Church Discipline

Introduction

Church discipline is a very difficult area of doctrine to discuss and one hard to practice (due to the response one might receive), it nevertheless rests upon the divine authority of Scripture and is vital to the purity, power, progress, and purpose of the church (2nd Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 12:11). The responsibility and need for discipline is not an option for the church if it obeys the Word of God, but a church must be equally concerned that scripture is carefully followed when applying church discipline. The following summary serves as a guide for this very important area of doctrine.

The Principle of Discipline Defined

Church discipline works together with the purpose of the church: evangelism and edification. Evangelism ministers to those outside of the church who are in bondage to sin to bring them to faith in Christ where the transformation process begins (Romans 12:2). Edification proceeds to build up believers so they can be conformed to the image and character of Christ (Philippians 2:1-8). Church discipline as a part of the edification process ministers to those within the body of Christ who have been entangled by sin in some area of their life who need to be free from that burden and experience wonderful power in the blood through fellowship with Christ. How do we define church discipline? The Three-in-One Bible Reference Companion calls discipline of the church: rules of practice among a community of believers. Another aspect of church discipline comes from Hebrews 12:7a, “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” The rules of practice that come from the bible not only discipline us, but they help us to endure trials and persevere unto the goal, which is heaven (Hebrews 12:1-11; Philippians 1:29; Hebrews 2:5-18 (10, 17-18); Hebrews 4: 14-5:10 (4:15, 5:7-9); James 1:2-4,12; Acts 5:17-42 (verse 41); 1st Peter 2:13-25 (18-25); 1st Peter 3:8-22; 1st Peter 4:12-19.

The Pattern and Basis for Discipline

The first pattern of discipline of the church comes from the Lord Himself who disciplines His children (Hebrews 12:1-11 (5, 8)).

Consider the children of Israel. For this section of discipline, I considered the “Types of Salvation” model given in Brother Fosters Old Testament Survey book. This pattern of salvation compares the lives of the Israelites to the steps Christians make to see the Promised Land and how God established rules and regulations for his people:

Israelites Christians

A. Egypt World

B. Red Sea Baptism

C. Wilderness Church

D. Jordan Death

E. Canaan Heaven

God told Abram (he hadn’t been called Abraham yet) in Genesis 15:13-14, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.” God spoke of the Israelites dwelling in Egypt in the region of Goshen (Genesis 12-50, (46-50, when Abraham’s descendants move to Egypt)). In Exodus chapter 1 the Israelite’s became fruitful and to numerous in the land of Egypt and a new King (or Pharaoh) dealt with them shrewdly and put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. The children of Israel’s cry from earth reached heaven and God planned to deliver his people who endured such hardship from the Egyptian king. That is when God had plans to call Moses to lead his people out of their grave affliction. By the power of God, Moses successfully led them out of bondage and they found themselves in the wilderness. Exodus 19-20, God called Moses up from Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and to establish order in the camp so the children of Israel would be aware of sin and not continue sinning (Exodus 20:1-21 (20)). As the story goes we see only a few from that camp that tarried in the wilderness (for 40 years) inherited the Promise Land (led by God through Joshua and Caleb).

Church discipline is based on the holy character of God (1st Peter 1:13-16). God’s desire for the church to be holy (set apart unto Him) is an important reason for the need of church discipline. The church is therefore to clean out the wickedness of sin from its fellowship. A failure to exercise discipline in the church shows a lack of awareness and concern for the holiness of God.Church discipline is based on the divine commands of scripture. We have numerous passages of scripture that both command us God’s directives on the what, where, when, why and how of church discipline. Again, a failure to exercise this responsibility demonstrates a lack of obedience and belief in the authority of the Bible (1st Corinthians 5:1-13; Matthew 18:15-18; 2nd Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1st Timothy 5:20; Galatians 6:1).Church discipline is the testimony of the church in the world (John 13:34-35). The world observes the behavior and life of the church. When the church acts no differently than the world, it loses its credibility and authenticity (1st Peter 2:11-12).

