced with the unavoidable instructions on how a church is to deal with a member who refuses to repent of their sin. The order is very simple- to expel the immoral brother. Such an approach is highly unpopular today but we cannot determine our churches policies based on what is popular, but on what God says. After all it is his church. We only touched on some of the aspects of biblical church discipline, however there is much more to be said. Here are a few more ideas to chew on and think about in regard to how we approach the subject.

1- Biblical Church discipline is based primarily on the instructions of Jesus in Matt. 18:15-20 and the instructions of Paul in 1 Cor. 5. When comparing the two passages we learn that the church has a responsibility to keep each other accountable to one another. But how do we know what church we are accountable to? In the early church there weren't any options- you were saved and automatically added to the local church and became a member. But in our day, many people come to faith in Christ but refuse to covenant with a local church. With so many churches and denominations in our day, the only we we can be held accountable to the church is through church membership. It is by church membership that we identify ourselves with Christ through covenanting with a local church body Acts 5:13, where it says, "No one dared join the church." What does it mean to join? What about the headcounts in Acts? 3000, 5000, etc.How were these headcounts taken unless there was membership roll?

But more implicitly- how can you be removed from the church if you are not part of it to begin with?

2: Excommunication is the final step in biblical church discipline. Through a series of steps the church works hard to restore the offender. It is only when the church has exhausted itself that excommunication is absolutely necessary. Have you seen extremes in carrying this step out? Have you seen churches that tolerate gross sin in the church without penalty? If so what were the ramifications? Have you seen a church abuse its authority and expel members for the slightest infraction without any chance? What are the ramifications of that? Have you ever been expelled from the church or have you ever known anyone who has been expelled? If so what was the experience like?

3: When Paul talked about handing the person over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, my analysis of the text brought me to the understanding that when someone sins against God they forfeit the blessings and protective grace of God found in the church. While some churches fail to excommunicate a person for gross sin for whatever reason, does this person still experience the grace of God as a member of the local church? What about people who withdraw or leave the church church of their own volition because they are in rebellion? What bout people who have church membership and have secret hidden sin? I believe God hands them over to Satan. I have seen enough people who fall into other categories that God has handed over to Satan and allowed the evil one to do a number on them. What about you? Have you ever seen or experienced this?