—REVIEW—
The seven disfellowshipping offenses mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 are expressed as nouns and not as verbs. Verbs show what people do while nouns show what people are. This means that Christians should not be disfellowshipped because of their actions but because of their characteristics and personality.
The situation is the same with the spreading of false teachings and “destroying (anatrepō) the faith of some.” (2 Timothy 2:18) Persons who are spreading false teachings are not taking a false step one or a few times. But as in the case of Hymenaeus and Alexander, this is something they are practicing, something that is a part of their personality. Therefore, they deserve to be disfellowshipped from the congregation.
The only place in the Christian Greek Scriptures where disfellowshipping from the Christian congregation is directly mentioned is in 1 Corinthians, chapters 5 and 6, and in 2 Corinthians, chapter 2. Here, we find seven different disfellowshipping offenses.
There are three criteria that are connected with the disfellowshipping offenses in 1 Corinthians chapters 5 and 6. If one or more of these are applied to other situations in the Christian Greek Scriptures, we may be able to pinpoint additional disfellowshipping offenses. The following criteria are found:
- Being Wicked. 1 Corinthians 5:13 says that disfellowshipped persons are wicked, and this means that the wicked actions being practiced must be disfellowshipping offenses.
- To be handed over to Satan. This is the expression describing disfellowshipping actions in 1 Corinthians 5:4. So when we read in the Christian Greek Scriptures that someone is handed over to Satan, we know that the person is guilty of practicing a disfellowshipping offense.
- To avoid a person. Christians should “stop keeping company” with disfellowshipped persons. In a different situation, 2 Thessalonians 3:14 shows that we should also “stop keeping company” with members of the congregations who did not accept all the words written by Paul.
Members of the congregations should be disfellowshipped for what they are and not for what they do. This means that those who deserve to be disfellowshipped are permeated by their wicked actions, this is their personality. Therefore, to identify disfellowshipping offenses, we must look for situations where we are advised to “stop keeping company” with someone because of their bad actions, and these actions must be a part of the personality of the person.
Under the heading “Apostasy,” the book “Shepherd The flock Of God” 39 (3) says regarding false teaching:
Deliberately Spreading Teachings Contrary to Bible Truth: (2 John 7, 9, 10; lvs p. 245; it-1 pp. 126-127) Any with sincere doubts regarding the Bible truth taught by Jehovah’s Witnesses should be helped. Loving assistance should be provided. (2 Tim. 2:16-19, 23-26; Jude 22, 23) If one obstinately is speaking about or deliberately spreading false teachings, this may be or may lead to apostasy. If there is no response after a first and a second admonition, a judicial committee should be formed.—Titus 3:10, 11; w86 4/1 pp. 30-31
In order to understand the real issue, some definitions are needed.
WHAT IS BIBLE TRUTH?
The disfellowshipping offense mentioned in the quotation above is centered around the rejection of “Bible truth.” Therefore, we need to know the meaning of this expression. In his second letter to Timothy 4:3, 4 (NIV), Paul shows that there is only one “truth.”
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Paul parallels “sound (or, healthful) doctrine” and “truth,” and he contrasts truth with myths. This truth would not suit the desires of many people. Therefore, they would listen to teachers who said what they liked to hear. The result would be that they would believe in myths rather than sound or healthful doctrine. In 1 Timothy 3:15 (NIV) Paul connects truth with God’s household, which is his congregation:
If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
The comments in the quotation from the Shepherd book connect the “truth” with the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I agree with that, and I show in chapter 1 of my book My Beloved Religion — And The Governing Body, edition 1.2, that all the basic truths taught by Jehovah’s Witnesses are based on the Bible.
C.T. Russell and his co-workers established most of the basic truths, and J. F. Rutherford and his co-workers made some adjustments to the beliefs of Russel. From 1942, when N.H. Knorr became the president of the Watchtower and Bible Society; all the basic truths had been established. These basic truths continued to be preached throughout most of the 20th century.
However, in the last part of the 20th century and in the 21st century changes started to occur. Most of the basic doctrines were upheld, but in several cases, false teachings were introduced. The organization also changed from being theocratic to becoming autocratic and dictatorial, and all power was in the hands of a few men, at present 11 in number.
