Question:
Matthew 18 speaks of the assembly’s authority to judge a person. What aspects of a person should the assembly judge? The assembly should judge if the person is saved, has any moral evil (living in sin) or doctrinal evil (wrong teaching). Fellowship is based on knowledge, and therefore the assembly must know the person before it receives him into the fellowship of the assembly such as the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The assembly must be confident from his life that he is (1) saved—has fellowship with the blood of Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:16, that he (2) knows that he is saved—“know whom I have believed,” 2 Timothy 1:12, is (3) living a godly life—1 Corinthians 5:1-7, has (4) no false teaching—Galatians 5:9, is (5) not associated with what is wrong—2 Corinthians 6:14-18, and that (6) he believes that the Lord desires him to show forth the truth of the one body of all believers by being part of the assembly testimony—1 Corinthians 10:17,18).
Answer: