Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

This question is from a reader regarding the uses of Matthew the eighteen chapter, and Paul speaking about disfellowship in his letter to the Corinthian's in first Corinthian. The reader had heard on the internet that Paul's writing about this matter were not inspired by Holy Spirit, and should not be used or considered by religious people.

We hope this is helpful too our readers? Moreover, if you have further questions feel free in asking we understand this is a complex subject that may need to be explained further:

This is a complex subject because we naturally go down the road of law, being the law is good and righteous its hard for the fleshly minded person to consider anything else, but we must to understand this subject of disfellowshiping under the laws of the Jews, and than in the early Christian's congregation in the body of Christ Jesus.

Galatians 5:9 A little yeast grows through the whole lump.

First, I will state that what organized religion practice today in disfellowshiping, and/or excommunication is not what the apostle Paul spoke too, or practiced among the congregation of God's anointed followers in the first century, but why? The first step is absolutely critical in understanding this subject, and that is the flesh is dead in Christ for God's anointed. In other words, without understanding this very fundamental primary doctrine of Christ the subject cannot be understood properly.

Heb. 6:1 Therefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection--not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, 6:2 of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
6:3 This will we do, if God permits.

The desire of the flesh are not dead in God's anointed, but God's judgment against the flesh is dead. There is a vast difference between the two! God does not see our sinful flesh as alive to his judgment, it is dead with Christ, removing our deserved judgment through YHWH's laws!

Rom.7:4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit to God.

Starting at this point one has to separated the flesh from the spirit as Paul did, something fleshly minded people cannot do. If the flesh has no judgment in God's eyes because it is dead too his judgment how than does one go back, or created a law to judge such matters without rescinding the very life of Christ Jesus?

1Cor.5:3 For I most certainly, as being absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as though I were present, judged him who has done this thing. 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:5 are to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

In other words, going back to the headship of the Old Law brings sin and/or yeast into the body of Christ, fermenting the whole lump yeast free unleavened bread, which is the life of Christ Jesus found in each body member? which life frees us from God's judgment of sin in our flesh?

1Cor.5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump? 5:7 Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.

Notice what Paul did, he did not go out of the headship of Christ, but went under it by allowing Christ to hand such a man over too whom, Satan, and for what? The destruction of the spirit or flesh? The flesh, which is not judged by God because of Christ righteous sinless life removing its judgment. The very spirit of Christ indwelt each member within the body of Christ, that is, the entire congregation Paul was speaking too in Corinthian's it was a joint effort by the one spirit of Christ that such action was taken, but it was not done through a law written in the ten commandments, or on paper from some organized religion.

Ephesians 4:16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

Paul did not go back to yeast, convicting the body of Christ Jesus as a evil person needing laws for convicting sins freed from, certainly as some wanted to do. Lets us always remember in reading Paul's words, he was dealing with issues of weak fleshly minded Christian's whom were wanting too judge by laws dead in Christ.

Rom.7:6 But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

Moreover, the point is, if one is freed of sin, than practices things the world finds evil, what is the point of being freed in Christ righteous life? However, its not the other way around as legally minded Christian's think, which is, God distrust his children, and stacks on them laws after law convicting sinless people of sin, no! God trust in love, the law of Christ, as never failing. How has he trusted in love? Simply put, by the life of Christ as our high priest that will complete our faith in love, by what? God love freed us from our deserved judgment of our sinful flesh in the life of Christ this is God's love. His giving us the sinless life of Christ Jesus so we may struggle in our flesh perfecting our faith in love rather than laws convicting us of sin.

Rom. 7:11 for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 7:12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. 7:13 Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceeding sinful. 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 7:15 For I don't know what I am doing. For I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. 7:16 But if what I don't desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good. 7:17 So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good. 7:19 For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice.
7:20 But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:21 I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present. 7:22 For I delight in God's law after the inward man, 7:23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.
7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, the sin's law.

We are convicted of sin by being born from Adam, there is no questioning that, why? Because we all die! Now that we are convicted how can we become unconvicted? There is only one way by being born again into a new life without sin, freeing us from the judgment of sin. We must die in Christ, that is, to our deserved judgment. Once raised into the newness of his life, freed from sin, and its judgment we have no sin accounted against us from our fallen flesh dead in Christ.

Rom.8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.{NU omits "who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit"} 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death

Now the law is fulfilled, completed, set aside, hence, abolishing our judgment of the law. Subsequently, what Christ spoke to in Matthew in the eighteenth chapter was the rules under the Old law convicting one of sin, not the law of Christ Jesus. This is why Paul did not allude to Christ words found in Matthew the eighteenth chapter any where within his writings.

Rom.8:4 that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 8:6 For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.
8:8 Those who are in the flesh can't please God.

Paul was not going to bring the yeast of the Old law into the body of Christ, which body members function as one body under the law of Christ, love. Christ would deal with his own body intimately as cherished and loved. Not as a harsh dictator of some impersonal governmental/religion that kills people because of laws created for punishing sin.

Eph.5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; 5:26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 5:27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 5:28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 5:29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly; 5:30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.

Christ is the head of the body for each member these members are formed not by human hands, but the hands of God. No credit will be given to men in their fleshly minded judgments enforcing law designed to kill the Spirit of God corrupting the kingdom of God with evil thoughts of yeast.

Luke 12:1 Meanwhile, when a multitude of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they trampled on each other, he began to tell his disciples first of all, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Now if anyone thinks such is practices in today's legal corporate religion(s) than they are simply mislead. What we have today is massive religious institutions filled with people of the flesh, weed Christian's, and not the body of Christ. They are legally minded people whom walk by sight of their religion and their laws. Disciplining the flesh by law of sin dead in Christ, that is, law convicting them as a sinners. They have not crucified their flesh by being dead in Christ. They are instead dealing with the flesh because they are fleshly people thinking righteousness comes from such disciplining of their flesh through works of law.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.

The anointed righteousness comes too them by being dead in Christ, and his life indwelling them not by meeting laws that promote and convict sin, conversly, the life of Christ Jesus freeing them from sin and its judgments. They are sinless in Christ completing all laws of sin. In other words, keeping it simple, if a person is sinless than there is only one law, love. The fact of being sinless proves they need no laws for sinners!

Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh can't please God.

Subsequently, if a congregation of God's anointed must enforce laws dead in Christ than such is an admission they are not in, or of Christ Jesus. Christ life lives through God's anointed it is not a dead work written upon paper as a law of nations or a religious corporation. Christ is the living law of love inscribed upon hearts of God's children they need no one to teach them about righteousness, for they have the righteousness of Christ indwelling them.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

If one must go to leavened bread of law to discipline God's children than they have created a lump of yeast dead in Christ. They have polluted the very precious life of Christ with distrust of evil created for the wicked by laws of sin. If one has such little faith that Christ, and God is weak in discipline his children chosen from the founding of our world than the Kingdom of God has been entrusted to human hands of corruption, and we might as will eat and drink with the nations for we are the most foolish of men on earth!

1Tim1:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man uses it lawfully,
1:9 as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 1:10 for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the fulfillment{or, completion, or end} of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.