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The following is a response to an article by Todd Deaver on his website.

As I continue to study through some fellowship passages on this site, I need to take some time to reply to some comments Todd has had on my review of his book.

Todd writes on his website,

Having begun a review of Facing Our Failure several weeks ago with a summary of the book’s argument (Part 1), Matt Clifton has resumed his critique this week.
In Part 2, posted 25 March, Matt lays some groundwork by offering three basic facts about fellowship that all must admit:
1. God wants his people to be united.
2. Not every instance of sin is a reason for the breaking of fellowship.
3. There are cases where fellowship between God’s people must be severed.
I can offer my unequivocal agreement with all three principles, so we do have at least this much common ground on which to build.

It is good to read of Todd’s agreement on these principles. There are some out there who are arguing from the point of inclusiveness merely on humanistic, social grounds. They interpret the Bible in light of current culture, instead of understanding it as God’s inspired message for all time. While I do think many so-called “progressives” are steeped in postmodern and “emergent” philosophy, if we stick to these three rock-solid principles, we do indeed have a base from which to work.

Todd also says,

it is the fact that conservatives preach and practice differing positions on what is scriptural and what is sinful and remain in fellowship with each other, while claiming that it is sinful to have fellowship with brothers who teach or practice error regarding what is scriptural and what is sinful.

Todd is correct in this statement, but incorrect in limiting it to only “conservatives.” So-called “progressives” also are inconsistent in their fellowship practices. I have talked with many since first becoming aware of Todd’s book, and some have expressed that they will fellowship even those who have not been baptized for the remission of sins according to the New Testament teachings. Others will fellowship only those baptized according to God’s plan, regardless of whether they are living faithfully. Further still, some “progressives” will not fellowship those continuing in living open, sinful lives. So you see, Todd is only pointing at “conservatives,” when he should also be indicating that even those who support his views are in disagreement over their own fellowship practices, as well. Will Todd admit that “progressives” are also in contradiction in terms of fellowship? Continue reading →

“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” — 2 John 10-11.

In our previous note on 1 John, we commented that John frequently uses the word “truth” in his letters and gospel account. Second John is no different in that respect. The Greek word for truth appears five times in this short letter, by percentage second in the New Testament only to 3 John. This is significant in our understanding of John’s message here. Continue reading →

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” — 1 John 1:6-7

This passage says something important: If we claim to have fellowship with God, but practice sin on a continual basis, we are liars and are not practicing the truth. Just saying we are in fellowship with God is not enough. Our actions must show it. This also presupposes a standard by which we can walk. Continue reading →

“But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” — Titus 3:10-11

The process is clear, here. Titus is told to “reject” a divisive man after two warnings. Paul says that foolish disputes, arguments about the Law of Moses, contentions and genealogies are unprofitable and useless. One who wrangles over these matters is being divisive. Although the language may seem strong, Paul says a person who does so is “warped and sinning, being self-condemned.”

One word that is interesting here is the Greek hairetikos. This is the only time it is used in the New Testament, and according to the Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament it means “denoting loyalty to a separatist group, heretical, factious, causing divisions.”

Bottom line: According to this passage, anyone who tries to divide the Lord’s church by being part of a faction would need to be warned twice. If there is no repentance, the culprit must be rejected, or denied fellowship.

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” — 1 Tim. 6:3-5

There is a textual question here to deal with before considering the words of the passage itself. In v.5, the Critical Text omits the last part of the verse, “From such withdraw yourself.” This is represented in the translations of the NIV, NASB, RSV, and the ESV. The Majority Text contains the rest of the passage, represented in the KJV and NKJV. For reasons that I cannot expand upon in this space without distracting from the subject, I prefer the Majority Text in most of my studies. However, in light of the preference for the Critical Text of many with whom I will be discussing, I will not make a major case based on this passage and the Majority Text reading.

Bottom line: This passage teaches that Timothy was to withdraw from anyone who teaches otherwise (contrary to the things preceding in the letter) and does not consent to wholesome words, namely the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which accords with godliness.

