Shipwrecked Faith

1 Timothy 1:19-20 (KJV)
Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

What an unfortunate way to be remembered for eternity!
But first we notice that, a shipwrecked faith is solely a result of personal failure. Just as we can put on the “new creature” (c.f. Eph 4:24; Col 3:10), we can also put away. We can give a thousand and one excuses. We can point fingers just as Adam accused Eve and even God Himself (Gen 3:12)! We can deny and be nonchalant about it (1Co 5:2). Yet at the end of the day, all of us have a personal responsibility, which no one else cam answer for.
And the worse thing is when left unchecked, such behaviour can indeed affect those weaker in faith.  Wherefore, the need to “deliver unto Satan”. Observe what Paul wrote on another occasion:
1 Corinthians 5:5-7 (KJV) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

As harsh as it may sound and seem, it is not only for the benefit of the collective but also the individual. It cannot be “business as usual” in our treatment to the erring. There must be separation. Even in this period of time, amidst the CoVID-19 pandemic, we would most well appreciate the need for distancing. But spiritual wise, we have to continue to engage the erring, to talk sense into them, and not a total cut-off (c.f. 2Th 3:14,15).

Finally, it is often necessary to name names. So that brethren are aware and can take necessary remedial action. Always bearing in mind that our final goal is to restore and not simply ostracise.