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Verse By Verse Devotional On 2 Corinthians By Pastor Jack #43

May 25, 2016 | by: Jack Lash | 0 comments

Posted in: 2 Corinthians

The Church’s Punishment

2:6 "Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority."

What was the punishment that had been imposed upon this man? Paul says nothing about it here. But he has not left us in the dark. All through his epistles he talks about the punishment that must be imposed on those who continue in unrepentant sin. There is only one. It is first found on the lips of our Lord in Matt.18:15-17:

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you , take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

The last part of this speaks of the punishment itself: "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." What does Jesus mean by this? Some have suggested that this means a "punished" person should be treated like any non-believer is treated: loved, reached out to, evangelized, invited over, etc. But 1Cor.5:9-11 gives us a fuller picture:

"I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one."

There is clearly a difference between the way an ordinary non-believer is to be treated and the way a church member who has been punished by the church is treated (which is what Paul is talking about here — as is clear from the context). One is to be reached out to, the other we are not supposed to associate with or eat with. This helps us understand the words of Jesus in Matt.18:17: "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." He is referring to the fact that this person should be considered separated from God’s covenant people, as the Gentiles and tax-collectors were considered separate from the Jews in the old covenant within which this teaching was given. It does not refer to how we should reach out to and evangelize this person if he were an ordinary non-believer. "Gentile" and "tax-collector" are being used here in the same way as "enemy" is used in 2Thess. 3:15: "...do not regard him as an enemy but admonish him as a brother." We are supposed to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44), but Paul is not referring to this when he uses this word. In the same way, Jesus is not using "Gentile" and "tax-gatherer" with evangelism in mind, but with separation in mind. Gentiles were unclean and cut off from the people of God in the old covenant. Tax-gatherers were Jews, but they were also "cut off" because of their collaboration with the pagan Roman government against their own people. This principle of cutting them off is supported by other NT passages:

2Thes. 3:6 "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us."

2Tim. 3:5 "...avoid such men as these."

2Thes. 3:14 "...take special note of that man and do not associate with him..."

Rom. 16:17 "...keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them."

This church punishment has historically been referred to as excommunication, a term which focuses on the separation of the person from the communion of the saints, both at the Lord’s supper and elsewhere. It is a separation designed to incite loneliness, pangs of conscience, and a hunger for restoration to fellowship, in order that the person being punished might be drawn back into fellowship with Christ and His church. It does not mean, however, that we should treat these people as enemies:

“If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2Thes.3:14-15)

In our day of "live and let live" all this goes against the tide of our culture. But then so does much of what Christ commanded.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Head of the Church. Give her grace that she might follow Your word, resisting the pressure to conform to the expectations of this world. Fill her with the trust and love to obey Your instructions. Protect her from the poisonous exercise of trying to improve on what you have said.

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