Life in the Church, as a part of the body of Christ can be perplexing. One such complexity is the topic of Church discipline. When do our efforts to confront people’s sins become Pharisaical or legalistic? When do our compassionate mercies become a danger to the church? I really think each situation is unique and thus requires a somewhat unique handling by church leaders and all of us as brothers and sisters in Christ.
However, there are some rules that govern our handling of sin in the Church. One such rule is found in 2 John. There we hear John warn his readers about “deceivers”, people who do not believe in the divinity and resurrection of Christ. John warns his readers to not follow these deceivers for to do so is to be one who does not have God.
But the warning goes deeper. Not only are we not to listen to deceivers, we are also not to receive them or greet them. In other words we are to refuse them fellowship with us. Another way to look at this is, if the church is infiltrated with a deceiver, the church is to confront and remove that deceiver. If the church fails to do this, John tells us the church is complicit in the deceiver’s sin. “…for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” (1 John 10-11)
The principle here, which I think becomes a two part rule for dealing with sin in the church, is that sin must be confronted and the sinner disciplined
- If there is a threat that others in the church may fall into that sin by that person’s example or
- The lack of discipline is judged to be an endorsement of the sin.
Thomas Watson says that “connivance in a magistrate supports vice, and by not punishing offenders he adopts other men’s faults and makes them his own.” Now, if you are like me you need to look up the word connivance, and doing so proves beneficial. Dictionary.com defines the term three different ways, but the most helpful is “tacit encouragement or assent (without participation) to wrongdoing by another.” By tacit we mean “unvoiced” or “unspoken”.
You don’t have to say you approve of a person’s sins to be charged as approving them. Your actions or your lack of words may condemn you. Now, I will freely admit this can be a difficult thing to judge. If I do not correct my brother when he swears, is that tacit assent to his swearing as appropriate speech? Maybe or maybe not. Perhaps I understand where my brother is spiritually, and I am treating him graciously as he grows in his sanctification.
There are multiple ways to view this scenario. This is why I think the first part of the rule is helpful. Is there a threat that by “graciously” overlooking someone’s sin we are giving consent to that sin, and therefore, others, including myself may fall into it? If so, then we should prayerfully consider addressing the sinner directly, remembering that the approach will always vary some depending on the sin, the person’s receptiveness to correction and many other factors.
I recognize that this is an incomplete thought. I would love to hear your reactions and ideas too. Please feel free to leave a comment beneath the blog post.
The last time I wrote on this topic I talked about the fact that churches are to practice church discipline because it is commanded of us by God. I also noted that its purpose is for restoration and the saving of souls.
This last point is well illustrated by 1 Corinthians 5:5. Paul’s instruction concerning the handling of a particular man caught in an incestuous relationship with his step mother was that they were to “deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved.”
Paul’s point is that when we discipline a believer in Christ, the act of discipline is a means of sanctification designed to help bring victory of the Spirit over our flesh. Church discipline, a godly rebuke, a humble and caring correction: we ought to covet these things for ourselves and those whom we love.
In addition to the benefit to the one being disciplined there is also a benefit to the church. Paul continues: “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened.” (1 Cor 5:6-7a)
The church must be pure. It must not be defiled by open rebellion against God. The church that coddles sin as a sign of its progressive and tolerant nature is defiling itself and becomes no better than a den of robbers. The church that lovingly and firmly rebukes sin and reproves the sinner to the extent directed by Scripture cleanses itself and signals a love for God and His people, thus demonstrating to the world that God sent Jesus, His Son to save the world.
That is probably the most important point I want to make about church discipline. It is the appropriate action of a loving people. To tolerate sin is to signal a hatred of God and a disdain for the sinner. If we always remember that church discipline is an effort to restore and save a person’s soul we can never go wrong in glorifying God and demonstrating true love to His people and in so doing we preserve the witness of the gospel inherent in the Church.
When we talk about church discipline the reaction is varied depending on who is in the conversation. Some are uncomfortable with the idea and even revolt against it. Some are receptive to the idea but too timid to practice it. Some are receptive to the idea and too eager to practice it. Some are simply obedient to God and therefore seek to understand it, look for ways to prevent its necessity and engage in it when necessary.
The final group holds that perspective because they understand why church discipline is so necessary. Those who are convinced that it is necessary are typically better at preventing the need of doing so through sound teaching of new converts and candidates for church membership as well as biblical instruction concerning the responsibilities of each individual to the body.
Let me first say what church discipline is not. It is not simply kicking people out of the church who do not comply with the church’s rules. Sometimes church discipline results in a person being removed from the privileges of church membership, but only as an ultimate measure and even that is discipline not punishment. The two are different.
So why practice church discipline? I will give my first reason today and return to other reasons in the following days.
First, church discipline is commanded of each of us by Jesus.
Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. “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. NASB95
Note that there is a progression to church discipline and each stage involves showing a person his or her fault. The goal is to seek to win them over – to gain their repentance. Jesus expects me to love you enough that I am willing to seek your purity through the act of confronting your sin. It is a weighty responsibility for all believers but is a command of the Lord that we should obey, albeit with trembling hands and prayerful lips.
Please feel free to share your thoughts with me on the subject.
To gain an understanding of the background to this post please see the previous posts listed below
