Church Discipline (1)

There are two types of church discipline — formative and Discipline is one of the most essential responsibilities of the local church. It is crucial that the moral integrity of its members be maintained. A congregation that shirks this responsibility will erode spiritually (“a little leaven leavens the whole lump”) and ultimately lose its standing with the Lord. When discipline leaves a church, Christ leaves with it.

corrective. Formative discipline is preventive in nature and involves teaching and training members in the way of righteousness. Corrective discipline is penalizing in nature and involves punishing members who persist in unrighteousness. This article will focus primarily on the latter.

There are several examples of church discipline in the New Testament. These examples provide us with much information concerning who is to be disciplined, how they are to be disciplined, and when they are to be disciplined. We will look at four of them: The Offender, The Immoral, The Idle, and The Divisive.

(1) The Offender. In Matthew 18, Jesus addressed a situation in which one brother sins against another brother. He set forth a three-step process. Each step is an escalation of member involvement: alone, one or two others, the church.

The first step is for the offended brother to confront the offender privately. Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (v. 15). One can easily see the wisdom in a private confrontation. This minimizes the injury caused by the sin and lessens the likelihood of pride becoming a factor. The purpose of going to your brother is not to run him off, but to win him back. “If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

The second step is for the offended brother to bring witnesses. Jesus said, “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you” (v. 16). The witnesses are there to confirm the charge and to help plead with the offender. The principle of taking others along is rooted in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 19:15).

The third step is for the offended brother to inform the congregation. Jesus said, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church” (v. 17). At this point the private sin becomes public, and is intended to increase the pressure on the offender to seek reconciliation. If that does not work, he is to be ostracized. “And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and tax collector.”

(2) The Immoral. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul addressed a situation in the church at Corinth involving a sexually immoral member. He was having relations with his father’s wife (stepmother). Such conduct was “not tolerated even among pagans” (v. 1). To say that they were tolerating behavior that even the pagans would find offensive is quite a charge. The Corinthian people were notoriously wicked. In fact, those who lived in drunkenness and debauchery were said to “live like a Corinthian.” Paul said that even the morally depraved pagans have higher standards than that!

The brethren were rebuked for their haughty attitude and told to expel the immoral member. Paul wrote, “And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you” (v. 2). The concept of removal is repeated throughout the chapter: “deliver this man to Satan” (v. 5), “cleanse out the old leaven” (v. 7), “not to associate with” (vv. 9, 11), “not even to eat with such a one” (v. 11), “purge out the evil person from among you” (v. 13).

Church discipline is limited to erring children of God. It is not for sinners in the world. If that were the case, we “would need to go out of the world” (v. 10). It is for “anyone who bears the name of brother” (v. 11). “Anyone” is all-inclusive. No one is exempt. There are no exceptions for family members or close friends. This is similar to 2 Thessalonians 3:6, where Paul said “any brother.”

Lord willing, we will conclude this extremely important study next week. Hope to see you at the Village Church of Christ on Sunday!