Why Disfellowshipping Is a Loving Provision

Disfellowshipping protects the clean, Christian congregation.  The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians of the danger of allowing willful sinners to remain in their midst.  He compared the bad influence  of such ones to that of leaven that causes a whole lump of dough to rise.  "A little leaven ferments the whole batch of dough," he noted.  He then counseled them:  "Remove the wicked person from among yourselves." -1 Corinthians 6:6, 11-13. 

Apparently, "the wicked person" mentioned by Paul blatantly practiced immorality. And other congregation members had even begun to justify his conduct.  (1 Corinthians 5:1, 2) If such a gross sin had been condoned, other Christians might have felt inclined to follow the immoral customs of the licentious city in which they lived.  Overlooking willful sins encourages a lax attitude toward divine standards.  (Ecclesiastes 8:11)  Furthermore, unrepentant sinners could become "rocks hidden below water" and shipwreck the faith of others in the congregation. -Jude 4, 12.

Next time: Why Disfellowshipping Is a Loving Provision - Disfellowshipping may bring the wrongdoer to his senses 

From the Watchtower magazine