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Church Discipline Number One
Something is wrong with a preacher or anyone else when he feels he must apologize for preaching any portion of the truth of God. Yet, some feel apologetic (not in the sense of defending) regarding this subject. We are aware that there be some who strongly object to a discussion of the theme of church discipline for various reasons, or should I say, excuses. But if any apology is due it is because of the failure to preach on the subject enough to keep brethren informed about it and the necessity of it.
Often the objection raised is that it is not the proper time to discuss it. They claim to have no real objection to discipline but they never seem to determine an appropriate timing to do it. There may well be times when a certain study may be more effective than other times. But no part of the truth is untimely. The gospel is to be preached "in season, out of season." (II Timothy 4:2). We would agree that the study of church discipline may create fewer problems when there is no disciplinary matter before the congregation and the church is at peace. But again, when there are disorderly members being tolerated may be just the time the study is needed the most. Paul certainly thought so because he discussed discipline with Corinth at the very time there was a pressing need for it.
Trouble over church discipline often arises because people will allow personalities to mean more to them than principles of truth. Being in ignorance of the Word of God, they twist and wrest the Scriptures to make them fit some particular problem, person or situation and try to make the Scriptures apply directly to that person, problem or situation without warrant. The only way to remove trouble about church discipline is to have a knowledge of the truth on it and love that truth more than anything else.
Questions and Answers
Our study shall consist of asking several relevant and pertinent questions on the subject and search the Scriptures for the answers. But let us begin by quoting a pamphlet entitled, "The Forgotten Commandment." We cite these remarks, not as divine authority, but because the sentiments he expresses are such that we can and should concur:
A lack of discipline Is responsible for the chaos in which the world finds itself. Disregard for authority is evident on every hand. Discipline has faded into almost complete obscurity in the affairs of nations, states. communities, and has all but disappeared from the church of God. No home can be strong without discipline. No church can properly function without discipline. No nation can stand if its people flagrantly disregard discipline.
The early church believed and practiced discipline. It always disciplined with the right objective in mind. The early church grew and multiplied because it worked constantly to maintain its purity. Discipline was used over and over to accomplish this.
Today, about every sin that can be found in the world can also be found in the church. There is a tendency to wink at sin among God's children and excuse it with the excuse that to try to correct it is to meddle into peoples lives. This is not true. It is the duty of the church to reprove, rebuke, exhort - even to cull out, delete, to withdraw fellowship from all who walk in an unruly manner and will not repent.
The matter of discipline has been carelessly handled in many cases. Discipline has been used as a means to get even with someone -as a club with which to destroy. This is not New Testament discipline and the ones who practice such are themselves in need of discipline.
When a tree is pruned and kept in a healthy state it bears more fruit. When the rotten apple is thrown out of the peck the others are saved. When an infected member of the physical body is either restored or removed the entire body functions more perfectly. When the church is kept pure by pruning, weeding out, even by withdrawing in the extreme cases, it will grow as we have never seen it grow before.
We are hard-pressed to see how anyone could disagree with these sentiments if they have the welfare of the church and their brethren collectively and individually at heart.
What is Discipline?
What is meant by discipline? Whether we are talking about discipline in the home, state, church or wherever, it can be divided into two areas, preventive and corrective. Most people think of discipline only in terms of correction and punishment. But this misses one major part of discipline. Discipline is training. Training molds, strengthens, perfects, directs correctly, as well as making corrections. Discipline also includes punishment, rebuke and chastisement. Discipline is a means of enforcing obedient and orderly conduct. It is the rule or system affecting the manner of one's life. Training in obedience to a given standard is discipline, according to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.
According to these definitions, we can see that every sermon, every Bible class is included in discipline. These are efforts to properly train. This is preventive discipline. Reproving, rebuking are also a part of discipline in the corrective area. Discipline includes punishment but punishment is only one form of discipline. In our homes we teach our children the way they should go, and this is preventive discipline. We punish them when they misbehave and this is corrective discipline. The same principle applies when dealing with church discipline.
There has been this kind of discipline in every dispensation. In the Patriarchal Age God instructed Adam and Eve what they were to do. He also punished them when they violated His will. God warned Lot and his wife about escaping from Sodom. Lot's wife was punished when she disobeyed. The people were warned in Noah's day and punished in the flood. In all these cases there was corrective and preventive discipline.
In the Mosaic Age God gave the law of Israel for their instruction. Israel was punished when they defied God. They were told what to do with the treasures and spoils of Jericho. When this was violated not only Achan but the entire nation suffered. Over and over we could cite examples of both kinds of discipline in this dispensation. The Christian Age records disciplinary actions. There is the very sever case of Ananias and Sapphira when they lied to the Holy Spirit in Acts five regarding their contributions and were smitten with death. The Corinthians were taught regarding the standards of morality and the immoral one was to be taken from their company if he did not repent of his sins. So we have no reason to be surprised that discipline is appropriate now.
Who is to be Disciplined?
In one sense every person is to be subject to discipline because every person needs the training and direction from God. For this reason the church should maintain the best teaching program it is capable of having. Preventive discipline is applicable to all.
In the event preventive discipline fails, Paul instructs, "Now we command you brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." (II Thessalonians 3:6). Again, "If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed." (Second Thessalonians 3:14). Disorderly is defined as not walking after what the apostles taught. Those who do not obey the word are disorderly. It means "not according to the order of things." It can be illustrated by a soldier who will not keep in step and breaks the ranks.
