The term
“church discipline” often conjures up memories of heretics being
tortured on the rack, beheaded, or burned at the stake. In the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, “witches” were hung, drunks were locked in
pillories, and adulteresses had to wear the letter “A” on their breasts
to mark them for life. Furthermore, the topic of church discipline
is rarely discussed and even more rarely practiced in the modern
church. Where church discipline is discussed, one often hears
cries of, “Judge not, lest ye be judged” or “Let he who has not sinned
cast the first stone.” In those few churches where it is
practiced, oftentimes it is left up to “the” pastor, a board of elders,
or a diaconate to dismiss the offending church member. This is not
the NT pattern.
Why is it that church discipline is rarely, if ever, practiced in our
local churches today? Why are Christian marriages being ripped
apart in record numbers? Why are Christians allowed to continue
indefinitely in unreconciled relationships?
The apostle Paul, aware of the hazardous effects of unrepentant sin,
admonishes the Corinthians, “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you
know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as
you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been
sacrificed” (1 Co 5:6-7). If we are to expect the blessing of God,
we must with great zeal honor God in our congregations by faithfully
disciplining unrepentant sinners (Nu 25). God is honored by
properly administered church discipline and is greatly dishonored by its
absence.
The size of most churches of the modern era often makes the practice
of church discipline difficult. The best place for a tree to hide
is in the forest. It is difficult, if not impossible, to be
intimate with a crowd of people and to know what issues are pressing in
their lives. However, in the smaller house church, it is hard to
hide. Sooner or later our sins will reveal themselves, and
correction will be administered. The close community of the small
home church lends itself to this practice of church discipline. It
is not only easier to detect sin in a house church, but it can be
easier for the offender to accept rebuke from people who know and love
him.
In this chapter we will first examine the procedures for church
discipline spoken by Jesus in Mt 18:15-20. Then, we will attempt
to determine who the proper candidates for church discipline are and
also how the church is to treat those individuals undergoing church
discipline. Lastly, we will look at some common objections given
for not practicing church discipline.
Because of the misconceptions of church discipline that many people
have, it is essential that we examine what the Bible says concerning
church discipline procedures. In the OT, discipline was often
carried out by execution, banishment, or monetary restitution. It
must be remembered, however, that Israel was a theocracy; i.e., governed
by God. The Christian church slipped into a corruption of this
pattern around the time of Constantine, after Christianity became the
state religion of the Roman Empire. Many horrible practices
occurred as a result of this unholy marriage between church and
state. Athanasius of Alexandria was exiled from his home no less
than six times because he defended the deity of Christ. Many died
on the rack and at the stake under the Spanish Inquisition. John
Bunyan was jailed twelve years in England for preaching without a
license. This is not the NT pattern.
The procedure that should be carried out is as follows:
1) The offended brother
should confront the offending brother alone.
2) If the offending brother does not
repent, then the brother first offended confronts him again, this time
with one or two more witnesses.
3) If the offending brother still does
not repent, the offense is reported to the church.
4) If the offending brother does not
repent after being confronted by the church, then the church does not
associate with him. This is the fullest extent of the
punishment, and never is the state to enforce this
decision.
5) If the offending brother repents at
any stage of this process, the church forgives him and the church
discipline process stops at that point.
Matthew 18:15
states that the first step in church discipline is for the offended
brother to go and confront the offending brother alone, and if he
repents he has won his brother. Note that a “brother” committed
the offense. The Greek word here is adelphos, meaning a
member of the Christian community. It must be left up to God to
judge those outside the church (1 Co 5:13). That the offense
represents a violation of the law of Christ is indicated by the Greek
word hamartano, translated “trespasses” or “sins.” This is
not referring to disagreement over something such as how he cuts his
hair, but to a real transgression of Scripture. The offended
brother is to “show him his fault.” A one word synonym for this
phrase would be “rebuke.” The offended brother is to rebuke the
offending brother privately. The first confrontation is to be a
private matter. Then, Jesus says, if he hears you, you have gained
or won your brother. This is the goal of any and all church
discipline. If this happens, the process stops. It goes no
further. Some of you may say, “Well, this goes on in my church all
the time; we admonish each other frequently.” Great! You are
practicing the first step in church discipline.
In the event that your brother ignores you the first time, then you
take witnesses with you, which is the second step in church
discipline. This is a parallel to OT law. An Israeli could not be
convicted of a capital crime unless there was more than one
witness. The purpose of the witness is to corroborate every word
spoken by the offended brother. This step prevents the “my word
against yours” situation.
If the offending brother ignores both the offended brother and the
witnesses, then the case is taken to the church (the church being
defined as the local assembly). If this brother ignores even the
whole church, then he is not to be associated with, which is the meaning
of the phrase, “let him be to you as a heathen and a tax
collector.” Tax collectors and the Gentiles were seen as
enemies. There are two points to note here: the corporate
church carries out the final step of church discipline, and the local
church is the final “court” where this case can be heard. To give
to a pastor, board of elders or deacons the power to exercise this final
step of church discipline is to give to one man or board too much
power. Jesus gives that power to the local Christian assembly
alone.
Who are the proper candidates for church discipline? While most
Christians would agree that some form of church discipline is necessary
for maintaining order and decency in the church, there is disagreement
regarding when to apply the four steps of church discipline taught in Mt
18:15-20. In other words, what type(s) of “sin” did Jesus have in
mind when he spoke in Mt 18? Verse 15 says, “If your brother sins
against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of
you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
Notice that Jesus does not elaborate as to the nature of the sin in
18:15. He simply says, “If your brother has sinned against you, go
and show him his fault.” Paul, in 1 Co 5, mentions several sins
that would warrant the implementation of church discipline. Paul
says in 5:11, “you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a
brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a
drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.”
