POST 3 - Church Discipline—An Evidence of Christian Love

Church Discipline—An Evidence of Christian Love Continued……

Quote from Jim Eliff – from Restoring those who fall
“Church discipline is one of the primary means God uses to correct and restore His children when they fall into sin. It is also one way in which He maintains the unity, purity, integrity, and reputation of the church. Through private or public instruction, warning, counsel, or rebuke, and in some cases even social avoidance or expulsion from membership, God corrects his disobedient children or removes those who are not truly His. Christ Himself declared the church to be heaven’s instrument in carrying out this difficult but necessary function (Matthew 18:18-20).

In Jim’s article – Restoring those who fall (a very good read) he makes some very important observations that need to be considered before we continue our discussion of Biblical Church Discipline.

Jim specifically (not 100% exhaustive) classifies sinful behaviors for which church discipline may be necessary. So before we look at STEP 1 (Personal Confrontation) let’s consider the following. Again – from Jim’s article……. He will get ahead of us BUT good way to preview.

Make Note: This article is so packed full of scripture - you may want to load Instaverse which is a great program - it will help you review the verses quickly as you are reading the article.

“Our Statement Regarding Church Discipline”
“The purpose of this statement is to define, in general terms, five classes of sinful behavior for which church discipline may be necessary, and to explain how the Bible tells us to respond to each. We must not assume, however, that every situation will fall neatly into a single category. Disciplinary matters are often confusing combinations or variations of these general classes, making the proper course of action difficult to determine. For this reason, the church must carry out discipline with prayer, diligent application of Scripture, and reliance upon the Spirit of God”.

Minor Faults

Minor faults are attitudes and actions such as rudeness, impatience, grumbling, complaining, negativity, pettiness, boasting, irritability, speaking too much or when inappropriate, lack of trust, worry, timidity, selfishness, etc. They are minor sins by comparison, but are nevertheless contrary to biblical instructions to be considerate, patient, content, always thankful, always rejoicing, forbearing, humble, slow to anger, slow to speak, trusting, bold, selfless, etc.

We are permitted, and actually encouraged to overlook most minor faults rather than resorting to discipline (Proverbs 10:12; 19:11; Romans 15:1; Philippians 4:5; 1st Peter 4:8). Should a minor fault be thought serious enough to require private counsel, we should be particularly careful to apply Christ’s words about removing the “speck” from our brother’s eye while a “plank” is in our own (Matthew 7:1-5). Only if a minor fault is repeated so consistently or in such a disruptive manner that it causes harm to the church should any measure(s) be taken beyond private instruction, warning, or rebuke.

Unverifiable Sins

Whether minor or serious, unverifiable sins are offenses that are known to only one member besides the offender(s). Additionally, they are matters in which no evidence could be brought forth as proof. For example: insulting words spoken in private, physical assault or theft where no physical or circumstantial evidence exists, breach of a private verbal contract, private awareness of another member’s illicit behavior, etc.

In such cases, it may be necessary for the offended person or lone witness to rebuke the offender privately. But if private rebuke is unsuccessful and the offender is not willing to admit his sin to others, no further church action may be taken. The matter must be left with God; it should not be revealed to anyone else (Matthew 18:16, cf. Deuteronomy 19:15; Proverbs 25:8-10). (Note: Exceptions to this rule include the reporting of criminal offenses to the proper authorities when necessary or required by law, and/or warning any individuals who are endangered by the offender. Even in these cases, however, unnecessary publicity among church members should be avoided.)

Personal Offenses

Personal offenses are offenses between two Christians—more specifically, two members of the same church. Personal offenses could be defined as “any sinful behavior by one member that causes harm to another.” For example: insults, slander, breach of personal trust or contract, physical or sexual abuse, adultery, physical assault, theft, vandalism, etc. In these situations, the offended person must closely follow Matthew 18:15-17: (Which we will discuss in detail in later posts).

Public Disobedience

Public disobedience describes sinful behavior that causes harm to the unity, doctrinal integrity, purity, or reputation of the church as a whole. This category would include false teaching, divisiveness, contentions, gossip, slander of the church or its leaders, insubordination, sexual immorality, drunkenness, covetousness, theft, dishonesty, outbursts of anger or fighting, foul language, willful failure to provide, wrongful divorce or remarriage, breach of public trust or contract, etc. The two goals of church discipline in these situations are:

• To protect and preserve the unity, doctrinal integrity, purity, and reputation of the church (Acts 20:28-31; Hebrews 12:14-16).
• To identify those who begin to commit these types of sins, employ various biblical measures to call them to repentance, and restore them when possible (Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20).

Unlike the singularity and clarity of the instructions for resolving personal offenses (Matthew 18:15-17), the instructions for dealing with acts of public disobedience are much more varied. Especially here, we must pause, pray, seek wise counsel, and apply the Scriptures carefully, considering each situation to be unique.

The following is a general representation of the range of biblical measures we have been given to deal with public disobedience. Not every measure listed here will be appropriate for every situation. We have listed them in order of severity, from the most gentle or subtle to the most direct, but this should not be construed to mean that they must be applied in this order in every case.