II John 9-11 teaches, "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed: for he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds." To add to or take away from God's Word makes one subject to disciplinary action.
Titus 3:10-11, "A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." A heretic is a factious man who shows more concern for part than the whole; who pays little to no attention to the Word and does as he wants to the injury of all.
I Corinthians 5:1-5 presents a severe problem of immorality in the church. "It is commonly reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in the body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for he destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." Paul called for disciplinary action to purge the sin (flesh) and save the soul (spirit).
"Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them." (Romans 16:17). Again, Titus 1:9-13, "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves even a prophet of their own said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth." This is calling for disciplinary action.
Personal Offenses
One who trespasses against a brother and will not repent of it is the object of discipline. Matthew 18:15- 17, "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church, but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican."
Let us notice that in every instance, the discipline is meted out only in cases of overt action and regarding observable sins. Discipline is not executed in matters that remain merely matters of the heart. We do not infer that sins of the heart are not deadly. We simply point out that the sins subject to corrective discipline are sins that are observable and detectable; sins that have possibly shown an evil heart but the showing is evident. While we can and must discipline preventively in matters of both heart and action, we are limited in disciplining in a corrective manner in matters of the heart because man is limited in knowing the heart. When we try to judge the heart we have over-stepped our prerogatives and entered into the realm where only God is able to know (I Samuel 16:7). We can discipline in matters of adultery (overt action) but are limited In matters of lust, unless lust has demonstrated itself. Judging the heart is left to God and forbidden man (Matthew 7:1-5).
In answer to our question, "Who is disorderly?" we quote an adequate comment by G. C. Brewer when he wrote, "Any person who sins is in need of the encouragement and admonition of faithful Christians; but only the person who sins and is impenitent, defiant, and shows the purpose to continue his sins should be considered disorderly." And, "We would say that any person who persists in sin, any sin, or who refuses to repent or correct his sins, should be regarded as disorderly and should be dealt with as such."
Purpose of Discipline
What is the purpose of discipline? The Lord has given us in His Word the purposes for disciplinary action. Before we consider them, let us give attention to this word of caution. If the motive for disciplinary action, preventive or corrective, is not the same as the purpose the Lord has given, then God will judge and the one whose motive is impure stands as condemned before God as one who should be otherwise disciplined. It is possible that an evil motive may not be known by other brethren because motives are matters of the heart and are not always detectable to other men as we have noted. But we will not deceive God in this or any other matter. While we shall consider in a second lesson just who does the disciplining, we are now concerned with the motive and reasons for disciplinary action.
I Corinthians 5:5 shows that the purpose of discipline is to destroy the sin (flesh) and save the sinner (spirit). Let us emphasize that discipline is for the purpose of saving. The sinner cannot be saved if he continues in his wickedness. Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." The word "restore" means to mend, re-equip for further use, to recover. Preventive discipline is directed to avoid sin. Corrective discipline is used to correct sin when it is not avoided. Discipline is to save the lost.
Administration of discipline, as stated by G. C. Brewer quite well, "may look hard, but it is far better than to let the man be self deceived and remain in sin till he must at last hear the same sentence pronounced by the Lord in the awful word, 'Depart. Then it will be too late; and we, if we have connived at his sin, and become partakers of his guilt, will have to share his doom."
II Thessalonians 3:14 already quoted cites discipline so that the sinner "may be ashamed." It is designed to cause sufficient shame that the sinner will come out of his sinfulness. We can see that discipline is used because somebody loves somebody else enough to help them. We do not show love to let sin go unchecked. You show love by doing what is needful to turn the sinner from the error of his way and save a soul from death (James 5:19,20). Those who look upon disciplinary action as an insult have failed to learn God's Word. We do not consider the doctor insulting when he prescribes medicine when we are physically ill. We do not consider him insulting even if we have to have an operation and have part of us removed, if it is to save life. Why should we think brethren have lesser motives regarding the soul?
Discipline is to save the church from being overrun with sin. I Corinthians 5:6,7, Paul wrote, "Your glorying is not good. Know ye riot that u little leaven leaventh the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened," One spiritually diseased member affects the whole body. It must be cured, restored, or the whole body could die. Sin attracts sin. The Lord desires a church that is pure, holy, without blemish and wrinkle (Ephesians 5). In Revelation 2:5 the church in Ephesus did not correct the faults in it and the Lord said He would remove their candlestick, their light, from the whole church. Rebuke is for the purpose that all may be sound in the faith (Titus 1:13). If sin goes unchecked in the ranks of God's people it will not be too long before the whole world winks at sin and hypocrisy becomes the norm. The world will look with reproach on the very body of Christ. When God's rules are allowed to be broken and nothing said or done about it, the salt loses its savor and a bushel is placed over the lamp.
It is the work of the church to proclaim the truth to save the world. What will the sinful world think of the church if those who compose the church have so little regard for the very message they are to preach? The attraction of purity is one of the drawing forces of the church. Dare we hide our light under the bushel and still expect to be the light of the world?
Once again, in order to emphasize, If we love those In sin, love the church, love the lost of the world, love the fallen brother, whosoever, we will love this truth regarding church discipline. Only as lack of love would allow us to suppress it. Additional points regarding church discipline will be discussed in the next lesson.