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WHY WE CANNOT IGNORE
UNFAITHFULNESS TO THE LORD
A man who was
intent on being unfaithful to the Lord once told me, "I'm not hurting
anyone but myself. Leave me alone, and quit bothering me about attending
the church services," he said.
The Devil has really convinced many irresponsible brethren that
they have a right to go to Hell "unbothered" by others who wish to
rescue them. Never mind the admonition of Scripture to the faithful that
"if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore
such a one in the spirit of gentleness" (Gal. 6:1). The easy course
for the faithful is to ignore the unfaithful. Some churches do this as a
matter of policy, in fact. Some brethren want to be a part of
"fellowship" which quickly looks the other way if sin and unfaithfulness
is the path a brother or sister is taking. But both brethren and
churches who operate in such a fashion have completely missed what a
church is all about.
Discipline, both instructive and corrective, is almost defunct in
many places. The unfaithful brother walks away into obscurity, wishing
to be ignored, forgotten, and left "unbothered." Some churches are all
too eager to accommodate his unrighteous desire. You see, it is much
easier to remove his name from our directory than it is to roll up our
sleeves, go to work on his problem, shed tears over his unfaithfulness,
and save his soul from Hell. The sad fact is that if we ignore the
erring brother and give him the quiet exit he wants, we are no better
off than he is. It is a serious thing to ignore our brother's sin. We
enable him to be unfaithful by turning our heads. We fail to do what we
are expected to do by our Father. In short, we fail to be our
"brother's keeper" (Gen. 4:9).
Cain made the mistake of thinking that he was not responsible for
the welfare and whereabouts of his brother. The very nature of
brotherhood suggests responsibility for those who have come from the
same womb. When a child is born into God's family he has mothers,
fathers, sisters, and brothers who must now take responsibility for his
care. No earthly family would ignore a member walking away from the
circle of love which binds a family together. Why then, does it happen
so frequently in the family of God?
Let us be reminded that Gal. 6:1 was not just addressed to
the elders of the church. Certainly, as shepherds of the flock, they
have a responsibility to keep the sheep together and in the fold.
Shepherds who are asleep and allow the sheep to be scattered receive
scathing rebukes for doing so in Ezek. 34:1-10. Indeed, they do
have a special responsibility to "watch for souls" (Heb. 13:17).
But all members who are "spiritual" are charged with the same
responsibility of restoring the erring. "Brethren if anyone among you
wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he
who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death
and cover a multitude of sins." (Jas. 5:19,20).
When you became a part of this local church, you were asking for
love, acceptance, care and discipline. It's what makes us a family.
Please understand that if you choose to walk away from our fellowship
that we cannot ignore your behavior. Our love for you, for your soul,
and our concern for your eternal welfare will not allow us to look the
other way if you fall headlong into sin.
---- Mark White, via.
Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 26, July 1, 2007.
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