Discipline
The
church is called to be holy as God is holy. The church is also a group of God’s
children continually growing more like Jesus and less like the world. A key element
in both of these attributes is the discipline of God’s children who are sinning
and need to be helped in their growth. The church is also responsible to
separate from believers in the congregation who will not repent of known sin (I
Corinthians 5:1-2, II Thessalonians 3:15). So a member of the congregation that
has committed a open grievous sin, sinned against another member of the faith
family, or has committed a sin against the state must be put under church discipline
and a pursuit in love for the sinning member’s soul and salvation must be had
through church discipline. The church must follow the example of God the Father
and help sanctify, lead in growth, and call the members to live lives that are
holy and blameless and through church discipline is the best approach (Heb. 12:1-14).
Church
discipline is important for 5 reasons. First, church discipline is important in
the pursuit and action for the soul and spiritual health of the sinning person
(Gal 6:1). The restoration and repentance of the sinner is the ultimate goal
and perfect result of the steps of church discipline and is why the sinner must
be pursued in love. The second reason for church discipline is the well being
and spiritual health of the entire faith family (1 Cor. 5:6-8). Sin is a
polluting agent and to keep an open and grievous sinner in the midst of a faith
family could have disastrous and eternal consequences. The third reason for
church discipline is to lead the individual church members in an understanding
and awareness in the dangers of sin (1 Tim. 5:20). When sin is discovered it
must be dealt with immediately so others will understand and be aware of the
dire consequences that sin can have. If church discipline does not take place
than members of the faith family will never understand and see and take sin
seriously. The fourth reason for church discipline is for the corporate witness
and public view of the church. The outside world needs to see and understand that
the church is different than it and when the line is blurred because of rampant
sin in the church the world will not desire or understand the relationship with
Jesus. The last reason for church discipline, and along with the restoration of
the sinner, the most important, is the glory of God. God is a holy God who
wants His children to be holy. If the church never practices discipline
holiness in the church is skewed.
There
is a biblical process that should take place while a member is disciplined by
the church (Matthew 18:15-17). God in His word has laid out a plan and order of
the pursuit of a sinning member inside the church. This is the 4 step process
that Jesus has ladi out for His church in the book of Matthew.
1.
Go to the sinning person, one on one and in private and in love make the sinner
aware of the sin committed and call them back through the Word of God to
repentance.
2.
God with 2 or 3 witnesses, still in private and even more in love, and show the
person their sin through the Word of God and call this sinner again back to
repentance and a right relationship with God.
3.
Lay the claim before the church (whether it is the leadership or the entire
church family) the sin of the sinning member and through the crying out in
prayer, love, and petition call the person back from their sinful ways and into
the way of godliness and repentance.
4.
Finally, it no repentance is had, remove the unrepentant sinner from the faith
family and begin to treat them like an unbeliever. *Treating the unrepentant member
like an unbeliever means that socialization and communication can happen but
not without the sin having an effect on the relationship. When the church has relationships
with the unsaved, salvation and repentance is always fresh in the conversation but
there is still communication and a love for this sinner at the core in the relationship.
This is how the relationships should look with the now removed unrepentant
sinner. Not a relationship that is no more or shunned.*
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