Church Disciplin

[donnA]

Often forgotten in striving for purity is the GOAL of restoration, not excommunication.
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Not knowing anyting about this, but what happens when a person has done a public sin(people in and out of the church know about it), but has repented,and is not currently doing that sin?

 

[Pastor Larry]

Not knowing anyting about this, but what happens when a person has done a public sin(people in and out of the church know about it), but has repented,and is not currently doing that sin?

In most cases, the extent of the knowledge is the extent of the confession. If it is widely known, then there needs to be a public confession. If it is a narrow circle of knowledge, then it can be a narrow circle of confession.

The exception to this is adultery. Even if a spouse doesn't know, the spouse needs to be confessed to. That doesn't mean there needs to be a public confession, unless it is a public sin.
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[onestand]

Pastor Larry, we're just going to have to disagree on this one. I don't believe that's what is being said by Christ or Paul in any form. Sorry.

 

[Pastor Larry]

Perhaps we will disagree, but the text is explicitly clear. I do not understand how there is any possible way to get around that. How can you possibly read "with a so called brother ... not even to eat" and pretend that it means anything else? How can you possibly read, "remove him from your midst" and understand it to mean "keep him in the congregation"? That is absolutely befuddling to me. I cringe in horror that we are giving feet to the notion that the Bible has merely became a crutch for what we want to believe. Where it contradicts us, we just ignore it or turn it around. That is not biblical Christianity. God did not give us his word for us to sit in judgment on what the really important parts are. He did not give us the authority to change the meaning of words and sentences because it seems to harsh. The church is Christ's body; don't you think that Christ knows best how to treat it? We depart from this at our own risk.

I don't understand that, especially in a fundamentalists forum where the Bible is assumed to be inspired and the final rule of faith and practice.

 

[C.S. Murphy]

Originally posted by Pastor Larry:
I don't understand that, especially in a fundamentalists forum where the Bible is assumed to be inspired and the final rule of faith and practice.

Amen Larry, the Bible is clear here and so must we be.
Murph