This is a parallel to what happened at the end of the 1st century and during the 2nd century CE. The letters of John and Revelation were written at the end of the 1st century. In 1 John 2:18, 19, 4:1-3, and 2 John 7-11, we read about false prophets and antichrists, and in the first three chapters of Revelation, we read about false teachings and false practices inside the Christian congregations. Moreover, some elders became ambitious and wanted more personal power. They elevated themselves to bishops, and in time, a clergy with priests and bishops had developed.
“The church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth,” had now been polluted. The congregations still upheld the basic Christian doctrines, but false doctrines and false practices were introduced as well. This is a clear parallel to what has happened with “the pillar of truth,” the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the last part of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century.[1]
[1]. Two articles showing how the members of the Governing Body have introduced false teachings are: “The holy place being brought into its right condition — then relapsing to a wrong condition. Part I and part II,” and “The implementation of the elder arrangement was a blessing — the creation of the Governing Body has been a disaster.”
TREATING FALSE TEACHINGS IN THE CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES
Jehovah God is the final authority, and the Bible has much to say about how he wants to be served and which kind of service is wrong in his eyes.
FALSE TEACHINGS ARE NOT ACCEPTED
One reference in the quotation from the Shepherd book above is to The Watchtower of April 1, 1986. The main point in this article is that it is not enough to believe in God, in Jesus Christ, and in the Bible. But it is necessary to accept all the basic doctrines of the Bible as well. This is, of course, correct.
The article quotes 2 Timothy 2:17, 18, and I also add verse 16:
16 But reject empty speeches that violate what is holy, for they will lead to more and more ungodliness, 17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·nae’us and Phi·le’tus are among them. 18 These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some.
The comments of the verses in The Watchtower of April 1, 1986, which are excellent, are as follows:
There is nothing to indicate that these men did not believe in God, in the Bible, and in Jesus’ sacrifice. Yet, on this one basic point, what they were teaching as to the time of the resurrection, Paul rightly branded them as apostates, with whom faithful Christians would not fellowship.
In 1 Corinthians, chapters 5 and 6, we read about disfellowshipping, and in 5:5, Paul says that the person who would be disfellowshipped would be “handed over to Satan.” Paul refers to Hymenaeus in 1 Timothy 1:20 and says:
19 holding faith and a good conscience, which some have thrust aside and have experienced shipwreck concerning [their] faith 20 Hy·me·nae’us and Alexander are among these, and I have handed them over to Satan so that they may be taught by discipline not to blaspheme.
Paul’s words that Hymenaeus and Alexander were handed over to Satan show that they were disfellowshipped from the congregation. In 1 Corinthians chapters 5 and 6, Paul shows that a Christian should not be disfellowshipped for one, two, or five serious sins. First, when a person is permeated by an action that is a disfellowshipping offense, when this is a part of his or her personality, then the person should be disfellowshipped.
This means that a person should not be disfellowshipped if he or she argues in favor of one false teaching, for example questioning what Jesus said about the resurrection. But if a Christian continues to spread false teachings and refuses to be reproved, he or she may be disfellowshipped.
This was the case with Hymenaeus and Alexander. They had
- experienced shipwreck concerning their faith.
- deviated from the truth.
- subverted the faith of someone.
TEACHING DISFELLOWSHIPPED PERSONS
In the article “Treating disfellowshipped persons in the biblical way,” I argue that according to Paul the congregation members will not have social contact with disfellowshipped persons, but they will greet them, speak with them, continue to admonish them as brothers; and except for social contact, they will treat them exactly as they treat all other persons.
I quote the last clause in 1 Timothy 1:20 which may support this:
that they may be taught by discipline (paideuō) not to blaspheme (blasfēmeō).
Insight on the Scriptures volume I, page 629, has the following comment to these words:
A severe form of discipline is expulsion from the congregation. The apostle Paul resorted to this when handing Alexander and Hymenaeus “over to Satan.” (1Ti 1:20) Cut off from the congregation, they were again part of the world under Satan’s control.—1Co 5:5, 11-13
The words that “be taught bydiscipline” refers to disfellowshipping clearly are wrong.
Both NWT84 and NWT13 render the verb paideuō in 1 Timothy 1:20 as “taught by discipline.” This is a rendering that would support the view that the word paideuō refers to disfellowshipping. But this rendering is questionable, and paideuō is never translated as “taught by discipline” in NWT84 and NWT2013 in any of the other 12 places where the word occurs.
