He therefore continued to have a provision to instill godly fear in the entire congregation by expelling wrongdoers. Dedicated Christians who became unrepentant wrongdoers were to be disfellowshipped.

9. What is disfellowshipping, and what does it accomplish?

⁹ What is involved in disfellowshipping? We find an object lesson in the way a problem was handled in the first century. A Christian in Corinth engaged in immorality with his father’s wife and did not repent, so Paul directed that he be expelled from that congregation. This had to be done to protect the cleanness of God’s people, for “a little leaven ferments the whole lump.” Expelling him would prevent his wickedness from dishonoring both God and His people. The severe discipline of being disfellowshipped might also shock him to his senses and instill in him and the congregation due fear of God.​—1 Corinthians 5:1-13; compare Deuteronomy 17:2, 12, 13.

10. How are God’s servants to respond if someone is disfellowshipped?

¹⁰ The divine command is that if a wicked one is expelled, Christians must “quit mixing in company with [him] . . . , not even eating with such a man.”a He thus is cut off from fellowship, including socializing, with loyal ones who respect and want to walk according to God’s law. Some of them might be relatives outside the immediate family, not a part of the same household. It may be hard for those relatives to apply this divine directive, even as it was not easy for Hebrew parents under the Mosaic Law to share in executing a wicked son. Still, God’s command is clear; thus we can be sure that disfellowshipping is just.​—1 Corinthians 5:1, 6-8, 11; Titus 3:10, 11; 2 John 9-11; see The Watchtower, September 15, 1981, pages 26-31; April 15, 1988, pages 28-31.