Church discipline is an action of the local church which has as its object the development of the character of the church member, and the protection of the testimony of the church.
Discipline is based on the reality of repentance and the reality of being a new creature in Christ.
2 Cor. 5:17: “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Gal. 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”
Church discipline assumes that all church members can and should live a distinctly Christian life, avoiding the works of the flesh, and putting into effect the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26).
The NT teaches that it is possible to know and live the Christian life: Eph. 4:17-32 - Contains a description of the new life in Christ.
Eph. 5:1-20 - Gives instructions about how to be imitators of Christ as beloved children (This includes the necessity of being constantly filled with the Holy Spirit [5:18]). Eph. 6:10-20 - Tells of the need of putting on the full armor of God, because we are in a battle with the devil and his army from the spiritual darkness.
The real object of church discipline is restoration rather than punishment or exclusion.
There are three problems with church discipline:
1. Exercising no church discipline.
2. Not exercising church discipline at the right moment.
3. Misunderstanding or abusing church discipline:
· Church discipline is sometimes thought of purely in terms of expulsion from the community of the church, and is considered as a vindictive action on the part of the church.
· Because of this opinion, when discipline is suggested within the congregation, there is opposition to the concept of church discipline, even though someone has sinned and lost his/her way in the Christian life.
· Your brother sins against you
· Reprove him in private.
· Take one or two with you.
· Tell it to the church.
· Treat him like a Gentile or a tax-collector.
· The Christian who is angry with his brother is guilty before the court of God and deserves to go into the fiery hell (5:21-22)
· If you are in church and remember that your Christian brother has something against you:
Leave your offering at the church.
Find your brother and be reconciled with him.
Return to church to give your offering.
· A member of the church had been expelled from the church because he had caused problems in opposing Paul.
· This member repented.
· Paul asked the church to forgive the penitent member and receive him again into the fellowship.
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us” (3:6).
· A member of the local church was involved with fornication with the wife of his father (v.
1)
· The church knew about this, and did nothing, and was even arrogant about it (v. 2)
· Paul ordered the church to remove this sinning brother from their midst (v. 3)
· Paul indicated that he had already judged this man, found him guilty, and had
decided to “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (w. 3-5)
1. “Your boasting is not good” (v. 6)
2. “Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.
1 Cor. 5:9-13 - A command not to associate with immoral people in the community of faith:
Immoral (11)
Covetous (11)
An idolater (11)
A reviler (11)
A drunkard (11)
A swindler (11)
“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? (13) But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”
Principle:
1 Winning the lost (evangelization) requires that there be a good testimony on the part of the church—and this means the membership of the church.
2. The local church must preserve its good testimony by disciplining those members in perverse sin.
“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, (19) keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. (20) Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.”
The denial of the faith does not consist merely in differences of opinion regarding matters of secondary importance, but the repudiation of the fundamental truths of the Christian faith.
These important matters of the faith include such truths as the person of God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit; salvation by faith in Christ alone; the atoning, sacrificial death of Christ on the cross; the bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead, and the deity of Jesus Christ.
“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, (20) let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from the death, and will cover a multitude of sins.”
What is the methodology of church discipline?
1. Warn the offending person and use all measures possible to restore the brother or sister before finally expelling him/her from the fellowship of the congregation.
“And have mercy on some, who are doubting; (23) save others, snatching them out of the
fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garments polluted by the flesh.”
2. Remove from the fellowship
3. Restore the penitent brother/sister to the fellowship.
1. Remove, at least temporarily, such a person from any position of leadership in the church. (Pulpit ministry, choir, teaching, deacons, committees, etc.)
2. Require a private or public repentance, depending on the circumstances and impact of the sin. The arena of the confession should match the arena of the sin committed.
3. Prohibit participation in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper until the person has taken measures to become “worthy” of participation.
4. Expel the member from the membership of the church.
Jesus restored Simon Peter after Simon denied Him three times on the night before the
crucifixion. (Matt. 26:71-75; Mk. 14:69-72; Lk. 22:58-62; John 18:25-27).