The New Testament contains many passages that clearly show the limited nature of Christian fellowship. Consider a few examples:
“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17).
“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans 16:17).
Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11).
“In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:4-5).
“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11).
Two things become apparent as these verses are considered: 1) God does not accept every individual. Some, because of their own actions (sin), are not worthy of His fellowship. 2) God expects us to reject at least some of these who are unacceptable to Him. As such, it is incumbent upon us to determine who it is that God calls us to reject. Or, stated more practically, what are the factors that determine the limits of Christian fellowship.
The Problem of Sin
You may notice that in all of the above scriptures those who are to be rejected are guilty of sin. They have sinned against a brother, fomented strife, committed immoral acts or taught false doctrine. Because of their sin, they were to be ostracized. This fact intimates that prior to this sin, these ostracized individuals were Christians in good standing with God and their brethren. At first glance this might be confusing. We are to treat those in sin, who are not Christians, differently than we do those in sin, who are Christians. This seems counterintuitive. However, there is a real and good reason behind the distinction we make. Simply put, it is the salvation of the souls of men.
Mankind’s salvation is the purpose behind Jesus’ incarnation. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). Jesus came to earth and died on the cross to save the souls of men. Further, His gospel is proclaimed as the means by which salvation is obtained (cf. Romans 1:16). Therefore, it is our responsibility as the elect to share that gospel with the lost. That was Paul’s motive when he proclaimed, “So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also” (Romans 1:15). We desire to save their souls. So, we go to them, and we try to teach them. But, we are not to have fellowship with them! Mere association or contact is not fellowship!
Consider the warning of Paul:
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.’ I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty’” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
In the case of those who are not Christians, the lack of communion or fellowship does not mean a lack of association. We live in the world, and as such, we come into contact with those lost in sin every day. Our employer, employees, grocer, mailman, mayor, senator, neighbor and classmate often are not Christians. If we leave our home, we are bound to come into contact with the “many”, as there are “few” of us who are faithful to God, (cf. Matthew 7:13-14).
The apostle Paul dealt with this reality, and made a distinction between association with those outside of the body of Christ, and association with those in sin who are Christians. He did this in 1 Corinthians 5. The Corinthians were retaining fellowship with a sexually immoral man. This was a violation of instructions Paul had previously given. In response he reminded them, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people” (vs. 9). Here he clarifies his previous admonition:
“Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person’” (1 Corinthians 5:10-13).
Do you see the difference? While association with the non-Christian is not fellowship, association with the Christian is! So, if we keep company with a Christian who persists in sin, we judge him as acceptable when God says he is not! Instead, Paul admonishes us to “put away from yourselves the evil person” (vs. 13). Further, if we accept him the apostle John says we share “in his evil deeds” (2 John 11).
It has to do with endorsement. When we associate with those in the world, we do so because it is a necessary aspect of our living in the world. Even the worldly know that we do not endorse their lifestyle, and they consider us strange when we “do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation” (1 Peter 4:4). However, when we accept another Christian, eating with him and receiving him into our house, we are endorsing him!
Let me illustrate this with an all too common scenario. A man who teaches error on a particular issue is invited to come and hold a meeting with a congregation that does not accept his error. The invitation is extended with the provision that he not teach on that subject. The congregation admittedly does not endorse the error. However, the problem is that by having him come and preach for them, they are endorsing the man! He does not “abide in the doctrine of Christ.” As such, he “does not have God.” Because of this, if they “receive him” into their houses or “greet him” they are sharing “in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11).
The point is simple. Sin separates the Christian from his God. If a man forfeits his standing with God, he is not to be received by God’s people. To do so would constitute endorsement, and fellowship in error or sin. This we can not do, for several reasons.
- If we do, we embolden the sinner to continue his practice.
- If we do, we tolerate the leavening influence that sin brings among God’s people (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7).
- If we do, we exhibit pride before God, who demands that we discipline the unruly (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:2,6)
- If we do, we risk being carried away by the error of the false teacher (cf. Galatians 1:6-7)
The Problem of Judging
A common objection raised to the idea of judging and disciplining the sinning Christian is rooted in the idea of judging itself. In our society the idea of being judgmental regarding the behavior or beliefs of another is repugnant. About the only thing that is not tolerated is being intolerant! And of course, that influence has been felt among God’s people as well. Some have used Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:1-5 to bolster their views on the matter:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Consider, however, that Jesus’ admonition is not an outright prohibition against judging. Rather, it is a condemnation of unrighteous judging, and hypocrisy. We must be careful in our admonitions of others for the following reasons: 1) If we judge others by an unrighteous standard, the same standard will be used to judge us. The only fair standard to use is God’s word. If a man has conformed himself to God’s will, we must not require anything more or different from him. 2) If we judge another when we ourselves are guilty of unrepentant sin, we are guilty of hypocrisy! This was true of the Jewish reader of Romans 2, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (vs. 1). The man Paul had in mind had a “hard and impenitent heart” and as such was “treasuring up for [him]–self wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (vs. 5). Interestingly, Paul himself judged both the pagan in Romans 1, and the Jew in Romans 2, and did so without guilt. He judged by God’s standard, and as a righteous man, his judgment was not tainted by hypocrisy.
