Scorners in the Church: How to Recognize, Remove, and Restore

One night during a ministry planning meeting, everyone is discussing how to support a new outreach initiative, and while most people are offering ideas or volunteering to help, Marcus sits quietly, occasionally nodding but then adding comments like, “I mean, if that’s what they want to do… ” or “I just think we should be careful—we’ve tried things like this before.” He doesn’t refuse outright, and his tone stays calm, but his words leave a trace of hesitation in the room; afterward, in side conversations, he gently questions whether the direction is really necessary or effective, never offering solutions, only raising doubts, and over time, people begin to feel less confident and more divided without realizing why—Marcus is what the Bible calls a scorner.

Who is a scorner?

A scorner, also called a scoffer, is someone who brings constant contention and strife into a community or fellowship. Proverbs 22:10 actually addresses this directly:

Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease. Proverbs 22:10

Here are some key characteristics that identify a scorner:

Scorners reject truth and correction

He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Proverbs 9:7-8

A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. Proverbs 13:1

- They are always in disagreement with something. There's a perpetual spirit of opposition in them — nothing is ever quite right.

- They can only see leadership after the flesh. This means they have no respect for the spiritual anointing on a leader's life. They evaluate everything through a natural, carnal lens rather than a spiritual one.

- They misinterpret the ministry's motives. Every move the ministry makes, they interpret as the leader simply trying to exalt themselves. They can't see God's hand at work.

- They are unwilling to contribute. Even when they are fully capable of doing something, they hold back and refuse to participate.

What makes the scorner particularly dangerous is that their presence doesn't just affect themselves — it spreads. Strife, contention, and reproach follow them. That's why the counsel of the Lord is so direct: remove the scorner, and the atmosphere of conflict goes with them.

It's a sobering reminder that not every critic is simply offering helpful feedback — some carry a spirit that, left unchecked, can poison an entire fellowship.

How does a scorner get to the place where they despise truth and correction?

This is such an important question, and the answer reveals a very sobering progression of the heart. It typically doesn't happen overnight. There is a gradual, progressive moving away from truth — a wandering of the mind away from what is right and present. Each small compromise makes the next one easier, until a person finds themselves far from where they started without fully realizing how they got there.

Here are some key stages in that progression:

1. Pride becomes a shield after sin. When someone sins and pride rises up instead of humility, that pride actually protects the sin. The mindset becomes, “I repented, so nobody else has a say in this.” This forfeits the very power that comes from receiving God's chastisement with a humble heart. Remorse only surfaces when sin is exposed — much like Esau.

2. Truth becomes threatening rather than liberating. John 3:20 captures this perfectly — “those who do evil hate the light and won't come to it, because the light exposes what they're doing”. At some point, the person who once hungered for righteousness begins to resent the very correction that could restore them.

3. Obsession breeds hatred. When someone becomes obsessed with protecting their sin or their position, truth preached under anointing doesn't move them — it actually makes them angry. We see this with Saul watching Stephen preach. The anointing didn't soften him; it enraged him.

4. Desire overrides truth entirely. Eventually, a person can reach the place where they disregard truth altogether to fulfill a desire. At that stage, delusion sets in — they begin constructing their own reality and even convincing themselves that God is endorsing what they're doing.

The most heartbreaking part? Some of these individuals were once genuine seekers. They hungered for righteousness and declared they wanted the truth. But somewhere along the way, the love of self overcame the love of truth — and that is one of the most dangerous places a believer can find themselves.

Why the Bible Is So Direct About Scorners

The instruction to remove a scorner is not harsh—it is protective. A scorner:

• Disrupts unity

• Undermines leadership

• Spreads contention

• Influences others negatively

Removing them is not about rejection—it is about preserving the spiritual health of the church.

How to remove the scorner, and do so in love

In preserving the spiritual health of the church, there is one important tension to navigate – how do you cast out the scorner while still operating in love?

Proverbs 22:10 is clear that casting out the scorner brings peace to the community — contention, strife, and reproach cease when that person is removed. Left unchecked, that spirit poisons the entire fellowship. But here is where Matthew 5:44 must work alongside that wisdom. Jesus calls us to “love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who despitefully use us.” These two instructions aren't contradictions — they're meant to work together.

It’s important to note that removing them doesn't always mean the same thing in every situation.

Removal from positions of influence and leadership

This is often the first and most necessary step. Looking at the Levitical priesthood as an example, when the divide came, God did not cast all the Levites out of the Temple entirely. He removed them from positions of authority and influence over His people. They were not spiritual, therefore they were unworthy of leadership or spiritual works that would provoke God to move in the lives of His people.

This is a profound principle. Sometimes the most appropriate action is:

- Removing someone from a leadership role or ministry position

- Restricting their influence over others in the congregation

- Ensuring they no longer have access to positions where they can distract or hinder the move of the Spirit

Full removal from the fellowship

This is a more serious step, and Scripture does address it. Matthew 18:17 outlines a clear progression — private confrontation, then witnesses, then bringing the matter before the church. Only after that process has been exhausted does someone become "as a heathen man and a publican" to you.

The determining factor is their response to correction. 

The question to ask is:

• Are they receiving instruction and showing willingness to change?

• Or are they hardened, contentious, and actively polluting the environment?

• Someone who is humble and teachable, even if struggling, is in a very different category than someone who is openly rebellious and resistant to all correction.

Here are some practical ways to operate in love as you address a scorner: 

BEFORE any removal:

- Speak truth to the person privately, but do it in love and wisdom, with grace and mercy — warning and admonishing them rather than attacking them

- Give the Holy Spirit room to work, remembering that chastening belongs to Him, not to you

DURING the act of removal:

- The decision should be made from a place of spiritual discernment, not wounded pride or personal offense

- Follow strict spiritual protocol rather than allowing emotion to drive the process, because acting outside those boundaries causes further damage to the church

AFTER removal:

- Become their intercessor — your prayers may be the very bridge that brings them to repentance

- See them as a soul in need rather than an enemy to be punished

The key distinction is this: removing someone from fellowship is a protective act for the congregation, not a punitive act against the individual. When the heart behind it is genuinely love — both for the flock and for the scorner — it can be done without bitterness or revenge.

God is mindful and will deal with every situation in His own way. Our role is to maintain righteousness in the process. 

Hope and Restoration

The difference between a wise person and a scorner is not intelligence or gifting—it is response to truth:

• The wise hear correction and grow.

• The scorner hears correction and resists.

Despite how severe this condition is, it is not irreversible.

Restoration requires:

• Honesty — accepting the truth about one’s condition

• Understanding — recognizing how the heart drifted

• Humility — becoming open to correction again

• Surrender — allowing the Word of God to heal rather than resisting it

The same truth that once felt offensive becomes the very thing that restores—when received with the right heart.

💬 Call to Action

For a deeper understanding and practical guidance on this topic,

• Here is the link:

  https://www.marybanks.net/read/the-body-of-christ-ii

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