Be Ye Doers. . . Of The Word!

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22-NIV)

Disciple Discipline
by: Jay Moles

Many people will stand strong on the New Testament doctrines for salvation and admission to the Church, or the doctrines for the organization and oversight of the Church, but they shy away from the doctrine of discipline for the sinning members of the Church. We cannot forget what John warned us about in Revelation... "if any man TAKES AWAY from the words of this book." If we do not stand strong on EVERY doctrine of the New Testament, how can we expect God to be pleased with us? What is the purpose for Church Discipline? How is it to be carried out? These, or any, questions must be answered by examining... WHAT THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY.

Before we discuss the doctrines of discipline, we shall look at the many objections to having discipline in the Church AT ALL.

The first thing people will say is, "Do we even NEED Church Discipline?"

Many parents allowed the so-called "experts" in the so-called "science" of psychology to convince them disciplining children was wrong. The parents would not spank their mis-behaving children, and these children grew up to disregard the authority of their parents and eventually ALL authority figures throughout society. Recall what the scriptures say: "Spare the rod and spoil the child!" (Proverbs 13:24)

We can see that discipline is a necessary part of the maturity process, both physically and spiritually. So YES, Church Discipline IS needed.

Others will object to Church Discipline by quoting Matthew 7:1 "...Judge not, that ye be not judged." You can't JUDGE me, they cry! What does it MEAN to "judge?" What do THEY MEAN by "judge?" When you say "I have made a judgment" you could just as easily say "I have made a DECISION." The word for "judge" is the Greek word krino, which means to examine the facts and make a decision. It has the idea of a court where the facts are presented, and the right or wrong of the case is determined based on those facts. The people who cry "Judge Me Not!" really mean "CONDEMN Me Not!" In a court, the judge (with or without a jury) will FIRST reach a "verdict" (krino) based on the evidence, and for a guilty verdict will THEN "sentence" (krima) the guilty party with the appropriate punishment. If the person making the objection says that "judging" and "sentencing" are the same IN THEIR CASE, then they must KNOW THEY ARE GUILTY already! Their own words say so! Besides, Paul commands us to judge concerning sinful deeds (1 Corinthians 5:12,13). If we AREN'T SUPPOSED TO JUDGE, then Paul just commanded us to SIN! But, if BOTH scripture verses are inspired (and they are), then how can we JUDGE as Paul tells us to and at the same time NOT JUDGE as Jesus tells us? Simple... by not using HYPOCRITICAL JUDGMENTS, just like Jesus tells us when we read the whole passage in Matthew from verse 1 to verse 5! And when we use the Word of God as the standard for our judgments, then we will never make a wrong decision!

So YES, Church Discipline IS acceptable since we CAN Judge.

One final objection would be that Jesus said "Let both (the wheat and the tares) grow together until the harvest" in Matthew 13:24-30. So, the argument goes, we can't exercise Church Discipline. But read those verses again, then read the EXPLANATION of these verses in Matthew 13:36-43. The field is THE WORLD...NOT THE CHURCH! Since we aren't talking about WORLD discipline (Who does this? Read John 12:47&48), then this verse DOESN'T APPLY!!

So YES, Church Discipline IS a Christian Doctrine!

Now that we know we need to practice Church Discipline, we need to see what it involves and how to exercise it. First, there are two types of discipline: formative (or preventative), and corrective (or punitive) discipline. Formative discipline means teaching, instructing the person on what is right and wrong. The Bible clearly shows us that Christians are taught about righteousness, and this teaching is to be done by the evangelist and the elders. They do this by teaching the word, rebuking sin, correcting misunderstandings, and encouraging faithful living (2 Timothy 3:16,17). If Christians are taught and encouraged to follow the Work, there SHOULD BE NO NEED for any other disciplinary action. And here is a word of caution: if there has been NO formative discipline, no instruction of what is wrong, and no warning of punishment of wrong-doing, then corrective discipline and punishment would be HYPOCRITICAL and what did Jesus Say?

After formative discipline is in practice, any necessary action for transgressions is then corrective discipline. This is what we normally think "discipline" is, and it involves some form of punishment or other action to correct the deeds and behavior of the transgressor. The purposes for Church Discipline are clear: It is to warn the rest of the congregation to avoid sin (1 Timothy 5:20); to save the sinning brother or sister (1 Corinthians 5:5 & 1 Timothy 1:20); to keep the Church pure from pollution (1 Corinthians 5:6,7; Hebrews 12:16 & 2 Timothy 2:17,18); to prove our obedience to Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:9 & 17:11); and to show our seriousness and commitment to those outside the Church (Acts 5:14).

So how is Church Discipline supposed to proceed when corrective action is necessary? Jesus outlined the process in Matthew 18:15-17.

Step 1: Private Counsel

This is to be one-on-one. Any Christian that truly doesn't know he or she is sinning by either word or deed should gladly correct their actions or their speech when he or she is shown the error. Look at the example of Apollos in Acts 18:24-28. Priscilla and Aquila showed him his error, and he corrected it.

This step is a private form of formative discipline, with the instruction dealing directly with the individual Christian's actions or speech, and is usually all the correction that is necessary. If this step is successful, only the two people involved need to know, or will know, any of the details.

Step 2: Public Rebuke

When the erring brother or sister will not listen to one individual, then two or three of the Elders are to be taken along for a second visit to stress the seriousness of the sin. This is a positive example of peer pressure, and is necessary so that "every word may be established" (Deuteronomy 19:15). Not only will this prevent the sinning brother or sister from making false accusations against the person rebuking the sin (this "establishes" what WAS NOT said), but this also allows the person rebuking the sin to show the sinning

brother or sister that the sin is REAL, and not just their opinion. The two or three Elders will be impartial parties who are to back up what the Bible says about the sin (this "establishes" what WAS said - by the brother who tried to correct the sin in the first step!). When the sinning brother or sister finds that he or she is not being rebuked by a single person's opinion but by the Word of God, then he or she should fall to their knees in repentance. If this step is successful, only the four people involved need to know, or will know, any of the details.

