Demolishing strongholds in Church, ready to punish every disobedience

The passage we're  considering  (2 Corinthians 10:3-6),  ends with “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (v.6).  This verse points to the need for church discipline,  but  only after obedience is “fulfilled.”  A clue is found in 11:4, “For if  anyone preaches another Jesus ...,  or if you receive a different spirit .....  or gospel ..... you may well put up with it!”  We can discern three things here, that   firstly doctrinal error (thoughts captive, another gospel), secondly lack of obedience,  and thirdly    receiving a different spirit.  How to deal with what, and when, is not always black and white, and we need to make sure we don't get love and truth out of balance

 There are passages where we the wicked person should be expelled (1 Corinthians 5:13).  But “the servant of the Lord must ....tbe gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance” (2 Timothy 2:24, 25).  Consider someone who insists on twisting a clear “no” of Scripture into a “yes”  (2 Peter 3:16), and teaches it. This is a different spirit, and 1 Corinthians 5:13 applies. But since all true discipline is about reconciliation he should be let back if and when appropriate  (2 Corinthians 2:7). But what do you do about  a new convert who is married, living with another man, has children from multiple partners,  and there's now stability with the children,  calling the latest one “Daddy”?  When we take the gospel into the darkest of places, it's bound to be messy. But  “Where there are no oxen, the stall is clean” (Proverbs 14:4).

May times we need the Spirit of the Lord to guide us (James 1:5).  Do we answer a fool according to his folly,  or not (see  2 September post)?   We need to leave room for people to come to terms with their sin. With regard our obedience being fulfilled,  there are so many clear commands we tend to ignore. Some examples, confess your faults one to another, if your brother sins against you go to him  ... if he will not hear the church, treat him like a tax collector, come out from among them (James 5:16;  Matthew 18:15ff; 2 Corinthians 6:17).  But we must  also consider the above command to Timothy.  These relational commands are often difficult to discern in terms of, if and when to put them into practice, and they have been abused.  Sometimes they have been adhered to strictly and without love and without leaving room for repentance.  Sometimes there' s a partial but twisted following of the commandment. I have heard Matthew 18:15ff misquoted, for example,  as “If your brother sins against you,  treat him like a tax collector”  This short circuits the whole  point of the passage,  which is about reconciliation. There is much need for clear teaching on these things. 

Father, it's so easy to get love and truth out of balance. We need to be  wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  Thank You for Your promise,  that when we lack wisdom and ask You for it,  it will be given (James 1:5). I'm in no position to judge anyone Lord, but there are times we need to obey the difficult commands of Scripture. Help us to do it well Lord, in such a way there can  be no legitimate cause for offence in Jesus Name Amen