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 Bro.
Turner:
When
one church disfellowships an erring member, are all other
churches bound to honor the action?
PA
Reply:
If
the querist means “bound” by the scriptures, making it their
duty as Christians to accept the actions of another church, or
its elders, the answer is, “NO!”
I
grew up with a different answer ringing in my ears. Highly
respected bro. David Lipscomb wrote, ‘Where a man commits a
wrong, he ought to be disciplined or dealt with for that wrong,
and all other churches are under solemn obligation to abide by
the action of that church. When the church acts as God directs,
the decision of the church is the decision of God.” (Queries
and Answers, 4th. Ed., 1918, pp. 137)
Now
God only “directs” in one way: i.e., through His written
words. The “decisions” of God are, therefore, those things
set forth by inspiration through direct command or statements,
approved examples, or necessary implications or inference. I
readily agree that men, as subjects of the law, are forced to
reach conclusions relative to interpreting or applying that law
to a given case; but I must flatly deny that human judgements or
conclusions become, thereupon, equivalent to a divine mandate.
It
is useless to quibble, “But we mean in those cases where the
decision is exactly the will of God.” The only way we can know
it is the will of God, is for God to reveal this in His word. If
this has been done, the matter was already settled before the
church or
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elders came into the picture. But if
the conclusions of the church are human judgements regarding the
application of God’s word to a given situation, these
judgements are subject to error, and are NOT bound (as revealed
“faith”, Jude 3) on any.
Or,
will some argue that elders or “the church” are infallible
interpreters? Surely we are not thinking this thing through to
logical consequences.
May
elders make decisions? Certainly so. “Oversight” “shepherding”
or “rule” necessitates certain “decision making” (Acts
20:28 1 Pet. 5:2-f) and the congregation accepts certain men as
meeting divinely established qualifications, to serve in this
capacity. But their oversight is limited to the single church
selecting them. Their “judgements” must have the same scope
or limitations, and even there — never be regarded as the
voice of God. This is not being “disrespectful” to
elders; it is simply a sincere effort to show the necessary
respect for God.
When
one church “disfellowships” a member, who then seeks to be
accepted in-good-standing with another group; he should be urged
to first make corrections of his errors at his “home”
church. It is a fair assumption that the bishops and members
there would be in the best position to reach conclusions
concerning his condition. We are not saying their conclusions
are infallible, nor are they “bound” upon us as “decisions
of Cod.” If the issue is pressed, the second church
must act its own decision.
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