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” — 1 Tim. 1:18-20

Amidst urging Timothy to “wage the good warfare,” Paul mentions a couple of men who have rejected faith and a good conscience. These men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, are identified by name in this letter. As a result of their rejection of faith a good conscience, they suffered a “shipwreck” of faith. Paul delivered them to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. Difficult as the passage may seem, Paul may have thought of the church as God’s domain, and therefore the world as Satan’s domain (2 Cor. 4:4). To deliver them to Satan would have meant to break fellowship with them and no longer receive them as brothers.

There is a little more information about Hymenaeus. Along with a man named Philetus, Paul refers to Hymenaeus as one whose message would spread like cancer (2 Tim. 2:17). He had “strayed from the truth,” specifically by saying that the resurrection had already passed (2 Tim. 2:18). While we cannot be sure this was the teaching that initially caused his fall, it definitely ranked him as a teacher who was destroying the faith of some (2 Tim. 2:18), and his own rejection of the faith in some way had caused him to be rejected by the apostle, and therefore the church.

Bottom line: Rejecting faith and a good conscience, and overthrowing the faith of others is cause to deliver someone over to Satan. Once again, the discipline is for the purpose of reforming the offender.

“But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” — 2 Thess. 3:6

Many times this particular passage is taken out of its context and used as a broad, sweeping command. Paul is focused, however, on those who would not work for a living and instead lived off the generosity of others. This practice was giving the church a bad reputation. Paul had warned the Thessalonians about this problem in his earlier epistle (1 Thess. 5:14).

This passage is relatively simple, but some will claim that the withdrawal that Paul urges here is just a type of avoidance. But as in Romans 16:17, it would not seem in line with Paul’s teaching to command breaking of fellowship for extortioners, drunkards, etc., in 1 Cor. 5, and exact a lesser discipline upon the unrepentant divisive teacher (Rom. 16:17) and those who shame the Lord’s name by taking advantage of His people and being lazy busybodies.

Bottom line: Able-bodied brothers who will not work for their own bread and instead take advantage of the church should be withdrawn from. This withdrawal did not take place on the first warning, as the Thessalonians had been previously cautioned about this problem.

An important word in Romans 16:17 is “avoid,” which is a translation of the Greek ekklino. This word is used only three times in the New Testament. The general meaning of the word is “keep away from, turn away from,” according to The Analytical Lexicon of the New Testament.

One usage in in 1 Peter 3:11, where Peter writes, “Let him ?turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. Notice the meaning in context of one who is practicing at thing being admonished to do a different thing, or to turn away from a thing in preference of another thing.

Another usage is in Romans 3:12. Paul here quotes the Old Testament, writing, “They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” The people here have turned away from a path that they were on.

The third usage is, of course, in Romans 16:17. Some have suggested that the people the Roman Christians were to avoid were false teachers already outside their fellowship, or traveling preachers who come into their area, and not people that were present among them.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” — Ephesians 5:11

Ephesians 5:1 gives us direction as to what God expects of His children. He expects us to be imitators of Him, as beloved children. He expects us to walk in love, using Christ as our example. With this in mind, it is plain to see why Paul would speak of putting sin out of our lives! We are no longer to walk in darkness, but as children of light (Eph. 5:8-9).

Eph. 5:3-5 gives a clear indication of behaviors that are “not of the light.” Among these Paul lists sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talk, or crude joking. As in Col. 3:5, Paul connects covetousness with idolatry. Continue reading →

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person.” – 1 Cor. 5:9-11

Perhaps most well-known among the passages referring to withholding fellowship is 1 Cor. 5:1-13. This section tells us of the case of a man who “has his father’s wife,” and Paul says the Corinthians were proud of the sin, instead of mourning over it. If they had of been mournful of the sin, they would have put the perpetrator our of their midst. But now Paul calls for them to separate from this man. He is to be “delivered up to Satan,” so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (1 Cor. 5:5). The reason is not only to bring the man to repentance, but also to protect the church from further corruption (1 Cor. 5:6). Continue reading →