How can excommunication possibly be merciful? Aren’t we more likely to hear the truth and repent when we are in communion with other believers?
In 1 Cor 5:5 Paul says to “hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord”. Perhaps someone deeply mired in sin needs to be battered around by the world (or by Satan, “prince” of this world, cf. Jn 14:30) in order to see the error of his or her ways. 2 Thess 3:14 adds a second motivation, recommending exclusion “in order that he may feel ashamed.” In 2 Tim 2:25-26, Paul advises Timothy: “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” If someone has ignored the urgings of fellow believers, first one-on-one, then in a small group, and has ignored even the voice of the church as a whole, then it is likely that this person has indeed fallen into the “trap of the devil,” and is blind to the danger he or she is in.
Related Questions
- How can excommunication possibly be merciful? Aren’t we more likely to hear the truth and repent when we are in communion with other believers?
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