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Church Discipline Number Two
Without taking time and space to review the previous lesson, let us pursue the theme of church discipline by continuing to ask important questions about it and find God's answers.
How to Administer
How is discipline to be administered? Preventive discipline is administered by teaching, preaching, training, informing, and showing by example. How corrective discipline is to be administered is dependent upon the nature of the transgression that must be handled. Is it a personal matter between brethren? Is it a private issue? Or is it a public transgression known far and wide and involves all? Personal offenses can become public offenses if they are not corrected on the personal level. Public offenses cannot be corrected privately or on the same scope as private problems. The effectiveness of discipline would thereby be nullified. Many are involved in publicly known sins. The whole church is affected openly.
Private - Personal
We earlier read from Matthew 18:15-17 regarding a personal issue between two brethren. The one who has been offended has a responsibility to go to the offending brother and to try to settle the issue between them. Usually this will settle most situations when brethren are men of good will. Brethren of good will seldom find it impossible to solve their problems. The reason the offended one has the duty to go to the offender is because the offender may be in a bad spiritual state and would never initiate a solution. It is also possible that the offender is not aware he has offended his brother. How could the offended initiate a reconciliation to a problem about which he is unaware?
If the two parties are not able to settle the situation on a quiet and relatively calm plane, then the offended one should take one or two others with him to discuss the matter with the offender. Please note the "low key" approach to the problem thus far. It is not an open rift but a private affair. There is not the rushing to many, many others and spreading the problem. But there is the restricted approach to those involved and as few of others as is necessary. Surely, a few brethren together can settle nearly every matter that would ever arise between two brethren on a personal level when all involved really want a solution. This is often a real barrier, however!
However, if the matter be so serious and no solution is reached by this time, the issue should be taken before the whole church with the hope and intent that the consideration of the whole body will be brought to bear on those involved and a solution found. There is the pressure of all the brethren on the evil doer. If a sinful brother defies the whole church and refuses to make correction, then he is to be considered an outcast, not because the others are so righteous, but because he has made himself so unrighteous. The offender should clear up his offense regardless of what anybody else does or does not do. If he will not, he is to be numbered among those with whom faithful brethren no longer will have fellowship until such time as he repents of the error of his way. This is clear.
Personal problems and disputes ought not be allowed to become public disputes. They ought to be solved on the personal level and then allowed to die. Some prefer to blast out against others sometimes even before the one they are blasting is even aware of the personal offense. But when personal offenses are not settled and it becomes a matter for the whole church to handle, then things have become intolerable.
Next, let us consider the administration of discipline when the transgression has been public before all, known to many, recognized by all and possibly Involving many and affecting the whole congregation, even the whole brotherhood. When a brother sins publicly, openly, it is already outside the level of a personal issue, but the very nature of the offense, be it evil behavior, false teaching, whatever disorderly manner he commits, makes it a public issue for the church. Such a case is found in First Corinthians five where one man's immorality was threatening the welfare of the entire church. We cannot cover public sins in a private manner. This would destroy the purposes of discipline; namely, the preservation of the church and the example of the church before the world it strives to save. It is necessary that the world knows that the church opposes sin, even in its own members. "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others may also fear." (I Timothy 5:20). There is value in public rebuke that cannot be dismissed.
It is not proper for one to openly sin through conduct or teaching and expect to cover it up quietly and others never even know that sin has been confessed and forgiveness sought. It is not proper for one to openly teach error and then go into some room and quietly admit he was wrong to a few but never make correction openly as he taught. As one has illustrated, Johnny may make a mistake on his paper at his desk in arithmetic and correct it with only he and the teacher knowing about it and all is well. But let Johnny make the mistake at the chalkboard for all to see and nothing be done, then the whole class can and will be detrimentally affected. Public sins cannot be swept under a private rug lest the force of discipline be lost. We have seen in our time many false teachers want special treatment and "save face" by not openly admitting wrong. But it is better to save the soul than preserve one's pride and save face.
Furthermore, you should allow time for the one in error to be shown his sin, but you can talk to a person just so long. Eventually, it must be recognized that the sinner is not going to repent and discipline is mandatory. Judgment must be used to determine how long this time may be. But it surely must not be so long that when disciplinary measures are taken they have really lost their affect, It should not be so long as to make it appear the sin is being condoned. There comes the time when rebuke is no more the way, but rejection is in order (Titus 3:10,11). Paul said after the first or second admonition, reject.
Withdrawing Fellowship
If public pressure does not cause the sinner to turn, he must be avoided, company from him withheld, and fellowship withdrawn from him. To withdraw fellowship from a brother is the last and final effort to which we resort to cause the brother to repent. After all other efforts, preventive and corrective, have failed, "Let him be unto thee as the Gentile and publican."
