EXPELLING
The judicial excommunication or disfellowshiping of delinquents from membership and association in a community or organization. With religious societies it is a principle and a right inherent in them and is analogous to the powers of capital punishment, banishment and exclusion from membership that are exercised by political and municipal bodies. In the congregation of God it is exercised to maintain the purity of the organization doctrinally and morally. The exercise of this power is necessary to the continued existence of the organization, and particularly so the Christian congregation. It must remain clean and maintain God’s favor in order to be used by him and to represent him. Otherwise, God would expel or cut off the entire congregation.—Rev. 2:5; 1 Cor.5:5, 6.
JEHOVAH’S ACTION
Jehovah God took expelling or disfellowshiping action in numerous instances. He sentenced Adam to death and drove him and his wife Eve out of the garden of Eden. (Gen. 3:19, 23, 24) Cain was banished and became a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth. (Gen. 4:11, 14, 16) The angels that sinned were thrown into Tartarus, a condition of dense darkness in which they are reserved for judgment. (2 Pet. 2:4) Twenty-three thousand fornicators were cut off from Israel in one day. (1 Cor. 10:8) Achan was put to death at Jehovah’s command for stealing that which was devoted to Jehovah. (Josh. 7:15, 20, 21, 25) Korah the Levite and Dathan and Abiram of the tribe of Reuben were cut off for rebellion, and Miriam was stricken with leprosy from which she would have died if Moses had not pleaded for her. As it was, she was expelled from the camp of Israel under quarantine seven days.—Num. 16:27, 32, 33, 35; 12:10, 13-15.
UNDER THE MOSAIC LAW
For serious or deliberate violations of God’s law given through Moses a person could be cut off, that is, put to death. (Lev. 7:27; Num. 15:30, 31) Apostasy, idolatry, adultery, eating blood, and murder were among the offenses carrying this penalty.—Deut. 13:12-18; Lev. 20:10; 17:14; Num. 35:31.
Under the Law, for the penalty of cutting off to be inflicted, evidence had to be established at the mouth of at least two eyewitnesses. (Deut. 19:15) These witnesses were required to be the first ones to stone the guilty one. (Deut. 17:7) This would demonstrate their zeal for God’s law and the purity of the congregation of Israel and would also be a deterrent to false, careless or hasty testimony.
The Sanhedrin and synagogues
During Jesus’ earthly ministry the synagogues served as courts for trying violators of Jewish law. The Sanhedrin was the highest court. Under Roman rule the Jews did not have the latitude of authority that they had enjoyed under theocratic government. They could not always administer the death penalty, because of restrictions by the Romans. The Jewish synagogues had a system of excommunication or disfellowshiping that had three steps or three names. The first step was the penalty of nid·duyʹ, which was for a relatively short time, initially only thirty days. A person under this penalty was prohibited from enjoying certain privileges. He could go to the temple but there he was restricted in certain ways, and all besides his own family were commanded to stay at a distance of four cubits (about 6 feet or 2 meters) from him. The second step was hheʹrem, meaning something devoted to God, or “a ban.” This was a more severe judgment. The offender could not teach or be taught in the company of others and perform any commercial transactions beyond purchasing the necessities of life. However, he was not altogether cast out of the Jewish organization and there was a chance for him to come back. Finally, there was sham·ma·thaʼʹ, an entire cutting off from the congregation. Some believe the last two forms of excommunication were undistinguishable from one another.
One who was cast out as wicked, cut off entirely, would be considered worthy of death, though the Jews might not always have the authority to execute such a one. Nevertheless, the form of cutting off they did employ was a very powerful weapon in the Jewish community. Jesus foretold that his followers would be expelled from the synagogues. (John 16:2) Fear of being expelled kept some of the Jews, even the rulers, from confessing Jesus. (John 12:42) An example of such action by the synagogue was the case of the healed blind man who spoke favorably of Jesus.—John 9:34.
CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION
Based on the principles of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Greek Scriptures by command and precedent authorize expulsion or disfellowshiping from the Christian congregation. The apostle Paul, with the authority vested in him, ordered the expulsion of an incestuous fornicator who had taken his father’s wife. (1 Cor. 5:5, 11, 13) He also exercised disfellowshiping authority against Hymenaeus and Alexander. (1 Tim. 1:19, 20) Diotrephes, however, was apparently trying to exercise disfellowshiping action wrongly.—3 John 9, 10.
Jesus gave full instructions to his followers as to procedure on handling cases of sin in the congregation and indicated that it could result in one’s being expelled, so that the individual would be to the congregation “just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.” (Matt. 18:15-17) Tax collectors were much looked down upon; many were extortioners. A Jew who was a tax collector was considered a renegade, classed with “sinners.” (Mark 2:16) Of course, Jesus and his disciples were then still under the Law, but in principle the same procedure continued to guide the Christian congregation. It might be remarked here that, by the “congregation,” Jesus did not mean that the entire membership sat in judgment of the offender; the responsible ones in charge did this. His disciples were familiar with the fact that it was the elders or the “court of justice” or of the “Supreme Court” that did the judging.—Matt. 5:22.
Some of the offenses that could merit disfellowshiping from the Christian congregation are fornication, adultery, homosexuality, greed, extortion, thievery, lying, drunkenness, reviling, spiritism, murder, idolatry, apostasy and the causing of divisions in the congregation. (1 Cor. 5:9-13; 6:9, 10; Titus 3:10, 11; Rev. 21:8) In the last-mentioned case, one promoting a sect should be warned the first and second time before such disfellowshiping action is taken against him. In the Christian congregation, the principle enunciated in the Law applies, namely, that two or three witnesses must establish evidence against the accused one. (1 Tim. 5:19) Those who have been convicted of a practice of sin will be exposed before the entire congregation as practicing conduct not befitting a Christian, “that the rest also may have fear.”—1 Tim. 5:20.
Other restrictions
Similar to the penalty less severe than expulsion as practiced in the Jewish synagogues, the Christian congregation is also authorized by Scripture to impose restrictions on those who are disorderly and not walking correctly but who are not deemed deserving of complete expulsion. Paul wrote the Thessalonian congregation concerning such: “Stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed. And yet do not be considering him as an enemy, but continue admonishing him as a brother.”—2 Thess. 3:6, 11, 13-15.
By exercising this God-given authority the congregation keeps itself clean and in good standing before God.
Reinstatement
Those who have been expelled may be received back into the congregation if they manifest sincere repentance. (2 Cor. 2:5-8) This also is a protection to the congregation, preventing it from being overreached by Satan in swinging from condoning wrongdoing to the other extreme, becoming harsh and unforgiving.—2 Cor. 2:10, 11.
For expelling of demons, see SPIRITISM.