UNDERSTANDING CHURCH DISCIPLINE
David M. Coe | Beth Haven Baptist Church | Morgantown, WV.
I really have no way of knowing, but with the many conversations I've had with other pastors, and other church members, it would seem as if very few churches today practice church discipline. Having just completed the final steps of church discipline in our church, I can understand why it is so unpopular. Almost six weeks later we are still reeling and feeling some of the aftershocks of this action. Nevertheless, it is a Biblical mandate that churches should obey. Below are the notes from a sermon God gave me during this time. I will interject some comments throughout the outline. May God bless you and your church as you strive to prepare the Bride for the soon return of the Bridegroom.
We first take a look at the prospects of church discipline. The Scriptures are very plain in explaining WHO should be dealt with. There are several specific sins listed as well as phrases such as "disorderly" and "contrary to doctrine" which leave it wide open to the discretion of the church and pastor. Here is the list that I discovered.
I. THE PROSPECTS FOR CHURCH DISCIPLINE
* Liar / hypocrite - Acts 5:1-11
* Fornicator, covetous, idolater - 1 Cor. 5
* Railer, drunkard, and extortioner - 1 Cor. 5
* Disorderly - 2 Thess. 3:6
* Lazy busybodies - 2 Thess. 3:11-12
* Unresolved personal disputes - Matt. 18:17
* Causing division - Rom. 16:17-18
* Offences contrary to doctrine - Rom. 16:17-18
* Heretic - Titus 3:9-11
* Hypocrisy / Leading others astray - Gal. 2:11-14
* False teachers - Titus 1:10-16; 2 John 9-11
* Blasphemer - 1 Tim. 1:20
Next we look at the progression or the steps that should be taken. These steps start off easy and mild and work their way up to hard and severe. They remind us of how the LORD deals with us with longsuffering and patience, giving us ample opportunity to repent. These steps start off very private and due to a lack of repentance end up very public. It is the "publicity" that so many don't like, but is necessary as we will see later. The other difficult step is for the church to "pull-away" from the unrepentant, but this too is of utmost importance. Below is the progression as I understand it from the Scriptures.
II. THE PROGRESSION OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
* Private - Matt. 18:15
* Semi-Private - Matt. 18:16
- For Persuasion
- For Protection
- For Proof
* Public - Matt. 18:17
* Put-Out - Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:2, 7, 11
* Pull-Away - Rom. 16:17; 1Co. 5:9,13; 2Thes. 3:6,14-15
* Potency - Matt. 18:18
As I just said, the "publicity" is what both pastors and parishioners find so unpleasant and hard to carry out. I have had people question me as to why it all had to be public. I have had pastors recommend that I keep it private. I know of pastors that simply "purge" the church rolls every so often rather than deal with unrepentant church members. But the Scriptures are very plain when it comes to publicly dealing with the sins of the unrepentant congregation. Take a good look at these texts.
III. THE PUBLICITY OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
* "tell it unto the church" - Matt. 18:17
* "when ye are gathered together" - 1Cor. 5:4,5
* "brethren, mark them" - Rom. 16:17
* "note that man" - 2Thess. 3:14
* "And Joseph, and all Israel" - Joshua 7:24-26
* "rebuke before all" - 1Tim. 5:20
* "before them all" - Gal. 2:11-14
* "Open rebuke is better than secret love" - Pro. 27:5
Now, we will take a look at the purpose or the reasons for this whole unpleasant task, all of them are important! We do not discipline because we are mad or don't like someone. Below are the Biblical reasons to discipline, they are in no particular order.
IV. THE PURPOSE OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
Repentance and restoration is the goal of church discipline. It is not my goal to drive everyone away from our church, but to lead everyone closer to the LORD Jesus Christ. Sometimes discipline is the only way to accomplish this goal. Look at these Scriptures.
1. To PERSUADE the backslider.
"gain thy brother" - Matt. 18:15
"restore such an one" - Gal. 6:1
"spirit may be saved" - 1 Cor. 5:5
"admonish him as a brother" - 2 Thess. 3:15
"partakers of his holiness" - Heb. 12:10-13
This is not only to persuade the backslider, but also to get the attention of the believer in hopes that he or she will continue to walk in holiness and avoid such sins. Take a look at these very convincing Scriptures.
2. To PROVOKE the believer.
"provoke to love and good works" - Heb. 10:24
"great fear came on all them" - Acts 5:5
"fear came upon all the church" - Acts 5:11
"that others also may fear" - 1 Tim. 5:20
"shall hear, and fear" - Deut. 13:6-11
"shall hear, and fear" - Deut. 17:8-13
Not only are we trying to persuade the backslider of the error of his or her ways; provoke the believer unto good works; but we are also trying to prepare the bride for the appearing of the bridegroom! Of course, in this day and age when very little emphasis is placed on the purity of the bride and groom before marriage, maybe this point means very little to the church. But I believe that the Bride (the church) should do it very best to be as pure, and as holy as it can be for its meeting with the Bridegroom (the Christ). What a shame for Christ to return and find the church full of adulterers, idolators, whoremongers, gossips, hypocrites, false teachers, and the like.
3. To PREPARE the Bride.
"made herself ready" - Rev. 19:7-8
"present you as a chaste virgin" - 2 Cor. 11:2
Lastly, we must carry out church discipline in order to protect the body. When it comes to the human body we do our best to fight off invading diseases and illness. There is chemotherapy to fight off cancer, antibiotics to fight off infections, vitamins to fight off numerous problems, etc. Most people do what they can to protect their body from illness and disease. Why not do all that we can to protect the body of Christ from the contagious and damaging effects of sin? Or should we just let sin invade the body of Christ and ignore it, hoping it will all just go away sooner or later?
4. To PROTECT the body.
*From a loss of PURITY - 1 Cor. 5:6-7
*From a loss of POWER - Joshua 7, Eph. 4:30
*From a loss of PROGRESS - Rev. 2:5, 3:16
*From a loss of PURPOSE - 1Pet. 1:14-16, 2:9-15
Brethren, it is one of the most unpleasant jobs of the pastorate, and it may send your church reeling, but I believe the Scripture is clear!