Can Church members who cannot be rectified be cut off from the Church?

Although the Church, the body of Christ, portrays God’s love for humanity, there are limits that she will never exceed. A sinner is cut off from the fellowship of the Church since he isolates himself from the life and salvation that spring from her. Thus, the rebellious sinners who have trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29), who preserves salvation within the Church — outside of which there is no salvation — set themselves apart from Christ and His community, the Church, and thus break every relationship with her.

On the other hand, the heretics who misinterpret the teachings of Christ and His holy apostles (even if they quote phrases from the true Gospel), are excommunicated and separated from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thus St. Paul teaches, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8–9). St. John the Apostle forbids receiving anyone who comes and does not have the true teachings. It is necessary not to receive them in homes and not to greet them (2 John 10). In fact, St. Paul commands us, “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned” (Titus 3:10–11). Heretics, because of their inaccurate faith and their arrogance, persist in their false teachings and isolate themselves from the source of life; the faith in Christ, and so they grow lukewarm and are thus expelled. If we do not stand firm on the foundation of the Apostles, we will lose our foundation and will collapse.⁹³² And we become like those who wanted to return to the

932 St. Basil of Caesarea, PG 30:149.

circumcision, and were alienated from Christ, trying to be justified by the law, which made them fall from grace (Gal. 5:4).

St. Cyril the Great says, “Those who are associated with wicked heretics and participate in their evil sacrifices (prayers), multiply their sins, since they slaughter the lamb outside the holy divine camp which is the Church.”⁹³³

The Church Fathers consider those who set themselves apart from the Church (schismatics) in the same category as the heretics. St. Basil distinguishes between heretics and schismatics: “Heretics are those who distort the faith and do not care about it, while schismatics are those who, for ecclesiastical reasons, separate themselves from the Church in matters that could be dealt with.” St. Jerome says, “A heresy is based on a distorted teaching, while schismatics are those who set themselves apart from the church and the bishop.”⁹³⁴ A person falls into schism from the Church when he becomes unfit for this body. He falls into a certain sin and does not care about the public scandal caused by it and does not offer repentance, so he alienates himself from the Christian life and is excommunicated from the Church.