Do Not Associate with Sinning "Christian"

Earlier I posted how Matthew 18 was a great guide for dealing with a fellow Christian embracing a sin. In recent days Paul has shared further guidance. In 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 says, "If anyone does not obey our instructions in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother."

And in today's reading 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 says, "I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat."

The Thessalonians People's Bible has some very good commentary on these passages: "To socialize with an unrepentant person, then, while the congregation is disciplining him in an attempt to bring him to repentance may undermine what the congregation is trying to do. For example, if I dine at his house or play a game of tennis with him as usual, my actions can easily be understood by him to say that while the congregation may think his sin is serious, I don't. Thus I would encourage him to think more lightly of his sin than if I were to decline his invitation with a gentle, yet firm, statement of why association with him would be wrong on my part at this time . . . We want to preach a powerful law sermon to him by our disassociation so that, as Paul says, 'he may feel ashamed.' That our motive is one of love Paul now underscores. He carefully instructs the Thessalonians in regard to the frame of mind in which they are to deal with their unrepentant brother. Paul urges them not to think of him in any way 'as an enemy.' They were not to have hostile feelings toward him that would lead them to say 'Good riddance!' if he left and never came back to the congregation. Rather, the Thessalonians were to 'warn him as a brother.' What they said to him about his sin and their explanation of why they were disassociating themselves from him were to be carefully planned and spoken in a gentle, pleading, loving way. The message to be conveyed was that Christ loved him and had died for his sins, but that this sin . . . in which he persisted was a denial of that Savior's love. That denial would damn him. And that damning result troubled his fellow Christians who wanted him to be saved rather than lost eternally."