• Be watchful. Be on guard against offenses (Acts 20:28-31; Hebrews 12:14-16; etc.).
  We should not aggressively hunt for offenses or opportunities to enact discipline (Matthew 13:28-30), but we must be vigilant, ready to address sinful behavior when it becomes known.
• Note those who are offending and watch them closely (Romans 16:17; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:14-15). This is particularly the responsibility of the elders who are the shepherds of the flock. We are warned in the New Testament that there will be some who profess to be Christians who will seek to harm the church (Acts 20:30; 2 Peter 2:1-3). A person who begins to teach contrary to sound doctrine, is divisive or insubordinate, or seeks to exalt himself (i.e. 3 John 9-10), may be a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and must be watched carefully in order to protect the true sheep.
• Correct through teaching (2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 1:9). The Word of God is powerful and effective. In all cases, especially when more direct or severe measures are not immediately necessary, elders and other teachers must address disobedience by applying the Scriptures humbly, gently, patiently, and convincingly (also see 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2).
• Plead with the offender(s) (1 Corinthians 1:10-11; Philippians 4:2-3). Paul pleaded with the Corinthian church as a group, and with Euodia and Syntyche as individual Christians in Philippi, imploring them to stop being divisive or contentious. In both situations, his pleas, which were in the form of open letters to the churches, also served as gentle public rebukes.
• Warn them of consequences (1 Thessalonians 5:14; Titus 3:10-11). Unruly or disobedient Christians who have not responded to gentle or subtle disciplinary measures are exposing themselves to public rebuke, social avoidance, or even expulsion from the church. Warn them of these embarrassing and painful consequences. Warn them most seriously of the day when they will stand before the Lord Jesus to be judged according to their deeds (2 Corinthians 5:9-11).
• Rebuke them (Matthew 16:22-23; Galatians 2:11-14; 1 Timothy 5:20; Titus 1:13; 2:15). The prospect of being publicly rebuked should be a powerful deterrent to sinful behavior, both for the one rebuked, and for others who witness the rebuke. Public rebuke also serves the purpose of public teaching by identifying and exposing the nature of error (Ephesians 5:8-13).
• Silence them (Titus 1:10-11). Paul insisted that false teachers and divisive people “must be silenced,” and his implication was that the leaders of the church should make every effort to silence them. This could be accomplished through private warning, public rebuke and exposure of error, administrative removal from a teaching role, etc.
• Shame them through social avoidance (2 Thessalonians 3:6,14-15). Demonstrate to them that their behavior is not acceptable among the church by excluding them from all fellowship without expelling them from membership. (Note: This type of brotherly exclusion is rare in the New Testament. It is most likely found only in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, where the offense was idleness and unruliness due to misguided views about the nearness of the second coming of Christ. It is possibly seen in 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 as well, but the reasons for exclusion in that case are unknown. The reference in Romans 16:17 is almost certainly to outsiders, not members of the church.)

These various measures are all intended to correct and restore, and to maintain peace and purity. They are to be applied while there is still hope for repentance. None of them are as severe as expulsion from membership, which is the subject of the next section.

Insufferable Wickedness

Insufferable wickedness refers to situations where there is only one proper course of action—expulsion from membership. There are three types of offenders whose behavior should be considered insufferable, and who must be expelled:

Unrepentant personal offenders—those who have refused to acknowledge their sin and repent, even after public rebuke and exhortation from the entire church (Matthew 18:17).

Gross offenders—those who commit even a single sin that is so abhorrent, shameful, or notorious that the reputation of Christ and the church is imperiled if they are not immediately expelled. (Romans 2:21-24; 1 Corinthians 5:1,5,13)

Offenders who are known by their wickedness—professing Christians who are known publicly for such sins as heresy, apostasy, divisiveness, sexual immorality, drunkenness, covetousness, etc. Their sinful lifestyle makes them indistinguishable from unbelievers. In others words, they are so characterized by false beliefs, false teaching, destructive motives, worldly affections, or immoral living that they cannot, by definition, be considered Christians (1 Corinthians 5:11-13; 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Titus 1:16; 1 John 1:5-6; 2:3-4; 3:9-10; 2 John 9-11).

In these situations, all that is necessary before expulsion is the establishment of the facts. We must notice that in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul did not instruct the church to first warn the incestuous man or seek his repentance. No command was given to rebuke him, publicly or privately, before casting him out. With the man’s gross immorality well-known to all, Paul told them to immediately expel him from the church (1 Corinthians 5:5,13). In verse 11 of the same chapter, Paul lists other types of offenders who must be treated in the same way (Also see 1 Timothy 1:20 and Titus 3:10-11). Even if sorrow is expressed by the offender upon exposure of his sin, expulsion is still necessary at this point in order to maintain the reputation of Christ and the church.

Thanks to Jim Eliff for an excellent overview.
Now - There are six steps in biblical church discipline and we are going to get to the 1st one.

Four of them are in Matthew 18; two are in other portions of the New Testament.

The first step is Personal Confrontation. Which we will cover on next post…………..