Disfellowshipping Scriptures – Discussion

I want to explore each of these and link them together as there is a natural progression. Give me some time (I always seem to be saying that) and I’ll get to it. I’d like to know what everybody else thinks on it too….

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(1 Corinthians 5:9-13) In my letter I wrote YOU to quit mixing in company with fornicators, 10 not [meaning] entirely with the fornicators of this world or the greedy persons and extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, YOU would actually have to get out of the world. 11 But now I am writing YOU to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do YOU not judge those inside, 13 while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked [man] from among yourselves.”

(2 Thessalonians 3:6-15) Now we are giving YOU orders, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition YOU received from us. 7 For YOU yourselves know the way YOU ought to imitate us, because we did not behave disorderly among YOU 8 nor did we eat food from anyone free. To the contrary, by labor and toil night and day we were working so as not to impose an expensive burden upon any one of YOU. 9 Not that we do not have authority, but in order that we might offer ourselves as an example to YOU to imitate us. 10 In fact, also, when we were with YOU, we used to give YOU this order: “If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.” 11 For we hear certain ones are walking disorderly among YOU, not working at all but meddling with what does not concern them. 12 To such persons we give the order and exhortation in [the] Lord Jesus Christ that by working with quietness they should eat food they themselves earn. 13 For YOUR part, brothers, do not give up in doing right. 14 But if anyone is not obedient to our word through this letter, keep this one marked, stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed. 15 And yet do not be considering him as an enemy, but continue admonishing him as a brother.

(2 John 7-11) For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Look out for yourselves, that YOU do not lose the things we have worked to produce, but that YOU may obtain a full reward. 9 Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. He that does remain in this teaching is the one that has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to YOU and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into YOUR homes or say a greeting to him. 11 For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.

(1 John 2:22) Who is the liar if it is not the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one that denies the Father and the Son.

(1 Corinthians 4:6) Now, brothers, these things I have transferred so as to apply to myself and A·pol´los for YOUR good, that in our case YOU may learn the [rule]: “Do not go beyond the things that are written,” in order that YOU may not be puffed up individually in favor of the one against the other.

(Matthew 18:15-17) “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, in order that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.

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17 Comments on Scriptures relevant to “Disfellowshipping”

  1. Tony says:

    Hello there brother, and it is good to see another one join the ranks of the many voices that are now on-line testifying to some of the Watchtower Society’s deceptive teachings and maltreatment of Christ’s sheep.

    I myself have being disfellowship now for speaking to some about some of the things that I have learned about issues within the congregation and also not accepting that God’s household has being inspected as yet and “the faithful slave” being appointed over all of Christ’s belongings.

    This conclusion I came to after about a year’s research into “old light” from the Watchtower Society’s literature of the early past of it’s beginnings and before the Bible students became know as Jehovah’s witnesses.

    As well as that I had done a fair bit of personal study of the scriptures and also came across sites such as Perimeno, the Watchman’s Post, Jehovah’s Witnesses Reformation Movement, paradise cafe forum, e-Jehovah witnesses forum, Worship Jehovah site, among the few that I looked at as well as some Bible student sites as well, which have a lot of Biblical information as well as information of the Watchtower Society’s past.

    I also stated to download different versions of the Bible as well as obtaining a few hard bound versions as well.

    I found the scripture analyzer interlinear, a very use tool as well in resolving the proper meaning of words and phrases.

    But also I came across many disillusioned and confused Jehovah’s Witnesses, who do not really understand how an organization could control the “truth” so much and even go to the extent to persecute those who do not completely agree with Watchtower Society teachings, even if these teachings are changed after-wards anyhow.

    So as a result their are many, many lost sheep out there wandering around without a proper shepherd and direction.

    Many of the professed anointed class of Jehovah’s Witnesses have also found themselves outside the confines of the organization for matters of their faith and understanding of the goings on in God’s household.

    Some have discovered a reliance on God’s Holy Spirit to help them understand Bible truths and to help them cope with their own exile from the organization and others have resorted to other Christian groups or churches to satisfy their spirituality and their need for association with those who love Jesus and God.

    I sincerely believe that a time will come when Jesus Christ will really return to inspect his household and set things straight and unite all those who are true Christians into the one household and the blessings will follow there of for these ones.

