Church Discipline

Summary

Church discipline is the process of rebuking and correcting sinful members for the purpose of restoring them.

MAIN THEMES

Church discipline is an anticipation of the future judgment that awaits sinful members if they persist in their sin.

Accordingly, church discipline is an anticipatory sign: the church forecasts the anticipated future divine judgment, and its discipline reflects the seriousness of that foreboding sentence. And church discipline is a declarative sign: the church believes its action reflects the divine judgment to come, but it recognizes that it does not render an infallible pronouncement. That definitive announcement belongs to Christ alone. In anticipation of that verdict, the church declares discipline against its persistently sinful members.

It is a process of rebuking and correcting them, with an escalating level of intervention and severity.

It consists of four steps.

The first stage is a personal confrontation.

A Christian who has been sinned against by another Christian has a one-on-one conversation with the offender. If the offender acknowledges his sin, the matter is settled. The two are reconciled, and the process ends. If there is no admission of sin, the process escalates.

The second stage involves the offended person and one or two others, who rebuke the Christian who has sinned.

The purpose of the other witness(es) is to ensure that the one who stands accused is properly confronted. If the offender confesses his sin, the matter is settled. The two are reconciled, and the process ends. If there is no acknowledgment of sin, the witness(es) confirms this refusal. The process escalates in severity.

The third stage involves the whole church.

By an announcement of the entrenched problem, the church is made aware of the initial sin that provoked the situation and the failure of the first two steps to produce the desired repentance. Now the members admonish the sinful member, calling for confession and reconciliation. If the offender confesses his sin, the matter is settled. The two are reconciled, and the process ends. If the offender refuses to listen to the church’s admonition, the process escalates to its most severe level.

The fourth stage again involves the entire church, which enacts excommunication.

This action entails removal from church membership and ministry, exclusion from the Lord’s Supper, and rupture of relationship with the church and with God.

Its goal is always restoration, but it also serves to rid the church of sinful examples and to protect the honor of Christ and the church.

The goal of this disciplinary process is always restoration. The church hopes and prays for confession of sin, which leads to reinstatement of the excommunicated person. Indeed, when that person repents, the church’s responsibility is to warmly welcome him back into the community. Wisdom and prudence urge that the church provide specific measures to help the reinstated member make progress in holiness, as well as to guard against a relapse. A return to ministry must be carefully assessed as to if and when.

If the process persists, the last stage is excommunication.

Two other purposes are served: Excommunication aids the church by ridding it of sinful examples that tend to prompt more sin. Removal of the persistently sinful member has a prophylactic effect, preventing the spread of sin. Additionally, excommunication protects the honor of Christ and the church. This drastic step underscores that Christ is holy and does not tolerate persistent, unconfessed sin (though he will forgive it when it is confessed). And it shows that Christ’s body, being holy like him, does not put up with such stubborn sinning (though its members remain sinful).

The church is to exercise discipline in various cases.

The scenario just rehearsed is the common one in which one Christian sins against another. Other matters that require church discipline include:

Matters that Require Church Discipline:

(1) Egregious/public moral failure, like blatant sexual immorality.

(2) Heretical teaching, so as to stop the dissemination of false doctrine.

(3) Divisiveness, which if uncontained will disrupt the church’s unity.

(4) Idleness, a refusal to work though able to do so.

(5) Leadership failures, which exert a widespread influence on church members.

(6) Other persistent, unconfessed, and public sins that can do irreparable damage to Christians and the church.

The church follows several rules of engagement as it exercises discipline. It determines the sins for which it exercises discipline by giving heed to Scripture. Scripture’s sufficiency means that the evil attitudes and actions prohibited by Scripture, and those only, are sin. The church may not add to this list, inventing “sins” for which it exercises discipline. Rather, it disciplines only those sins proscribed by Scripture. Moreover, Spirit-filled Christians are to gently lead the process, watching carefully so they themselves don’t fall into sin.

KEY SCRIPTURE

Matthew 18:15–20 Romans 16:17–18; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2:6–11; Galatians 6:1; 1 Timothy 1:3–4; 5:19–21; Titus 1:9–14; 3:10–11; 1 John 2:18–19; 2 John 9–11

Matthew 18:15–20 ESV

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Romans 16:17–18 ESV

17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

1 Corinthians 5 ESV

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are 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. 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

2 Corinthians 2:6–11 ESV

6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Galatians 6:1 ESV

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

1 Timothy 1:3–4 ESV

3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

1 Timothy 5:19–21 ESV

19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

Titus 1:9–14 ESV

9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. 10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.

Titus 3:10–11 ESV

10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

1 John 2:18–19 ESV

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

2 John 9–11 ESV

9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

Major Errors

1. The neglect of, or refusal to engage in, church discipline.

Paul’s rebuke of the lackadaisical attitude of the Corinthian church toward the incestuous man stands as a reprimand to churches that have abandoned or dismissed this practice.

2. Any exercise of discipline against church members that violates biblical instruction.

These cases include accusing members of “sin” that Scripture does not consider to be sin, engaging in the process with a spirit of harshness or vindictiveness rather than one of gentleness, and disciplining for the purpose of vengeance rather than repentance and restoration.