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What
Is Church Discipline? Discipline
is sorely neglected in many churches. It is rarely discussed, hardly
administered, and even the most public sins among members are ignored or
tolerated. This is the result of spiritual indifference. Holiness is optional,
accountability is obsolete, and cowardice rules the day. There is little concern
for purity and therefore little desire to deal with impurity. Therefore, it is
important that we study the issue of church discipline. Discipline
is one of the most essential responsibilities of the local church. It is crucial
that the moral integrity of its members be maintained. Congregations that shirk
this responsibility will erode spiritually (“a little leaven leavens the whole
lump”) and ultimately lose their standing with the Lord. When discipline
leaves a church, Christ leaves with it! We
recognize the need for discipline in every other area of life, whether in the
home, school, workplace, military, or society. Why then do some seem surprised,
and even appalled, that discipline would exist in the church? They act as if the
church has no right to require certain standards of its members, and even the
most flagrant transgressions should be left alone. Compare that to 1 Corinthians
5. God
did not tolerate sin in the camp of physical Israel (Exodus 32; Numbers 25;
Joshua 7), and He will not tolerate sin in the camp of spiritual Israel. That is
the clear lesson of the first recorded case of church discipline in the New
Testament. Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead to publicly demonstrate how
seriously God views sin in the church (Acts 5:1-11). He expects us to be holy as
He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). There
are two types of church discipline — formative and corrective. Formative
discipline is preventive in nature, and involves teaching and training members
in the way of righteousness. Corrective discipline is penalizing in nature, and
involves punishing members who persist in unrighteousness. This chapter will
focus primarily on the latter. Examples There
are several examples of church discipline in the New Testament. These examples
provide us with much information concerning who is to be disciplined, how they
are to be disciplined, and when they are to be disciplined. We will look at four
of them: The Offender, The Immoral, The Idle, and The Divisive. (1)
The Offender. In Matthew 18, Jesus addressed a situation in which one brother
sins against another brother. He set forth a three-step process. Each step is an
escalation of member involvement: alone, one or two others, the church. The
first step is for the offended brother to confront the offender privately. Jesus
said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you
and him alone” (v. 15). One can easily see the wisdom in a private
confrontation. This minimizes the injury caused by the sin and lessens the
likelihood of pride becoming a factor. The purpose of going to your brother is
not to run him off, but to win him back. “If he listens to you, you have
gained your brother.” Whereas
the offender was told to go to the offended in Matthew 5:23-24, the offended is
told to go to the offender in this text. Hence, both sides should take the
initiative in resolving the situation. The
third step is for the offended brother to inform the congregation. Jesus said,
“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church” (v. 17). At this
point the private sin becomes public, and is intended to increase the pressure
on the offender to seek reconciliation. If that does not work, he is to be
ostracized. “And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you
as a Gentile and tax collector.” Though
Jesus received both Gentiles and tax collectors, they were social outcasts. Just
as Gentiles and tax collectors were shunned by their peers, the offending
brother was to be shunned by his brethren. This is similar to other discipline
commands: “avoid them” (Romans 16:17), “not to associate with” (1
Corinthians 5:11), “keep away from” (2 Thessalonians 3:6), “have nothing
to do with him” (2 Thessalonians 3:14), “avoid such people” (2 Timothy
3:5), “have nothing more to do with him” (Titus 3:10), etc. All social
contact was to cease. This
three-step process is dealing with a situation in which one brother sins against
another brother. It is not the pattern for dealing with sin that is widespread
or well known. Guy N. Woods put it like this: Who,
for example, could seriously believe that Paul, the apostle, should have
contacted the incestuous man of 1 Cor. 5, before penning his instructions to the
church regarding its obligations in the matter? Are we to suppose that he was in
violation of our Lord’s admonitions in Matt. 18:15-17, when he warned Timothy
of Hymenaeus and Philetus because of the errors they were propagating regarding
the resurrection? (1 Tim. 2:15-18). And, what of his rebuke of Phygellus and
Hermogenes who were responsible in turning all of the saints ‘in Asia’
against him? Ought he to have talked with these terrorists before making their
actions publicly known? (2 Tim. 1:15) Also
note that the local church is to carry out its own discipline. There are no
outside boards, councils, courts, synods, etc. that do it. Nor is it up to any
one man (Diotrephes, 3 John 9-10). As autonomous units, each congregation is
fully equipped to do this task. (2)
The Immoral. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul addressed a situation in the church at
Corinth involving a sexually immoral member. He was having relations with his
father’s wife (stepmother). Such conduct was “not tolerated even among
pagans” (v. 1). To say that they were tolerating behavior that even the pagans
would find offensive is quite a charge. The Corinthian people were notoriously
wicked. In fact, those who lived in drunkenness and debauchery were said to
“live like a Corinthian.” Paul said that even the morally depraved pagans
have higher standards than that! The
brethren were rebuked for their haughty attitude and told to expel the immoral
member. Paul wrote, “And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let
him who has done this be removed from among you” (v. 2). The concept of
removal is repeated throughout the chapter: “deliver this man to Satan” (v.
