What a question! People do it all of the time. They stop all relations because their child didn’t finish school, or because they child is the “black sheep” of the family, or their child married the wrong person. But would they disfellowship their child that strayed like the prodigal son, leaving behind them the Lord who washed and sanctified them?
What Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15ff is specifically talking about how the church is to address an erring brother or sister. If the person after being approached does not “listen to you” and does not listen to the encouragements by the church, put them out of the church and treat them as the apostate they are.
According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 5, that means not even to eat with the person. 2 Corinthians 2 shows that with proper correction, i.e. disfellowship, the person will be remorseful and long to be accepted back into the good fellowship with his brothers and sisters in Christ.
The church follows the Bible, and carefully teaches the Gospel, and lives according to its precepts. When a false teacher enters the church, he or she is taught the truth in hopes of making a correction. But if the person is obstinate, that person must be put out of the church. “Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning” (1 Tim. 5:20). Paul also said to the Thessalonian church, “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame” (2 Thess. 3:14). And to the church at Ephesus he said, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5:11).
But to the point of this post. If you are a member of the body of Christ, and if the church has decided to remove the person from the church to not even to eat with such a person, would YOU also join in the disfellowship? Or would you, continue giving the same fellowship to the person? Can you explain why family members of the rebel are exempted from the church discipline?
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