A Command Too Often Ignored

It should go without saying that there is no command given by God that is insignificant.  It is not for man to question why God wants a thing done a certain way.  Instead, man should simply trust God and obey.  With that being stated, there is a command that God has given that is unfortunately ignored and not practiced nearly enough.  To the church of the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us” (2 Thess. 3:6).  Please notice, this is not a suggestion, but rather a command.  It carries the same weight as other commands that God has given.  For instance, when Peter told those in Jerusalem that they needed to repent and be baptized, they were to obey in order to be right in the sight of God.  For the church to remain in a right relationship with God, we must continue to obey what God commands.  We must not forget that any transgression of God’s law is sin (1 John 3:4).  Therefore, the church sins by refusing to obey this command.

Following God’s Word is always the correct decision.  In this case, it is a great demonstration of love.  Not only does it show our love for God, but also our love for the erring brother (John 14:15).  We should never forget that the end goal of withdrawing fellowship is repentance and restoration.  It is the hope that by withdrawing from the unfaithful, they might have “godly sorrow” that will lead them back home (2 Cor. 7:10).  Once the brother does not have the same interactions and camaraderie that he previously enjoyed, he should reflect on the seriousness of what he has done and make it right.  Then, and only then, can fellowship be restored.  An example of this is found in the books of First and Second Corinthians.  It is recorded that a brother in Christ was known to have committed fornication with his father’s own wife (1 Cor. 5:1).  Instead of being heartbroken and distraught because of such wickedness, the brethren in Corinth were “…puffed up, and have not mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2).  The guilty brother had not been disciplined, and as such, the congregation became polluted because of it.  Paul told them, “Your glorying is not good.  Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.  For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” (1 Cor. 5:6-7).  Paul made it clear that the church at Corinth were “…to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 5:5).  Paul explained what this withdrawal would be like.  “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat…Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (1 Cor. 5:9-11, 13).  Contrary to some naysayers, when implemented correctly, with love for the erring brother, this process is effective.  Paul would later write that the congregation was to forgive the brother due to his repentance.  Thus, fellowship was restored (2 Cor. 2:5-11).

Back to the church of the Thessalonians, they were told “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.  Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:14-15).  The same process that worked in Corinth would work in Thessalonica.

Friend, we will not improve on what God commands.  Neglecting to obey makes us worse and not better.  We need courage to follow faithfully.

In closing, some might feel that I have left out part of the process by not mentioning Matthew 18:15-20.  It should be noted that Matthew addressed how to handle a personal matter between two brothers.  He was not dealing with the same situation as Paul did in First and Second Corinthians and Second Thessalonians.  Public sin should be handled publicly.

I hope that this article can spur us to obey all of the commands that God has given us.  If we have ignored this command in the past, then we need to repent and start obeying it from this point forward.
~ Corey Barnette