Dear Brother Rushmore, I regretfully write to you with a question concerning church discipline and specifically, what is acceptable contact with one who has been withdrawn from, by members of the local congregation in general and also by Christian family members of the withdrawn? We are unfortunately having to withdraw from a member of our congregation. He has a wife who is a new Christian and is not being withdrawn from. He also has an adult son in the congregation. There has been debate within the congregation on whether the wife and son are still obligated to the man in those family roles. It has been stated by an individual that if the man were to be in a life and death situation (i.e., injured in an accident and bleeding to death) the most that the son or any other Christian should do for the man is perhaps call 911 and then leave the scene. He believes it would be sinful to physically assist him in anyway. Again if he were in a position that he could not provide for his physical needs and was starving to death, he believes it would be sinful to provide him food. Please help me to understand what the Scriptures say in regards to this issue.
Mankind is given to extremes, and this is perhaps the most severe extreme I have ever heard, even regarding the subject of “church discipline.” With extremes, some do not try hard enough, whereas others try too hard in their approaches to Scripture. What we need is something in between, a biblical balance – neither liberal left of biblical center nor ultra conservative right of biblical center.
Respecting a dying, out of fellowship church member, it would not only be biblically incorrect to abandon him, but it would also be legally criminal to flee the scene. Irrespective of the reason for which one is rightfully disfellowshipped, we are yet to maintain compassion toward a fallen child of God. “And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 NKJV emphasis added).
Congregations seldom practice the church discipline called for by God through the Scriptures. One of the weak links in church discipline is often the refusal of friends and family to participate in it, when especially their involvement in church discipline toward their loved ones may have more impact on the erring than that of all other congregational members combined. Yet, the cross viewpoint portrayed above goes beyond what the New Testament teaches.
The first citation to an article within the Archive of Gospel Gazette Online addresses family obligations respecting one amongst them from whom the church has withdrawn fellowship.
Church Discipline & Spousal Relationship by Louis Rushmore
https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/1999/nov/page16.shtml
The following references are to additional articles, among others that can be found through the onsite search engine, that treat the subject. Please resort to them for further insight into church discipline.
Growth, Leadership and Church Discipline by Mark Weaver
https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/2004/nov/page18.htmThe New Testament Church Is Divine in Discipline by Louis Rushmore
https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/2002/sep/page2.htmHow Discipline Will Help by Tommy South
https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/2001/oct/page18.htmChrist’s Discipline of Withdrawal by Bob Cruse
https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/1999/sep/page15.shtmlChurch Discipline: The Courage to Stand for Right by Tim Childs
https://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/2010/apr/page4.html