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    • jacqueline says:

      Hi Tony,
      I enjoyed your comment. Ezekiel 34:3-6 talks about shepherds that have mistreated the flock. Anointed ones have been imbued with Holy Spirit to speak out. I noticed the hurt in families. It prompted me to write the articles about How to leave to avoid losing your family, FADING on the http://www.friendsofjehovahswitneses website.
      75% of the Bible Student left the Watchtower by 1929-30. The other 25%or so went with Rutherford, he had the money. He seized control. He changed the name to JW to distinguish them from the various BS groups. My grandfather was associated in 1905, my mother went with the witnesses in 1948 or so and there was enmity between the 2 of them until grandfather died in 1966.
      The original BS handle disfellowshipping entirely different. #1 you won’t hardly find one being disfellowshipped.
      On the matter of apostasy disfellowshipping. 2John 9,10 The bible is talking about one coming with something other than Christ, all of us accept Christ. The society says this applies to something other than what the watchtower teaches. This is another one of their misapplication of scripture. The average witness sitting there will not catch it. I use the 8 translation Bible by Tyndale to search scripture. The NWT slants it toward witness doctrine.
      I don’t mean to push another website as we are getting and posting info from this site. We are Brothers. But rus virgil has a very good post on disfellowshipping on the friends of Jehovah witnesses website.An it takes to much out of me to retype it here.
      Almost every one is complaining about the GB,the mistreatment of God’s people and doctrines that cause injury and harm to God’s people. We who can help must not remain silent. Holy Spirit enables us to speak an as some anointed know, you just can’t fight it. You have to Speak!
      Everyone here Peace to you, and Thanks again ADMINISTRATOR for going out on a limb and providing this site.
      The Bible Students are going to start a live call in once a week, for witnesses. We need to get this straight as to how the society got to their policies on DF. This was not the case from the beginning of the BS.
      I know the past is not that important but the children of the original BS are willing to talk live. Some of the Chicago class were actually in the meeting when the society took over. They are old now and precious. The Rutherford started with the biggest groups first in the takeover . The Chicago class was one of the first.
      Oh, by the way, the society is (allegedly)liquidating assets and as they say they have been appointed over all hius belongings, including KH and other tangibles. This is all about money and their not losing control over the billions in property.
      Thank you for letting me vent a little. It feels good knowing you guys are not going to DF me (:)

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    • pam says:

      Get your spelling & grammar right Tony – or your message – such as it is – is completely lost
      By the way – your message is complete crap…

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      • miscreant droid says:

        Hi Pam,

        A slew of dashes tain’t no appropriate grammar neither.

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        • Rupunzelsawake says:

          Tony’s message was spot on. Funny, he was right. The “faithful and discreet slave” have now NOT been appointed over “all the masters belongings”. See July 15 2013 WT. And to think he was disfellowshipped over this. The faithful and discreet slave open themselves up to being found the “evil” slave.

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  2. andrew says:

    Notice in 1 cor. 5:11 when it says” Quit mixing in company”, the greek word used there is sunanamignusthai. Now compare 2 Thess 3:14 where it says “stop associating” it is the same word. Therefore we can assume Paul was talking about the same topic or same punishment. Verse 15 says we should admonish him as a brother. In order to do that we must talk to him and continue treating him as a brother. We would just limit our association with him, not go to the extreme of not even greeting him.

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    • Jayme says:

      Thanks Andrew, This is a good point! I had never realized this before.

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    • Kay says:

      I’m being a bit thick here….. can you explain this a bit more please. My daughter has been refused reinstatement because she attended her df’d brothers wedding as a part of his wedding party. I also attended so I am now waiting for the axe to fall.

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  3. greybeard says:

    That is a great point Andrew! To bad they totally ignore that.

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  4. bruceguth says:

    Since this is on the subject, I would like to share an interesting bit of historical research. It is not because I have to justify myself, in case anyone wonders.

    The point: One sin that could be practiced that would warrant a brother being set apart from a congregation is fornication, (pornea). I am furnishing a link here for anyone to examine. This is a rather exhaustive examination over what that word meant in the first centure, when the Christian Scriptures were written. What this reveals will no doubt surprise you. If you follow all of it, page by page, I am sure you will draw the same conclusion. This word wasn’t defined with current meanings until after the Council of Nicea, by the imposing Church.

    I would be interested to see some replies here.
    Question: Is fornication “premarital sex”?

