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Romans 16:17-18 says, 'Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly....' This passage is telling us that there may at times be selfish people who appear outwardly to be Christians but are actually not serving the Lord at all. When such people cause others to become offended or they bring division to the local body, the faithful believers are instructed to take note of them (mark them) and stay away from them (avoid them). This has the effect of putting them out of the assembly, since a local assembly is essentially a network of relationships between people. This has nothing to do with forgiving people. We must forgive those who sin against us, but we are not required to stay in fellowship with everyone. For more on this subject, we suggest you read our article 'Redemptive Discipline in the Local Aseembly,' which can be found in the Apostolic Free Library. Go to www.gloriouschurch.com/html/Redemtive-Discipline.asp
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