Article 1, Section 5, Paragraph 2
Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.
Expelling a member
Restoration is the primary objective before punishment.
Expelling a member causes feelings of insecurity among the other members. This awareness of the precarious nature of their position goes far in generating righteous and honorable behavior.
The first punishment inflicted involved expulsion. God had to exclude Adam and Eve from His garden, lest they take advantage of the blessings that it provided.
Genesis 3:22-24, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."
The results of this expulsion generated an awareness of God and His provision. Eve later realized that having a child was a gift from God.
Genesis 4:1, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD."
When she lost a son and had another, she could see God’s wonderful care for her, very different from the results of following the devil (Chrysostom, ECF 2.9.1.7.1.0).
An improper marriage caused the High Priest to be expelled from office.
Nehemiah 13:27-19, "Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?"
This resulted in the people getting things right before God, and putting away their adulterous lifestyle.
The process for dealing with a disorderly member is outlined in Scripture.
Matthew 18:15-17, "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."
The person should be privately confronted by the offended party. There should be a discussion of the problem. If it does not come to a resolution, one or two others are invited to help settle the matter. If that is unsuccessful, the situation is explained to the whole assembly and resolution is sought. If this does not work, then the assembly votes the offender out with a 2/3rds vote.
This gives us practical experience in handling problems for our future eternal inheritance.
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