5), “cleanse out the old leaven” (v. 7), “not to associate with” (vv. 9,
11), “not even to eat with such a one” (v. 11), “purge out the evil person
from among you” (v. 13). Though
in Ephesus at the time, Paul boldly “pronounced judgment on the one who did
such a thing” (v. 3). The brethren were to “deliver this man to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord” (v. 5). This language is similar to 1 Timothy 1:20, where Hymenaeus and
Alexander were “handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
In both cases, the idea is that of being expelled from the domain of Christ (the
church) and thrust into the domain of Satan (the world). This
text proves that it is not always wrong to “judge” others. Paul judged the
member in Corinth to be in sin and commanded the congregation to act
accordingly. Though Jesus condemned hypocritical judging in Matthew 7, He
commanded righteous judging in John 7. His apostle did the latter. The brethren
were no longer to “associate” with the immoral member. He was to be shunned.
To emphasize the degree of separation required, Paul said that they were “not
even to eat with such a one” (v. 11). All social contact was to cease. Church
discipline is limited to erring children of God. It is not for sinners in the
world. If that were the case, we “would need to go out of the world” (v.
10). It is for “anyone who bears the name of brother” (v. 11). “Anyone”
is all-inclusive. No one is exempt. There are no exceptions for family members
or close friends. This is similar to 2 Thessalonians 3:6, where Paul said “any
brother.” It
is interesting to note that Paul did not address the immoral member. Rather, he
directed his remarks to the congregation. That is because they were acting
incorrectly. By their toleration of his sin, they had fallen into sin
themselves. According
to 2 Corinthians 2, the command to discipline the immoral member was a
“test” to see if they were “obedient in everything” (v. 9). They passed
the test, and the man repented of his sins and was restored. Let that forever
silence those who say that church discipline does not work! 1
Corinthians 5, which provides a wealth of information concerning church
discipline, can be divided into four parts: need (vv. 1-12), procedure (vv.
3-5), reason (vv. 6-8), and sphere (vv. 9-13). (3)
The Idle. In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul addressed a situation in the church at
Thessalonica involving “idle” members. They had stopped working to support
themselves and became meddling freeloaders. It is clear that Paul considered
such conduct disgraceful. “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness,
not busy at work, but busybodies” (v. 11). God
has always expected man to work. Adam was placed in the garden to “work it and
keep it” (Genesis 2:15), and the Jews were to “work” up to six days each
week (Exodus 20:9). In fact, there was a saying among the Jews that “a man who
does not teach his son a trade, teaches him to steal.” That same work ethic
should certainly exist in Christians (Ephesians 4:28; Colossians 3:23). There is
no excuse for a child of God, who has the ability and opportunity to work, to be
idle. We
are not told exactly why the members had stopped working. It may have been the
result of a misunderstanding concerning the Lord’s return. Regardless, Paul
commanded them to work both in person (v. 10) and in a previous letter (1
Thessalonians 4:11; 5:14). He had also set the example by working to support
himself while in their city (1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8). That is
what we call formative discipline. Since
they had not responded favorably to formative discipline, it was now time for
corrective discipline. Paul wrote, “Now we command you, brothers, in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in
idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us” (v.
6). To “keep away from” means not to associate with or to shun. The NKJV
says “withdraw from.” Rather than supporting an idle member who refused to
work, the brethren were to “have nothing to do with him” (v. 14). All social
contact was to cease. The
command to “keep away from” is similar to “let him be to you as a Gentile
and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17) and “not to associate with” (1
Corinthians 5:11) in the previous examples. Association was restricted in order
to make the erring member “ashamed” (2 Thessalonians 3:14). However, they
were not to “regard him as an enemy” (v. 15). (4)
The Divisive. In Titus 3, Paul addressed a situation in which a brother “stirs
up division” (v. 10). He is not to be left alone or tolerated. Rather, he is
to be warned “once and then twice” to turn from his divisive behavior. If
that does not work, Christians are to “have nothing more to do with him.” Before
shunning the offender in Matthew 18, Jesus said that a serious effort was to be
made to win him back. The offended brother was to confront him privately, then
take one or two others, and then inform the church. We see the same general
principle in this text. Withdrawal is not the first step, it is the last step.
First, the divisive brother is to be confronted. Then he is to be confronted
again. If there is still no repentance, then he is to be shunned. This
action is necessary because “such a person is warped and sinful; he is
self-condemned” (v. 11). That underscores the seriousness of the situation.
His soul is in peril, and therefore drastic action is required (Mark 9:43-48).
In Romans 16:17, Paul spoke of “those who cause divisions and create
obstacles” with the same end result: “avoid them.” Reasons There
are many good reasons for church discipline. As one considers these reasons, he
will be reminded that God’s “ways” and “thoughts” are higher than ours
(Isaiah 55:8-9), and he will develop a deeper sense of appreciation for the
practice. Why
discipline?... (1)
To restore fallen. 1 Corinthians 5:5 says “so that his spirit may be saved in
the day of the Lord.” It is our goal to win the brother back (Matthew 18:15). (2)
To maintain purity. 1 Corinthians 5:6 says “a little leaven leavens the whole
lump.” It preserves the moral integrity of the congregation. (7)
To strengthen church. The congregation is fortified when sin is dealt with. Conclusion |
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