2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV)
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
From Barnes’ Notes:
“And the idea is, that they should at once re-admit the penitent offender to their communion, lest if they did not do it, Satan would take advantage of it to do injury to him and them. It is a reason given by Paul why they should lose no time in restoring him to the church.
…Even the best and purest efforts of the church are often perverted, as in the case of administering discipline, to the worst results.”
And from John Gill:
“Satan gets an advantage of the churches, when church discipline is brought into neglect and contempt, or turned into tyranny; or when he can draw off any person from a church, or keep him out of it…
…Some of his crafty contrivances and designs are known, though not all of them; and this particularly, that he sometimes transforms himself into an angel of light, and under pretence of showing a just indignation against sin, and keeping up a strict and righteous discipline, destroys souls, ruins churches, and brings religion into contempt.”
In 1 Corinthians, the argument was that the incestuous man must be dealt with and delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh.
In 2 Corinthians, the argument is that this same man—now repentant—must be restored to fellowship in the church.
The warning of the passage is clear: one of Satan’s devices is to harm the church by being overly judgmental against sin.
Recently, someone asked me to explain a statement I made about some Independent Baptists of the 1960s and 1970s. I believe that many of them were not truly Baptist in practice, but rather immersion Methodists. That belief stems from what I know of John Wesley and from observing some of the “militant” Baptists of that era.
Wesley would preach the gospel, form professing believers into societies, and then leave for his next preaching station. When he returned, he would examine those professors:
- Had their language changed?
- Had their dress changed?
- Had their habits changed?
If not, he would expel them from the society.
While I was in Bible college, I was acquainted with an aggressive soul-winning church in Colorado Springs. The church was full almost every service because of their evangelistic zeal. But such aggression often produces false converts. Each Sunday night, the pastor would conduct a public “house cleaning,” confronting those who were not properly conforming to the church’s standards and expelling them “to make room for new converts who would conform.”
Over the years, I have met many who practiced varying degrees of the same approach. It is Methodism—a form of easy believism followed by coercive tactics designed to force conformity. What is often assumed to be spiritual fruit is, in reality, pressure applied to what may be a false profession.
And this, I believe, is precisely Paul’s concern in our text.
Satan can easily gain an advantage over Christ’s churches in one of two ways: by convincing them to become so soft that they have little or no standards, or by pushing them to become so strict that they throw their spiritual babies out with the bathwater.
#NotIgnorantOfHisDevices #BiblicalChurchDiscipline #TruthWithGrace #RestorationNotRuination #GuardingTheLocalChurch
Restoration or Ruin? The Balance Behind Church Discipline
If this passage challenged the way you think about church discipline, I’d like to hear from you.
Leave a comment and share how you’ve seen 2 Corinthians 2:11 lived out—rightly or wrongly—in a local church. Thoughtful, biblical discussion helps sharpen discernment.
For more Bible teaching, articles, and resources focused on strengthening Christ’s churches without compromise, visit marvinmckenzie.org.
For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/
Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more
Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give.