Paul is not advocating that only the sinless can be members of the
church; rather he is concerned about those who persist in the very
activities from which they have been freed through the sacrifice of the
Passover lamb (v 7). Are we to see Paul’s lists of sins in 1 Co 5
as an exhaustive list? Could we not add to Paul’s list many more
sins? What about husbands who beat their wives, or wives who are
rebellious toward their husbands? Are marriages out of the
jurisdiction of church discipline?
Jay Adams, who has written numerous books on counseling and church
discipline, says, “Strangely, some never think of using church
discipline, even informal discipline, when the two parties are husband
and wife. Why not? A Christian husband and wife are not
merely married persons, they are also brother and sister in Christ’s
church. Most marital problems could be resolved early by active,
informal disciplinary action” (Handbook of Church Discipline, 36).
In no place does Scripture delineate between those sins that warrant
church discipline and those that don’t. All sin is serious, and,
if left unchecked in a believer, could result in the Christian’s
spiritual demise. Christians confronting one another, one-on-one,
in love and humility, is a normal part of a healthy, growing
church. At this point someone might ask the question, “Do I have
to go to my brother about every little offense?” The answer is
no. Pr 10:12 says that love covers a multitude of sins. Pr
19:11 says that to overlook an offense is a glorious thing. If we
had to bring up every annoyance between us we would probably spend all
our time doing so.
Any offense that does not come between us and the one who committed
the offense does not need to be raised. However, if the offense
creates an unreconciled state between us and another the offense must be
brought up and dealt with. Any matter what makes you feel
different toward that person or hinders your ability to cover over the
offense with love must be dealt with. Of course, there are a few
who take advantage of the discipline process and spend an unnecessary
amount of time confronting others. These individuals need to be
taught the virtue of overlooking an offense, and if they refuse to
learn, they themselves may become divisive and may need to be confronted
by others.
Most church discipline cases will be settled in steps one or two
without advancing any further. However, there are times when the
offender refuses to listen and thus forces the matter to steps three and
four (where the entire church enters the discipline process). By
moving from step two to step three the offender has displayed willful
disobedience and is now treading on serious ground. Now that the
matter has come before the church, what is the church’s responsibility
toward the offender?
According to the Scriptures, the following requirements must be
adhered to if biblical church discipline is to be properly administered:
a) “Special note” must be
made of the offender (2 Th 3:14). What Paul means is that the
offender is to be identified to the whole church.
b) “Do not associate with him” (2 Th
3:14; 1 Co 5:11).
c) “Keep away” from him (2 Th
3:6); Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon says, “to abstain from
familiar intercourse with one.”
d) “With such a man do not even eat.”
(1 Co 5:11); eating with someone is a sign of
fellowship.
It should be noted that these requirements given
by the Apostle Paul are not just advice, but commands (2 Th 3:6).
During this third step of the discipline process, if the offender
continues in willful disobedience, the church is to withdraw from
him. That is, to disassociate from him in order that he may feel
ashamed (2 Th 3:14) and as a consequence come to repentance. The
church is still to regard the offender “as a brother” (2 Th 3:15), but
as one whose status is in question. For fear that the offender may
find justification for his rebellious actions, it is essential that
every church member avoid normal fellowship with him. Any contact
with the offender should consist of encouraging him to repent and obey
the instructions of the church. Refusing fellowship is the very
thing Paul is commanding in step three. This is not to be confused
with step four, which is “removing from the midst,” or “handing over to
Satan.” If the offender fails to heed the warning of the church he
is to be removed from the church and handed over to Satan, “so that the
flesh may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1
Co 5:5). The offender is no longer considered to be a believer,
but must be treated “as a pagan and a tax collector” (Mt 18:17).
While the church makes no final judgment as to the heart condition of
the offender, it must judge his words and actions (1 Co 5:12-13).
Church discipline is
a blessing and a privilege provided by the Lord to aid in the
restoration of sinning members. Sadly, in the church today, there
are those who object to its practice. The following are some
common objections that are often given in defense of not practicing
church discipline.
1) “Church discipline is not loving.” God, who is
Love, is the very One who commands that discipline be practiced in the
church (Mt 18). Jesus, speaking to the church in Laodicea, says
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and
repent” (Re 3:19). If we are to imitate the love of Jesus we
must care enough about our brothers to reprove them whenever they are
caught in a sin (Ga 6:1-2).
2) “To implement church discipline on someone would be judging
them.” Mt 7:1-5 is often cited for support of this
objection. That Mt 7:1-5 is not an absolute statement forbidding
all forms of judging is seen in 7:6. Jesus says, “Do not give
dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.” In order
for Christians to obey Jesus’ command, they must make a decision (or a
judgment) as to who qualifies as dogs and pigs. What Jesus does
forbid in Mt 7:1-5 is hypocritical judging. There is a world of
difference between the sinful act of hypocritical judging (Mt 7:1-5)
and the restorative act of judging of which Paul speaks (1 Co 5:3-5,
12-13).
3) “Church discipline could cause divisions.” Unity is of
supreme value within the church. But unity at the expense of
obedience is artificial unity at best. Today’s church has become
more concerned about not offending its tithing members than it has
about obeying Christ’s commands. Church discipline, properly
administered, will strengthen the church and bring about biblical
unity (Eph 4:13).
Church discipline is not only a
biblical commandment but also a right and privilege of every member of
the church, and therefore should not be withheld. Churches that
refuse to follow God’s program for church discipline can, in the end,
expect to find themselves disciplined by God Himself (1 Co
11:31-32).