    The link: http://goldenrule.name/Fornication_ENGLISH/

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    • andrew says:

      One could make the case that a couple engaged to be married who have premarital sex is not the same as adultery. Under the Mosaic Law adulterers were executed. If a man had premarital sex with a woman he had to marry her and pay a price to her father. (Ex. 22:16,17) It would be a sin but not as grave as adultery or prostitution.

      However this in no way justifies immoral acts on the part of a Christian. If a couple engaged to be married fell into premarital sex, it would seem God would extend considerable mercy. This would be quite different from somebody who although not married engaged in premarital sex with multiple partners. By having sexual relations a man and a woman become one flesh. If premarital sex was not a sin why would Paul say in 1 Cor. 7:8,9 ” I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. 9 But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.”?
      According to this text the only legitimate way to satisfy sexual desire is by marriage.

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  5. bruceguth says:

    I appreciate the reply Andrew. I have given this subject considerable thought, and there are many other considerations with this word as well. First, let’s go through this which you presented:

    “One could make the case that a couple engaged to be married who have premarital sex is not the same as adultery.”

    Yes, that’s right. Prostitution is pornea, and adultery is where at least one party steps outside the bounds of marriage, whether with or without a certificate of marriage in place; more than one sexual mate.

    “Under the Mosaic Law adulterers were executed. If a man had premarital sex with a woman he had to marry her and pay a price to her father. (Ex. 22:16,17)”…

    …which reads, (NWT): “Now in case a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and he actually lies down with her, he is to obtain her without fail as his wife for the purchase price. If her father flatly refuses to give her to him, he is to pay over the money at the rate of purchase money for virgins.”

    So there was provision for the father who loses his daughter to her fiance, properly, since they must have marriage as an objective, i.e., an engagement.

    “It would be a sin but not as grave as adultery or prostitution.”

    How a sin?
    Is that what Paul says here, which you quote?:
    “But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.”. So the prolonged burning with desire could mean difficulties, as we are all aware of. The apostle also said that Christians should mary rather than go to prostitution. Similar thought, though different.

    “However this in no way justifies immoral acts on the part of a Christian.”

    Right. Things like those that are apparent from God’s words. This anything – goes “free sex” stuff in the world is not respectful toward God, nor is it discreet.

    “If a couple engaged to be married fell into premarital sex, it would seem God would extend considerable mercy.”

    It would seem that premarital sex as a couple who have promised marriage to each other is not condemned in God’s sight. Yes. He is a merciful God who understands, and expects us to honor his purpose for having both male and female children on Earth. Even this restriction that men have placed over each other has been just one more example of the fact that man keeps ruling man to his injury, and that it does not belong to man to direct even his own step.

    “This would be quite different from somebody who although not married engaged in premarital sex with multiple partners. By having sexual relations a man and a woman become one flesh.”

    I completely agree.

    “If premarital sex was not a sin why would Paul say in 1 Cor. 7:8,9 ” I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. 9 But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.”?”

    True.

    “According to this text the only legitimate way to satisfy sexual desire is by marriage.”

    Not exactly, when we think out of the religious box.

    I appreciate the prudent approach that one will naturally take to this subject, Andrew. I have been of the same mind, when uninformed over the correct meaning of pornea.

    Some other factors that a christian needs to bear in mind here are:

    That fathers give their children responsible direction on such matters when they are old enough to understand. Today, the largest numbers of children who are first affected by some sort of child sex abuse are in the 8-10 y.o. age bracket, (not in the teens).

    They need to know the real bible prohabitions regarding this moral subject.

    Any with authority in the congregation on such matters, (which is rightly the whole congregation), need to use God’s Word for any judgments and directions.

    And of course, we have the culture around us to consider so as not to stumble others, if it’s any of their business to begin with.

    When I learned the accurate definition of pornea Andrew, I had to repent to Jehovah, since I was involved in disfellowshipping a young JW sister wrongly. Many have been wrongly disfellowshipped the same way. Perhaps if such matters would have been presented to “the congregation”, as a whole, as God’s word directs, there could have been a better balance in judgement. I don’t know. Live and learn.

    Daniel

    P.S.- More to consider on this, but I would like hearing from some others as well. Thank you.

