1. “A fornicator or a covetous man or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or a rapacious man” (1 Cor. 5:11).
The church’s judgment of sinning believers is based on blatant sins committed by a believer. It is based on the six blatant, gross sins listed by the apostle in 1 Corinthians 5. The basis for the church to judge believers is related to their committing any of these blatant, gross sins and refusing to repent and deal with them. However, there must be strong evidence that the believer committed a blatant sin. Judgment cannot be based on conjecture.
1. “Remove the evil man from among yourselves” (1 Cor. 5:13, see also v. 2).
The result of the church’s judgment on a sinning believer is to remove the sinning and unrepentant believer from the church and to cut off his fellowship with the church. This prevents the church from being corrupted, defiled, involved in the sin, and thus being brought low. God gave the church authority to judge a sinning believer because He wants the church to preserve itself in holiness. If the church could be contaminated by a sinning believer, the church should surely judge and remove him. Such a one should not be allowed to remain in the fellowship of the church.
2. “Not to mingle...with such a one not even to eat” (1 Cor. 5:11).
The church judges a sinning believer by removing him from the church, that is, by causing him to be cut off from the fellowship of the church so that he may not mingle with the brothers and sisters, not even to eat with them. On the one hand, this prevents other brothers and sisters from being corrupted by the sinning believer and the church from being defiled. On the other hand, it is a punishment and a discipline to the sinning believer that causes him to suffer, be unhappy, repent, and return. It is not an eternal rejection, which results in his perishing, but a temporary punishment and discipline that causes him to repent. If a believer who is removed repents, the church should forgive him and receive him back in love. This is according to the apostle’s word to the church in Corinth (2 Cor. 2:6-8).
Another exercise of God’s judgment is His judgment of discipline on the believers. Although God wants the church to judge and discipline the believers, there are many problems in the believers that the church cannot touch. For example, a brother might constantly quarrel with his wife, or a sister might frequently lose her temper with her husband. These are not gross, blatant sins like adultery, nor are they the sins spoken of in 1 Corinthians 5, so the church cannot judge and deal with them. Instead, God will reach out His hand to discipline and deal with them. God’s discipline of the believers is a third kind of judgment.
God can exercise the judgment of His discipline on the believers at any time. Whenever God thinks that a believer has a need, He exercises His disciplining judgment.
The judgment of God’s discipline on the believers can occur at any time and in any place. If God thinks it necessary and appropriate, He will exercise the judgment of His discipline.
1. “‘Whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom the father does not discipline?” (Heb. 12:6-7).
In His judgment of discipline on the believers, God is the Judge. The believers are the children of God, and God is our Father. All fathers discipline their children. As our Father, God also disciplines. His discipline is proof that He accepts us as His children. Therefore, this judgment is a matter of God’s governmental administration within His household.
1. “If we discerned ourselves, we would not be judged. But being judged by the Lord, we are disciplined” (1 Cor. 11:31-32).
Since God’s disciplinary judgment of the believers is focused on the believers, the ones being judged are believers. However, if we discern ourselves first, that is, if we judge ourselves first, we can avoid this disciplinary judgment from God. If we have sinned and do not judge ourselves, God will discipline us by judging us so that we will be corrected by Him to leave our sin.