Reflections on Day 4 of the Council
I am very pleased with the canon that was agreed upon at yesterday’s meeting. I think it is necessary for the lapsed Christians to receive some sort of punishment so they could understand the severity of what they did. However, I do not think that their actions should prohibit them from receiving the forgiveness of the church and being allowed to fellowship with us. I do agree with the points that Caecilianus made about Christians showing forgiveness, therefore it is necessary that the lapsed Christians are allowed to re-enter the church. I know some people thought that the church should not impose any sort of punishment upon the lapsed because they sinned against God, therefore only God has the right to punish them. This is a good point, but the lapsed Christians turned their backs on the church as well. They betrayed the church by turning over scriptures that we use in our services to the Romans. The church has to protect its community and ensure that nobody is being corrupt or having bad influences on other members because they do not take our faith seriously. God calls us to be good stewards of what is entrusted to us while we are here on earth. In Titus 1:7-9 it says, “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach… He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it”. As leaders of the church God has given us the authority to rebuke those who contradict the word of God like the lapsed Christians. God entrusts the church to us, therefore we have to ensure that it is functioning properly and people are treating it with proper respect.