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  6. bruceguth says:

    The Watchtower commented on the sin of lying in a discussion 60+ years ago. I no longer have my home library to quote from. But the point was made that was a sensible one, and not pharisee-like with it’s judgment-call. The point was that if a man lies once in a great while, as a slip in the tongue, which he would no doubt correct where reasonably possible, is that man constituted before God as a liar? The subject addressed what constitutes being a liar. Their conclusion was sensible. No. That does not mean he is a liar, since it is not the practicing of telling untruths and deceptions. It was not discussed in order to justify lying, and was disuading the practice of lying.

    Similarly, the NWT takes this approach to 1 Cor. 7:2, “…yet because of prevalence of fornication, let each man have his own wife and each woman have her own husband.”

    First, fornication was prevalent in the first century world. It is prevalent in this same old world today. It can sneak up on a man in a deceptive way, as Proverbs 6 and 7 are clear on. 4 traits are drawn on of the strange woman. And nowadays, a man often easily gets hooked for other provisions than just money by smooth, cunning, boisterous, and stubborn women. But the point to this word prevalence being used here: this word occurs as “temptation” in the Amplified Bible, (which sometimes helps to get the sense of the Greek term, when it doesn’t ramble much), and in the NWT Interlinear it reads literally: “through but the fornications…”, indicating that a christian may have been caught this way. Then the point is to get married to the sister, with their honorable intention.

    The reason I draw a comparison on these two separate matters, is this. Shall a steward of the Lord beat on other servants of the Lord, small or great?

    Over a lie he told last year?

    Over premarital relations of this pre-marriage type? Don’t even the nations exercise sensibility in this? Does a Christian have balance better than the self-righteous Pharisees and those who came into the early Congregation to plunder? Harlotry was the thing to avoid, and extreme examples, as the case of the man removed for screwing around with his father’s wife. Right? Even the nations would be put off with that.

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  7. bruceguth says:

    “Scriptures Relevant To Disfellowshipping”

    It was 1975. There was a new congregation, and I was one of the elders. A friend in the congregation whom I dearly loved was new “in the truth”, and I would speak with him over his struggles sometimes. One night after 10, I was at home and in bed alone, and praying deeply for my brother. In a moment the phone rang and I answered. He said mildly, “Dan, were you just praying for me?”. I said “why do you ask…?”. He said “I could tell, by Jehovah’s spirit.”
    Not long after that, he had been practicing something that the Scriptures do not have anything to say against, but it could have resulted in disfellowshipping. So he brought up the “problem” to me, and I counseled him as I could on it. But he and his wife couldn’t see the problem.
    So we had to form a committee to “handle” it. The outcome was that they simply could not accept the wrongness, without any anger or opposition to us, just deep worry. They just went away, to die off from association, awaiting the letter from us.
    Within a month of this meeting, the story hit the newspapers of his death. He had blown his brains out. His wife and their toddler son were the survivors.

    If you would like a scripture relevant to disfellowshipping,
    here is one:
    Ezekiel 22:1-7.

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    • andrew says:

      That is a sad experience, Daniel. I think all of us that were once elders regret decisions we thought we had to make because of the direction of the organization.
      Disfellowshipping as is practiced among JWs isn’t scriptural nor loving as this article points out.

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  8. bruceguth says:

    No, it is usually not Andrew. That’s right.

    We can go on and carry the burden with us, or we can have a heart-wrenching talk with our Maker and go on, realizing that Jesus’ yoke is kindly, and his load is light. But there has to be a time to repent. If only I could recompense. But this is where the grace comes in. And I will too, in the Kingdom, if my Brother will have me. Abba! Father. In Your Son!

    Thank you Andrew…

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  9. Reader says:

    Dear All;
    If a former brother/sister is given up to the “world”, it cannot make them less than the “world” in general around them.
    Perhaps this is not being carried out the same way in all places, but I have been faded awhile; some of the things I have read here alarm me vis; constructed divorce.
    A disfellowshipped relative is basically “demoted to the condition of, unbelieving relative” and a disfellowshipped mate to the condition of, unbelieving mate. To construct a divorce on such a basis is an anathema to Christian teaching: “what God has yoked together let NO MAN put apart.” There; the King said it!
    Matthew 19 v 6
    Anyone reccomending such a practice is teaching Adultery in the congregation. [Thyatira]
    The remaining Brother or Sister who remarries on that basis and the new mate commit Adultery and live in adultery.
    Matthew 19 v 9 stress indentity and authority on first word.
    B

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