Cast Out

As I listened to D&C 42 today, the section giving “the law” of the Church, I was surprised to hear the phrase “cast out” used so often to describe the wicked.  The Lord specifically states that those who steal, lie, lust after a woman, commit adultery, or in general sin will be “cast out” unless they repent (v. 20, 21, 23, 24, 28).  To summarize the Lord stated, “And it shall come to pass, that he that sinneth and repenteth not shall be cast out of the church” (v37).  The language seems somewhat harsh, especially given that at least to some degree, we probably all fall under the bucket of “he that sinneth and repenteth not”.  What exactly did the Lord mean by saying that these of the wicked would be cast out?     

               I think we have to interpret the sins listed as well as the general statement about “he that sinneth” as those misdeeds that are very serious.  Surely the Lord is not saying that anyone who sins in some common, minor way and doesn’t repent will be immediately kicked out of the church.  I believe he is telling us how to deal with very major sins committed by members of the Church.  It’s also interesting to note that the phrase comes with no instruction on the person to perform the action.  In other words, the section speaks about how people “shall be cast out” without specifying who is doing the casting out.  It may be the Lord is suggesting that He will be casting them out through His own processes and timeline.  Note that there is no specified timeline of when one of these sinners will be cast out—it does not suggest that this action must be taken immediately.  It may be that the Lord is saying that those who refuse to repent will eventually leave the Church and kick themselves out.  Or could it be that the Lord is speaking long term and suggesting that ultimately those who do not repent will be cast out and cannot inherit the kingdom of His Father?   We know from other scriptures that we “are also commanded not to cast any one who belongeth to the church out of your sacrament meetings; nevertheless, if any have trespassed, let him not partake until he makes reconciliation” (D&C 46:4).  So clearly the Lord doesn’t want us to literally “cast out” someone just because they are a sinner, but certainly the Bishop can make judgments about participating in the ordinance of the Sacrament for individuals who have transgressed in a significant way.  We know from the process of excommunication that some who commit very grave sins are indeed cast out by having their names removed from the records of the Church, but perhaps the important lesson from these verses is simply that sin will alienate us from God.  Whether that is serious transgression that causes Priesthood action or day to day sins that we struggle with, these actions will alienate us from God and require repentance on our part.