Kingdom of God (10) - Voluntary Exclusion

The only constraint on behaviour will be fear of exclusion from the community. If a member of the community steals from others or is violent toward other, the leaders of the community will expect the guilty person to make restitituion. If the the troublesome person refuses to make restitiution and persists in their bad behaviour, the leaders of the community my decide they are a threat to the cohesion of the community. They could ask the other members of the community to exclude the recalicitrant person from the privileges that come from being part of the community.

An example of exclusion is recorded Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. The church was dealing with a man who persisted in sexual immorality.

Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this (1 Cor 5:2)?

But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is xx. Do not even eat with such people (1 Cor 5:11).

This is not excommunication to preserve true doctrine, as used by modern churches. Kingdom communities will trust the Holy Spirit to sort out doctrinal differences. Paul was dealing with behaviour that could destroy the community. Exclusion is a tool for freeing a community of people who are undermining its cohesion and threatening to destroy it.

Exclusion is a voluntary process. The leaders of a community cannot enforce it. The exclusion will only work if everyone in the community considers the fickle person is a threat and refuses to share their lives with them. If the decision of the leaders is not supported by the rest of the members of the community, the person would be able to keep participating in some of the community’s activities.

The guilty person is not forced to change. If they want to continue their behaviour, they are free to leave the community and live in some other place. When are person joins a community, they are committing to the general values that shape it Those who are unwilling to accept those values will gradually drift out and find a society where they are more comfortble.

The power of exclusion should not be used lightly. Selfishness or greed would not be sufficient justification. Exclusion would only be used for persistent behaviour that undermines the strengh of the community. Going further would be unreasonable.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world…… In that case you would have to leave this world…. (1 Cor 5:9-10).

Christians must not escape from the world. People with who are struggling with sin will be welcomed in a kingdom community, because “the sick need a doctor” (Mark 2:17). Sinners should only be excluded, if their persistent behaviour threatens the cohesion of the community.