The Amish Voice 2
Is Excommunication and
Shunning Biblical?
This queston is answered in one of three
ways, depending on who you ask. View #1
and #2, as outlined below, are extreme oppo-
sites, however, view #3 describes a more bal-
anced Biblical view. Let’s take a close look at
all three views.
____________________________________
View #1
____________________________________
There are churches who turn a blind eye to-
ward Scriptures that teach excommunicaton
and shunning. In fact, if the pastor or church
elders, I am about to describe, would so much
as dare use discipline on one of their mem-
bers, they would loose half of their member-
ship; maybe even get sued.
In the case of this view,
church
discipline
is a
phrase that no one dare speak, not even in
the most sinful of situatons.
Besides that, it is ofen much easier for the
troublemaker to uproot and move on to an-
other church in the area. Afer leaving the
frst church and atending the new one for
awhile, they str up more trouble, and eventu-
ally, they do it all over again; they move on to
the next church.
These troublemakers are never at one church
long enough to become established and usa-
ble in ministry. And secondly, the new church,
in which the troublemaker has just joined, is
so disconnected from all other churches in
the area, that no one is aware of what hap-
pened at the previous church.
The Bible is very clear, when the church al-
lows a litle bit of sin to dwell in the camp, it
will eventually efect everybody. It is just like
cancer, if lef unatended, you can bet, it will
destroy your whole body.
…know ye not that a litle leaven
leaveneth the whole lump? 1 Cor 5:6
The point is this: the church must wake up
and learn something. Leaven is a type of sin in
the Bible. Therefore, if the church member
and his/her shameful sin are allowed to re-
main in the church, it will spread throughout
the whole membership. If the church contn-
ues to accept the person who is living in open
sin, others will begin to feel that they, too,
can be acceptable even if they sin. If there is
no restraint upon sin, then sin will grow. If sin
is accepted, then sin, not righteousness, rules.
Note what Scripture says: it takes only a
litle
leaven, not much, for sin to grow. Acceptng
just one member who lives
in sin
will cause
others to begin living worldly and sinful lives.
To the church, living and practcing under
View #1, may I remind you, the Bible has
some clear words writen for you.
Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump, as ye are
unleavened… 1 Cor 5:6
May I also remind you what happened to
Achan in the Old Testament? Joshua informed
the Children of Israel in Joshua 6:18, “do not
take anything from the City of Jericho or you
will bring a curse on the whole camp.”
Achan got stcky fngers, and when he saw
some gold and silver shekels, he picked them
up and hid them in his tent. He probably
thought to himself, I will never get caught and
no one will ever know. However, he forgot
that the Lord was watching.
When God handed out the blame for Achan’s
sin, He did not ONLY blame Achan, He blamed
ALL the children of Israel. Look what God
says:
But the children of Israel commited a
trespass in the accursed thing: for
Achan...took of the accursed thing:
and the anger of the LORD was kin-
dled against the children of Israel.
Joshua 7:1
How many people got blamed for one
man’s sin? Everybody.
How many people did the Lord God
become angry at over one man’s sin?
Everybody.
God got angry at every single person in the
camp; even those who were completely in the
dark and unaware of Achan’s sin. Verse 5 tells
us that because of Achan’s sin, thirty six men
died.
When the thirty six men died, Joshua and the
elders of Israel rent their clothes, put dust on
their heads and fell on their faces before God.
Notce how God responds to Joshua and the
Elders of Israel.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get
thee up; wherefore liest thou thus up-
on thy face? Israel hath sinned, and
they have also transgressed my cove-
nant which I commanded them: for
they have even taken of the accursed
thing, and have also stolen, and dis-
sembled also, and they have put it
even among their own stuf. Therefore
the children of Israel could not stand
before their enemies, but turned their
backs before their enemies, because
they were accursed:
neither will I be
with you any more, except ye destroy
the accursed from among you.
—
Joshua 7:10-12
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