DAILY TEXT, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,” declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. “So return to me and live.” (Ezek. 18:32)

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2026

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

“I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,” declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. “So return to me and live.” (Ezek. 18:32)

Jehovah does not want anyone to be destroyed. He wants sinners to be reconciled to him (2 Cor. 5:20). That is why so many times throughout history Jehovah has asked those who have abandoned him to repent and return to him. And what a privilege elders have to be able to cooperate with Jehovah in helping those who have committed serious sin to repent (Rom. 2:4; 1 Cor. 3:9).

How wonderful it is to imagine the joy in heaven when sinners repent! Our heavenly Father, Jehovah, is overjoyed each time one of his lost sheep returns to the congregation. Let us continue to meditate on Jehovah’s compassion, mercy, and undeserved kindness, and our love for him will grow stronger each day. (Luke 1:78) w24.08 31 pars. 16, 17

How do we treat someone who is censored, but how do we treat someone who is removed from the congregation?

As we saw in the preceding article, sometimes an announcement is made that someone has been disproven. In that case, we can continue associating with him because we know that he has repented and stopped committing the sin (1 Tim. 5:20). He remains part of the congregation and needs the encouragement of the brothers to continue doing what is right (Heb. 10:24, 25). However, the situation is very different when someone is disfellowshipped from the congregation. In that case, we stop associating with him and do not even eat with him (1 Cor. 5:11).

What should each Christian decide, based on their Bible-trained conscience, regarding people who have been removed from the congregation?

Does all this mean that when someone is removed from the congregation, we should completely ignore them? Not necessarily. Clearly, we're not going to socialize with them. But Christians can use their Bible-trained conscience to decide whether to invite someone who has been removed from the congregation—perhaps a relative or someone who used to be a close friend—to a congregation meeting. And how should we treat them if they attend? In the past, we wouldn't have greeted them. But in this case as well, each Christian should use their Bible-trained conscience. Some may feel comfortable greeting the person or welcoming them. However, what we wouldn't do is have a long conversation or socialize with them.

To whom does 2 John 9-11 refer? (See also the box “Were John and Paul talking about the same kind of sin?”)

We might ask ourselves, “But doesn’t the Bible say that whoever greets such people ‘becomes a partner in their wrongdoings’?” (Read 2 John 9-11.) The context indicates that these verses refer to apostates and those who actively promote wrongdoing. (Rev. 2:20) Therefore, if a person is actively promoting apostate teachings or other sins, the elders would not make plans to visit him. Of course, there is still the possibility that he might change. But until that happens, we would not greet him or invite him to attend a congregation meeting.

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