Withdrawal of fellowship is commanded by God and yet is very rarely practiced by the church. "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us." (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Why? One of the main reasons is a lack of teaching on this Bible subject. We stress God's command to be baptized, but we want to ignore His command to withdraw from the disorderly. All of God's commandments are important. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all: (James 2:10).

Certainly, we must exercise this action out of a sincere love for the salvation of our erring brother's, or sister's, lost soul. (1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Thess. 3:14; 1 Cor. 16:14). We are not manifesting the love that we should have for our brother when we refuse to do all that God requires of us to save his soul. (Prov. 13:24; Heb. 12:5,6).

When withdrawal of fellowship is being considered, there will usually be objections raised against such action. It is the purpose of this study to answer these objections with Scriptures.

Yes, it will! When we are obeying God, we are doing good. "Let my tongue sing of thy word; For all thy commandments are righteousness." (Psalms 119:172). Carrying out the command of withdrawal shows our respect for the authority of Christ (Luke 6:26). Such will maintain the purity of the church as the church consists of people having purified their souls (1 Peter 1:22). God intends for them to remain pure. (1 Tim. 5:22; 4:12; Matthew 5:8). The church at Corinth was commanded to "put away the wicked man from among yourselves" because "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (1 Cor. 5:13, 6, 7) Such action would cause other members to realize that sin will not be tolerated in the church. (Acts 5:11; 1 Timothy 5:20; Eph. 5:27). Brethren, it helps to cause the world to respect the church (2 Pet. 2:2). The church would have more respect if the ungodly were excluded from her fellowship. It causes those in the world to realize that a godly life would be demanded of them if they decided to become members of the Lord's church.

But some will maintain, "It still won't do any good." Just how do you know that the erring brother will not repent? God did not give us the right to decide whether we should withdraw based upon our decision as to whether it would cause the erring brother to repent.

Certainly, all of us have sinned, but this action is to be taken against one who refuses to repent of his sins. We are to withdraw from those who walk disorderly. "A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse; knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned." (Titus 3:10, 11).

Not if that person has the right attitude! Withdrawal should cause him to become so ashamed of himself that he will repent. (2 Thess. 3:14). He should appreciate the brethren's concern for his soul. As a child, my parents would tell me, "This discipline hurts me worse than you." Being immature, I did not comprehend these words, but now as I have children of my own I understand the lesson in these words. The same lesson can be applied to discipline in the church. True love for the lost soul will carry out God's plan.

If such were true, then the only ones the church could withdraw from are those who continue to attend services. The "disorderly" brother's action does not relieve the church of her responsibility to withdraw from him. The church has a responsibility to make sure that such a member knows that he is no longer suitable for fellowship in the local church. The brother, who fails to assemble, is a "disorderly" member. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6 again. "Not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh." (Hebrews 10:25). The Greek word translated "disorderly" means, "out of ranks, irregular, inordinate, deviating from the prescribed order or rule" /Lexicon, Thayer, p. 83). So, what about the brother who fails to meet with the saints? Such conduct is not "orderly" for a Christian.

In this passage, Paul is discussing the judging of brethren in matters of liberty. Forsaking the assembling is something which affects our relationship to God; and, it is not a matter of liberty, but a commandment. We must judge, then, whether the conduct of our brother is "orderly" or "disorderly" if we are to obey 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

I have even heard this excuse. When one becomes a child of God, he assumes the responsibility of this relationship. There are only two qualifications one must meet in order to be subject to withdrawal of fellowship by the church: (1) He must be a Christian (2 Thess. 3:6; 1 Cor. 5:9-11) and, (2) He must be "disorderly" (2 Thess. 3:6).

If you feel that insufficient effort has been made to restore the unruly brother, then you have the responsibility to make additional efforts. Brethren, if we fail to do as God has commanded, we will have to give answer to Him for that failure. When discipline is practiced by all churches, as it ought to be, the authority of Christ will be honored and maintained, the church will be kept pure, the world will respect us, and some of the souls of sinful brethren will be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Truth Magazine, XVIII:10, pp. 7-8
January 17, 1974