The meaning of the verb blasfēmeō, according to Mounce, is, “to defame, revile, slander; to speak of God or divine things in terms of impious irreverence, to blaspheme.” I will give some examples of the use of the verb: 1. Timothy 6:1 (above), Titus 2:5 (middle), and 2 Peter 2:2 (below):
1 Let as many as are slaves under a yoke keep on considering their owners worthy of full honor, that the name of God and the teaching may never be spoken of injuriously (blasfēmeō).
5 to be sound in mind, chaste, workers at home, good, subjecting themselves to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be spoken of abusively (blasfēmeō).
2 Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively (blasfēmeō).
On the basis of the basic meaning of the verbs paideuō and blasfemeō, a literal rendering of 1. Timothy 1:20 would be:
20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan, so (hina) they should be taught (paideuō) not to speak abusively (blasfēmeō).
The words “handed over to Satan” refer to disfellowshipping, as we have seen in 1 Corinthians 5:5. There is a relationship between “being handed over to Satan” and “being taught not to speak abusively,” which is expressed by the Greek preposition hina.
Hymenaeus and Alexander would not learn “not to speak abusively” by the action of being thrown out of the congregation. They had “deviated from the truth” and would naturally continue to speak abusively after their disfellowshipping. However, the purpose of the action of being disfellowshipped was that “they should be taught not to speak abusively.”
By being disfellowshipped, the members of the congregation showed that they would not accept the abusive speech of Hymenaeus and Alexander. But Paul adds a positive element to the situation when the members of the congregation should not have social contact with disfellowshipped persons and persons who did not follow the true doctrines, as we see in the comparison of 2 Thessalonians 3:15 (above), 2 Corinthians 2:6 (middle), and 1 Timothy 1:20, my translation (below):
15And yet do not be considering him as an enemy, but continue admonishing (noutheteō) him as a brother.
6 This rebuke (epitimia) given by the majority is sufficient for such a man.
20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan, so (hina) they should be taught (paideuō) not to speak abusively (blasfēmeō).
The Greek word synanamignymi has the basic meaning “mix together,” and this is the word telling Christians that they should not have social contact with disfellowshipped persons and those who do not accept the words of Paul. This word is valid in the three passages above, and the two verbs “admonish” and “teach” and the noun “rebuke” show that persons of the mentioned groups should be taught, corrected, and admonished.[1]
A verb in the same group as “to admonish” (noutheteō), “to rebuke” (epitimaō), and “to teach” (paideuō) is elegkhō, with the meaning “to state that someone has done wrong, with the implication that there is adequate proof of such wrongdoing.” (Louw and Nida) One situation where this verb is used in a context parallel to Romans 1:20 is Titus 1:9-13. I quote Titus 1:9-13 (above) and Romans 1:20 (below):
9 holding firmly to the faithful word as respects his [art of] teaching, that he may be able both to exhort (parakaleō) by the teaching that is healthful and to reprove (elegkhō) those who contradict (antilegō).
10 For there are many unruly men, profitless talkers, and deceivers of the mind, especially those men who adhere to the circumcision. 11 It is necessary to shut the mouths of these, as these very men keep on subverting entire households by teaching things they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 A certain one of them, their own prophet, said: “Creʹtans are always liars, injurious wild beasts, unemployed gluttons.”
13 This witness is true. For this very cause keep on reproving (elegkhō) them with severity, that they may be healthy in the faith, 14 paying no attention to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn themselves away from the truth.
20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan, so (hina) they should be taught (paideuō) not to speak abusively (blasfēmeō).
Paul tells Titus to “reprove those who contradict” so they may be healthy in faith. This supports the arguments above that the purpose of teaching the disfellowshipped persons Hymenaeus and Alexander was that they should not “speak abusively” and that they should be healthy in faith. This shows that members of the congregation should speak with disfellowshipped persons and teaching them, admonishing them, and reproving them.
The conclusion is that the Shepherd book is correct when it says that “deliberately spreading teachings contrary to Bible truth” is one reason for disfellowshipping.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
In the discussion of the seven disfellowshipping offenses mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, I stressed that a member of the congregation should not be disfellowshipped for one, two, or five serious sins. But he should be disfellowshipped when he was permeated by one of the disfellowshipping offenses, when practicing this was his or her personality.
We have the same situation in connection with false teachings and Hymenaeus and Alexander. That they were teaching false doctrines and were speaking abusively were something they practiced, something that was a part of their personality. Therefore, they deserved to be disfellowshipped.
[1]. For a detailed discussion, see the article, “Treating disfellowshipped persons in the biblical way.”
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