When to bind, and when to loose? (1Cor 5:11)

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. (1Cor 5:11)

It is time to look at what kinds of transgressions that would warrant disciplinary action from the church. Just to make sure, Paul again specifies that this is for those who call themselves brothers. And then he goes on to give a list of six specific categories of sinners. We’re going to look closer at them.

• Immoral people: (gr. “pornos”) The literal meaning of the word is a male prostitute, but in the Bible it is used of all kinds of sexual immorality (which in itself implies that all sexual immorality is of the same nature as prostitution).
• Covetous people: People eager to have more, especially what belongs to others. Covetousness is really a form of the next sin, which is Idolatry (Eph 5:5, Col 3:5)
• Idolaters: Idolatry is when God is not of primary importance to you. You don’t determine this by your ability to manipulate yourself into a certain state of emotion, but rather by what you tends to fill up your mind, what your actions are aiming toward and what gives you comfort, security and pleasure.
• Revilers: A reviler is one who assaults and abuses with words. He will make harsh insults and accusations, intended to humiliate someone or damage their reputation.
• Drunkards: No further explanation is needed, except perhaps to point out that any compulsive or addictive behavior, that inhibits your sound judgment, would be a form of this sin.
• Swindlers: (gr. “harpax”) It can mean a swindler, robber or extortioner. Basically anyone who by violence, threats or deceit takes something that rightfully belongs to another.

Keep this list in mind, and let’s go to a couple of other passages:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. (Eph 5:5)

What I want you to notice here is how well the list of sins that qualify for church discipline correlates with the list of sins that disqualify a person from inheriting the kingdom of God. Not because we earn our entrance there by avoiding certain sins, but because sins of that type are symptoms of a heart that has not been transformed by God.

Church discipline is about the church on earth accurately reflecting who has their names in the book of life and who doesn’t (Matt 18:18). We do not want to include those who God has excluded, but nor do we want to exclude those who God has included.

Spiritual discernment is rarely cut-and-dry. It would be nice if it could be condensed into a six-point checklist that applied to every possible situation, but that’s just not the case. Paul gave us six examples of sins that qualify for church discipline, but without doubt there are more. (for example he left out murder from the list). And we can’t really apply a one strike and you’re out policy to the ones he did mention either, because that’s not what God does. He gives grace and second chances to those who are repentant.

So when Jesus teaches about this in Matt 18, he makes sure to set up a “procedure” that gives the sinner several opportunities to turn:

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. (Matt 18:15-17)

Possibly it was this Peter had in mind when he asked in verse 21: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Maybe seven times sounded very generous to Peter, but Jesus was not impressed, and went on to tell the parable of the king who settled accounts with his servants to help Peter put forgiveness in the proper perspective. We commit a great sin if we throw a repentant sinner out of church because of an unwillingness to forgive, no matter how great his guilt is. We can not withhold forgiveness from our fellow servants, and still expect to be granted forgiveness ourselves.