Deliver such a one to Satan (I Corinthians 5:5). Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly (II Thessalonians 3:6). Mark them and avoid them (Rom 16:17). This is as much a command from heaven as one teaching baptism. It is God's will, not man s. The church cannot just allow sinful matters to exist without attention, nor can problems be disposed of through neglect and indifference. Just turning your back and pretending sin does not exist is often the way sins are handled in the church, but that is not the way God says to deal with them.
When one has had fellowship withdrawn from him that one is not just written off and forgotten. He is not to be treated like he was an enemy (II Thessalonians 3:15) even though contact and association is limited. He is a fallen brother. Yet, we are to have no company with him, not so much as even to eat with him. There is no cause to hate him, but we must do what we are allowed to do to teach him the error of his way and turn him back again if possible (James 5:19,20). But we must never leave the impression with him or any other we condone his sin.
Who is to Administer Discipline?
All who preach and teach administer preventive discipline. Every good example is preventive discipline. Therefore, every Christian ought to be involved in preventive discipline. All have a power of influence and should persuade others to do right.
As for corrective discipline, again it depends somewhat on the nature of the problem. In personal offenses, the offended is to initiate the action as stated. In public transgressions the whole church is involved and the whole church has the duty to administer discipline. As with other matters pertaining to the local church, the eldership should and must take the lead. In matters of withdrawing fellowship, every Christian must cooperate lest the purpose of the action be lost and the sinful soul never brought to repentance. Paul says, "Ye being gathered together." (I Corinthians 5:4,5). All are involved. If some obey God and disfellowship a sinful impenitent brother but others ignore it as if sin was not to be rebuked, then disciplinary efforts will probably be so ineffective that the sinner will remain lost and those who refuse to cooperate are to blame. The responsibility rests upon all.
In the final phase of this study we consider some of the more often suggested objections to disciplinary action. We begin by saying there ought not be any objections since God has commanded that they be exacted. But still some raise objection.
It Is Judging
That's right. We must recognize the difference between making Judgments God has commanded and those God has forbidden. There is a difference between drawing a line by our authority and recognizing the line God has already drawn and revealed. When we obey God we are not sinning. To disobey God is to judge God and declare Him to be wrong. Should we attempt to exercise disciplinary actions in matters that are strictly of the heart there is valid complaint. But disciplinary action deals with the actions and observable sinfulness. We do not judge sinfully to recognize sin. We must judge to obey what God has said. To do otherwise is to commit sin.
But Everybody Sins
Nobody that knows the truth denies that (I John 1:8-10). I suppose even God knows that, and knew that when He commanded disciplinary action. But it is not true that one must be sinlessly perfect before he can exercise discipline toward another. All do not persist in sin. All are not disorderly, impenitent, defiant, rebellious, All do not teach false doctrines and divide the church with such. The very fact that God commands discipline ought inform us that somebody must do it.
But It May Cause Trouble
It will cause more trouble when it is not done. It will only cause trouble among those who do not love the lost and love the truth. Those kind of people may well get upset. But discipline, rightly done, is saving, not destroying. Would God command something that was designed to just cause trouble?
Did not God know what He was doing when He commanded It? Only when some are rebellious will it cause trouble. But this is trouble caused by truth and we shall not be guiltless if we seek to avoid this kind of trouble by sacrificing the will of God. When we all obey God there will be no trouble. It might cause trouble if people are not taught what discipline does and how it is to be done. This is why teaching the subject is imperative.
Leave It to God
I am for that! This is what we do when we hear what God has taught and when we comply to His teaching. We are leaving it to God. The Lord forbids addition or subtraction from His Word. He adds to the church and He takes away. He has told us who He adds and who He takes away. Indeed, leave it to God. When we obey we are leaving it to God.
Attitude
But a closing word about our attitude when discipline, preventive or corrective, is administered. There must be the love and desire to save a soul from death, spiritual death. There must be the willingness to act as love demands. We do not show love by ignoring sin. There must be constant self examination. There is no room for a self righteous or better than-thou attitude. There must be an ever present respect for the will of God. Unless the God-given purpose is our purpose we shall go astray in this matter of discipline.
There is nothing the devil loves more than for a Christian to sin, continue in sin, fall away, bring reproach on Christ, and damn his own soul. How Satan rejoices when such is the case. We are provoked to ask if we love the fallen brother as much as the devil. Will we put forth the difficult work of disciplining each other in order to save each other? It would be wonderful if preventive discipline would take care of all the problems. But the devil deceives and prevention is not always secured. So God, lovingly, has designed and delivered corrective measures. Since God loves us enough to provide these procedures, surely we ought to love God and one another enough to carry them out as He has taught us.