The Purpose of Church Discipline

To bring glory to God and enhance the testimony of the church.To restore, heal, and build up sinning believers (James 5:20).To produce a healthy faith, one sound in doctrine.To silence false teachers and their influence in the church (Titus 1:10-11).To set an example for the rest of the body and promote godly fear (1st Timothy 5:20).To protect the church against the destructive consequences that occurs when churches fail to carry out church discipline. A church that fails to exercise discipline experiences: The Loss of Purity: Church discipline is crucial to the purity of the local body and its protection from moral decay and impure doctrinal influences. Why? Well, a little leaven leavens the entire lump (1st Corinthians 5:6-8). This is the “rotten apple” spoiling the whole bunch theory. The Loss of Power: Sin in the life of the church grieves the person of the Holy Spirit.The Loss of Progress: A church that refuses to practice church discipline will see its ministry decline. The church may want to grow and reach out and it may try all kinds of programs in an attempt to turn things around, but if there is sin in the camp, it will all be for nothing. See Revelation 2:5 and 3:16 for illustrations of this principle. The Loss of Purpose: As Christ ambassadors to a lost and dying world, God has called the church to be a holy people standing out from the world proclaiming the works of God in Christ. If this is to occur we must be different from the world and church discipline helps us to both remember and maintain that purpose. One of the frequent judgments against the church today is the fact there is little or no difference between the church and the secular world when it comes to attitudes, values, morals, and lifestyle. We have lost our sense of purpose.

Reasons for Church Discipline

In church discipline we must exercise extreme care. Scripture does not merit the exercise of discipline for an individual’s pet peeves. Scripture, not our opinions or dislikes, must be the guide for what is sin. Furthermore, we must not become overly critical. Here is a list of reasons for Church Discipline:

Disorderly conduct, conduct clearly out of line with the given commands of scripture and which negatively impacts the testimony and unity of the church (2nd Thessalonians 3:6-15).Difficulties between members (Matthew 18:15-17).Divisions in the church (Romans 16:17-18; 1st Corinthians 1:10; Titus 3:9-11).For immoral conduct continued by brothers in the Faith (1st Corinthians 5:11).To alert false teaching and views which concern the fundamentals of the faith (1st Timothy 1:18-20; 2nd Timothy 2:14-19).

The Practice of Church Discipline

Discipline must be done by those who are spiritual, truly walking by the Holy Spirit and growing in the Lord (Galatians 5:16-18; 22-26; Galatians 6:1). Discipline must be done without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality (1st Timothy 5:21).Those who walk disorderly are to be admonished, warned, and appealed to in love (1st Thessalonians 5:14-15; 1st Timothy 5:1a; Ephesians 4:1-16 (15); 2nd Timothy 4:1-2). This admonishing, is not restricted to church leaders, but may be done by any person in the body with another if that person is spirit controlled and spiritually minded (Galatians 6:1).If there is no response in repentance and obedience, then the sinning believer is to be rebuked publicly (for public sins). This action has a two-fold objective:

It is to indicate to the offender that his/her action has dishonored the Lord and has caused a rupture in the harmony of the body. The goal is always restoration and the person is still to be counted as a brother (2nd Thessalonians 3:14-15). It is to create fear in the rest of the flock as a warning against sin (1st Timothy 5:20).

Note: Matthew 18:15-20, deals with an altercation of a brother sinning against a brother behind closed doors.

5. If there is still no response in repentance and obedience, the church is to apply the procedures of excommunication (Matthew 18:17; 1st Corinthians 5:1-13).

6. Finally, discipline in the name of our Lord always includes a readiness to forgive. Christians should be ready and eager to forgive, comfort, and reaffirm their love to the sinning person (2nd Corinthians 2:5-11).

Conclusion

Church discipline is a very difficult area of doctrine to discuss and one hard to practice (due to the response one might receive). However, it rests upon the divine authority of scripture and is vital to the purity, power, progress, and purpose of the church (2nd Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 12:11). The responsibility and need for discipline is not an option for the church if it obeys the Word of God, but a church (congregation) must be equally concerned that scripture is carefully followed when applying church discipline. Church members should take into consideration the commitment they made upon their baptism to live for Christ. We are not our own for we were bought with a price. Each member has a responsibility to serve God and other members of Christ body, which is the church. When each member of the church receives discipline from the Word of God (through personal study in the bible) or through its fellow members, then we will see the church set apart from the world and equipped for righteousness and made perfect (or made mature).

Bibliography

Where To Find It In The Bible, Ken Anderson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996The Three-In-One Bible Reference Companion, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982New Testament Survey, Dr/Brother Foster, Sr.