Step 3: A Congregational Meeting

Some people will refuse to repent even after the first two visits, and then the matter MUST be taken before the whole congregation. THIS STEP is when the rest of the congregation is told about the sinful actions or speech of the brother or sister involved...AND NOT BEFORE! The person involved is publicly rebuked before the entire congregation, with the hope that the open exposure of the sin will cause the sinning brother or sister to repent. Look at what Paul did in Galatians 2:11-21. Peter acted hypocritically toward the former Gentile brethren when the former Jewish brethren arrived. Even though it is unrecorded, we can be sure that Paul tried to reason with Peter about this sin. But when Peter's actions led Barnabas to do the same thing, Paul was brought to this step. When Peter was rebuked before the entire congregation, and shown his sin, he repented! And please notice the WAY that Paul rebuked Peter, he didn't just tell him he was wrong...he showed him WHY he was sinning! The reason that the entire Church is involved is to make sure everyone is informed of the truth of the event, to prevent any gossip or rumors from starting, and to put an end to the event once for all time. If this step is successful, everyone in the congregation should consider the topic CLOSED.

Step 4: Excommunication

Remember that God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for their sin...and remember that they sinned ON PURPOSE! If the sinning brother or sister refuses to repent when rebuked before the entire congregation, they should be disfellowshipped (expelled) from the congregation-right then and there. God did not wait for a "better time" to exercise punishment, and since the whole Church is present there could not BE A BETTER TIME for exercising punishment. Remember that the propose of Church Discipline is to purify the Church and to prevent pollution...if you found that you had a CANCER cell in your body, wouldn't you remove it IMMEDIATELY? This is not only what Jesus taught us to do, but what Paul both commanded and demanded that the Corinthians do. And look at the effect that discipline had on the Church...Acts 5:11 says "great fear came upon the whole Church, and upon all who heard of these things." Remember that God deserves both our love and honor, as well as our FEAR. Proverbs tells us "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). Only a spiritual IDIOT does not fear God. And a congregation filled with both love for God and fear of God will watch their actions very carefully.

Knowing HOW to exercise Church Discipline, we now need to know what sins require these disciplinary actions. After all, since we are ALL human and prone to sin, we will all practice repentance, confession, and prayer in our lives. But there are some sins that obviously require action by the congregation: Causing dissension and trouble (Titus 3:10,11 & Romans 16:17); Fornication (Sexual Immorality), Covetousness, Idolatry, Railing, Drunkenness, and Extortion (1 Corinthians 5:11); people practicing the seven ABOMINATIONS--especially LIARS (Proverbs 6:17); those who willfully disobey and disregard the Apostles' Doctrines (2 Thessalonians 3:6,14); and those who teach against and disagree with the teachings and doctrines of Jesus and the Apostles (1 Timothy 6:3-5). Each of these sins, if not stopped, will destroy the Church from within like cancer (2 Timothy 2:14-18). People who practice such sins MUST BE REMOVED from the congregation.

Once a sinning brother or sister has been disfellowshipped, how should the congregation treat them? Since the purpose of Church Discipline is to bring them to repentance, is this all that the congregation can do? Should the person be written off? Of course not! Since the reason the person has been removed from the fellowship is to cause them to stop their sinful words or deeds, the Christians are to help the person overcome the sin in their life. As indicated in the discussion of the steps in discipline, the person is still to be thought of as a BROTHER or a SISTER...but one snared in sin (2 Thessalonians 3:14,15). The efforts to help this person should come from the entire congregation (Galatians 6:1,2). Notice that the Word says "you who are spiritual." This means that the responsibility for helping the alcoholic, for example, rests with the Christians since they are the ones who are spiritual! The person in sin should not be abandoned to the "experts" of the world, because they will not be interested in stopping the sin in the person's life. While many worldly programs and groups have experience that the local congregation may lack in certain fields, these programs or groups will never have an answer to any problem that surpasses the answer of the Lord Jesus Christ! The congregation should treat the person gently, and with love. If the disfellowshipped person comes to his or her senses and seeks repentance, they should be welcomed back into the fellowship of the congregation, forgiven of their sin, and conforted (2 Corinthians 2:6-8). As a practical suggestion, it might be wise to have the person brought before the congregation to publicly confess his or her sin, and to request the forgiveness of the entire Church and their fervent prayers of God's forgiveness also. This would allow everyone to witness the person's seriousness and dedication to real repentance, as well as give the members the opportunity to heal the pain of the entire Church and their fervent prayers for God's forgiveness also. This would allow everyone to witness the persons seriousness and dedication to real repentance, as well as give the members the opportunity to heal the pain of the separation by public acceptance and celebration of the regaining of the wayward brother or sister.

But if the person continues to refuse repentance, the congregation will reach the point where the person must be treated as "outsider" and no longer consider them as a "brother" or a "sister" (Matthew 18:17). Paul shows us how this is to be done: we are not even to eat with them after this point (1 Corinthians 5:11). Perhaps we are to consider them in the same light that Paul considered Hymenaeus and Alexander: some people need to learn the hard way (1 Timothy 1:20).

Above all, we should remember that Church Discipline is a Christian doctrine that is as important as Immersion for the remission of sins or the weekly observance of the Lord's Death by partaking of the loaf and the cup. As human beings, we know that discipline is necessary when obedience is the goal.

God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:4-11)...and so should we.