In fact, judgment is required of a child of God, especially with regard to his brother in Christ. This is Paul’s conclusion in 1 Corinthians 5, regarding his command that the Corinthians put out the immoral man. “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person’” (1 Corinthians 5:11-13). We let God judge those in the world, but it is required of us to exercise judgment upon the one in our midst who is guilty of evil.
We judge the Christian to save his soul. Paul said that the man was to be delivered to Satan “for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:5). A careful reading of 2 Corinthians 2:3-11 reveals that the effort produced repentance and the restoration of the man who had been put out. James wrote, “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). Ultimately, judgment rendered with humility and gentleness (cf. Galatians 6:1), leads to the restoration of the one whose conscience is pierced by the action.
The Problem of Perfection
Another objection raised concerns the realization we are all guilty of sin. We are imperfect vessels. As the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, we all on occasion “do not do the things that [we] wish” (Galatians 5:17). Further, we recognize the sublime nature of God’s revelation to man. While we ostensibly strive to come to perfection (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17), we realize that we do not understand the word of God perfectly. Because of their own imperfections, some balk at expressing judgment on another. Further, they hear that those in sin must be put out, and they imagine such discipline to be wielded like a horrible axe, destined to fall immediately and inexorably upon any poor soul who steps out of line.
The truth is that such discipline is not to be practiced upon the merely imperfect, but upon the impenitent! John has promised us when we sin, that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The man who repents is accepted of God, so there is no need for any discipline to be practiced against him.
Likewise, the act of putting out, or withdrawing ourselves from an impenitent sinner, is the last step of a process. If at any point in the process a man comes to repentance, there will be no need for further action against him. The man who sinned against his brother, as recorded in Matthew 18, was not immediately censored. It was only when he rejected his brother’s overture, and then that of two or three others that he was brought before the church. Even then expulsion was not indicated until he refused “to hear the church” (cf. Matthew 18:17). The divisive man (Titus 3) was not to be rejected until he refused to heed the second admonition. It is obvious that longsuffering and patience is needed when dealing with the recalcitrant, (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15), but deal with him we must!
But what about imperfect knowledge? First, the importance of growing in knowledge must be emphasized. Ignorance makes a Christian vulnerable. The ignorant are described by the apostle Paul as “children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14). Those who are babes in Christ are to desire “the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Those who are ignorant because of apathy are admonished (and condemned if they continue in that apathy), and are in danger of falling away (cf. Hebrews 5:12 – 6:8). It is obvious from the passages that having less than a perfect understanding of God’s word is not, in and of itself, sin.
Some knowledge is required for an individual to become a child of God. We must know God. “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:34). That knowledge includes an understanding of Jesus (cf. Acts 8:35), and what Jesus requires of us to be saved (cf. Acts 8:36-38). Beyond that, the Christian begins his walk ignorant of many truths contained in His will, hopefully to begin study immediately that he might be “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Having said that, there is a difference between lacking perfect knowledge and advocating error. Those who express false teaching, whether publically or privately, influence others. James wrote, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). In this James is not seeking to discourage the work of teaching, but to admonition his readers to great care. It is an awesome responsibility to teach God’s word. Each time you open your mouth you may either influence a soul to call upon the name of the Lord to his salvation (Romans 10:13-15) or to overthrow his faith (cf. 2 Timothy 2:16-18). This admonition should be carefully considered by any man or woman before they teach another. As teachers we are not to speculate. It is not our place to preach our doubts, or to weigh in on matters we ourselves do not understand. To do so is to invite confusion at the least, and to contribute error at the worst. When we preach and teach others, we must limit ourselves to those things we know constitute the doctrine of Christ.
The Holy Spirit clearly condemns the false teacher. “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly being in destructive heresies, even denying the lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). You notice here that the teaching need not be public, in fact it is the common practice of errorists to do their work secretly. “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Some seek a distinction between those who press their agenda publicly, and those who simply speak of them in private. It is obvious that no such distinction exists in God’s mind. In fact, by its nature the private propagation of false doctrine is often the most destructive. The apostle Paul wrote of “false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage)” (Galatians 2:4).
In the face of such error, the Christian is to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). The elder is to “convict those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). Brethren are to “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). This avoidance of the one who “transgressed and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ” includes the previously emphasized admonition “do not receive him into your house nor greet him” (2 John 9-11).
These verses do not refer to an individual’s character as the basis for rejection. While it is true that the false teacher is described by Peter in his second epistle as covetous, exploitive, deceptive and sensuous, the reason for censure is the damage the errorist’s doctrine does to others. It matters not whether he is perceived as being kind and sincere. As his doctrine causes offence, he must be marked and avoided.
Conclusion
The ultimate basis of Christian fellowship is our standing with God. If we stand with Him, then by extension we stand with one another. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When one who claims to be one of His children persists in sin, we who are spiritual have a responsibility to judge him. He no longer is walking in the light, and he is to be marked and avoided as one unworthy of our fellowship. We make such distinctions with fear, trying our best to ensure our judgment is true and righteous. We make such judgments with kindness and gentleness, humbly considering the possibility that such action may one day be necessary to correct us. We take on this daunting and serious responsibility because we love our brother, and seek his salvation. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Regardless of the criticism leveled by others, even by those who profess to know God, we realize this is Christ’s law, and we are determined to obey it.
