Church Discipline
By Brent Rood | July 21, 2008
Introduction
Church history has whittled down three bare essentials that a local church must do in order to function properly as a church. These three things are teaching God’s word, administering the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism, and enacting church discipline when necessary.[1] It is easy to see the need for teaching and the sacraments, but why is church discipline so important? The purpose of this document is to answer questions related to the purpose and the proper administration of church discipline.
What is church discipline?
Church discipline is the act of removing a Christian from the local church membership and severing all relational ties to that individual until they are willing to return back to God. The concept of separating from a fallen spiritual brother or sister is found first in the Old Testament law. When someone intentionally disobeyed certain moral or ceremonial laws, they were to be “cut off” from the assembly. This meant either being shunned by the group or ejected from the assembly all together. Essentially though, it was treating the individual as a non-Jew, no longer part of the covenanted assembly. Someone could be “cut off” for reasons like profaning God’s Sabbath, eating sacrificed meat while being ceremonially unclean, sacrificing animals outside the camp, or desecrating the Passover (Ex. 31:14; Lev. 7:20; 17:4; Num. 9:13).
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ gives authority to the local church leadership to discipline those who stray. Although individuals are told not to act as judges in the world, the local church is given the authority and mandate to judge their own (I Cor. 6:1-7; Matt. 16:19; 18:18). However, church discipline involves more than simply removing people from membership. It is part of the entire scope of responsibility given to church leadership to instruct and guide its members, and to promote the purity and wellbeing of the local church.[2] Discipline is essential in order for local church leadership to teach scripture, to correct sin and to protect the members from “wolves” (I Tim. 5:17; Matt. 7:15; Col. 3:15-16).
What sins warrant church discipline?
In the Old Testament there was a list of specific offenses someone could do to be “cut off”. However, it was less about the act than the heart intent, as well as the individual’s willingness to turn from their sin. This spirit of the law is explained in Numbers 15:29-31. One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien. But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the LORD’s word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him. The issue is “intentional” sin which God says shows hatred for the Lord and public blasphemy. Defining intentional sin has been the subject of debate. The sins for which people were immediately cut off were 1) Intentionally rebelling against God’s covenant by refusing to be circumcised (Gen. 17:14); 2) Intentionally profaning God’s Temple, God’s Sabbath or worship practices (Ex. 12:15-19; 30:33; 31:44; Lev. 7:20-27; Lev. 17:14-19; Num. 9:13); 3) Intentionally doing acts of idolatry or witchcraft (Lev. 20:3-6); and 4) Intentionally performing immoral sexual acts (Lev. 18:29; 20:17-18). What all these acts had in common is that they were outward sins, they were usually big offenses against God or others, and they were based out of a heart of rebellion. Some may feel that discipline seemed harsh, but we must realize that being “cut off” was the lesser punishment to being killed which certain sins such as murder, adultery, child rebellion and homosexuality immediately demanded. Discipline then was actually an act of mercy, giving the possibility of restoration and assembly forgiveness which punitive death did not afford.
Under the New Covenant rule of Jesus Christ, there are differences in the mode and extent of discipline for the local church. For one thing, Christians are no longer under a national theocracy as was the nation of Israel. Many of Israel’s rules for discipline were punitive and protective laws necessary for civil and criminal prosecution. More plainly, Israel’s national judicial system was responsible for all aspects of community justice – spiritual, civil and criminal. In the New Testament, the church is different from the nation of Israel in that it is no longer a theocracy. The church is responsible for the spiritual protection and growth of the local community, but leaves the criminal and civil prosecution to the secular authorities (Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:1-7; I Pet. 2:13-15). This means the local church is responsible for how it handles the sin and rebellion of those within its congregation. What is similar between the Old and New Testaments is that the sin isn’t primarily the focus of church discipline as much as the attitude or heart behind the sin. When someone sins out of an intentional rebellion and refuses to repent and change, that warrants discipline. However, there are some specific sins listed which demand the immediate process of discipline because of the grossness of the sin.
1) Immorality. 1 Corinthians 5:1-3 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. At the end of this chapter Paul says simply to “remove the man from your midst” (5:13). Any sex outside of marriage, adultery or deviant sexual lifestyles such as homosexuality demand immediate discipline.
2) Divisiveness. Romans 16:17-18 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. A stronger passage by Paul is Titus 3:9-10. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. If someone in the church is picking fights, hurting unity or rebelling against leadership through actions or words, they are to be disciplined and separated from.
3) False Teachers. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. Those who are teaching or promoting beliefs which are contrary to God and his church are to be disciplined.
4) Rebellion. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Christians who decide they don’t want to obey Christ, but want to live their life how they want are to be disciplined. In all cases if those who commit these acts show genuine repentance, and are willing to submit to their local leadership for reconciliation they are to be forgiven and fully restored to the local church community.
What is the purpose of church discipline?
Church discipline has three primary purposes.
1) Protection of the local church. The primary purpose for church discipline is to show love to those in the body who are trying to obey Christ and live for Him. The most dangerous cancer pervading the local church is someone who claims to be a Christian and then through actions or teaching corrupts individuals and families. Church discipline is necessary to protect the other members of the church from falling into the same sin. Like the infiltration of a small amount of leaven in bread, so the sin of a few can corrupt the many (I Cor. 5:6).
2) Purity of the Gospel. Allowing unrepentant sin without discipline waters down the Gospel for unbelievers (Matt. 5:13-16). The Christian life is to give evidence of real heart change to the unbelieving world. If the local church treats sin as unimportant, non-Christians will have difficulty seeing how the Gospel impacts lives.
3) Love and restoration for the disciplined. Church discipline is also a way to show love to the sinner. It is not writing someone off for sinning, but showing them the seriousness of their sin with the hope that they will return. Paul says that discipline is necessary so that possibly the person’s “spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (I Cor. 5:5). True believers will always return from their sin. Every Christian has had periods of rebellion, but the Holy Spirit always brings them back. If someone doesn’t repent they don’t lose their salvation, they just indicate that they may never have been a true believer (I John 1:6-7). So it is the hope that the disciplined members of the community will recognize their sin and repent, then be restored in complete forgiveness and love back into the local church community.
What is the process of church discipline?
Every individual in the local church is responsible to lovingly confront those who sin against us (Matt. 18:15; Gal. 6:1). This confrontation is to be done in private with a spirit of meekness in hopes of restoring the relationship. However, if someone is confronted by their sin and refuses to listen, then another witness is to be brought along to the second confrontation to urge the person to repent (Matt. 18:16). These witnesses are not just for the purpose of dealing with the person’s sin, but also for the protection of the accused. Sometimes someone is wrongly accused, or the witnesses deem the incident to be petty and something that needs to be covered in love (I Pet. 4:8). If however the offense was real and loving admonition is rejected, then the accused is to be confronted by church leadership (Matt. 18:17-18; Gal. 6:1-5). If the accused persists in non-repentance, they are to be removed from the local church body. The church leadership must inform its members of the decision so they can respond properly to the disciplined individual.
How are church members to treat someone who has been disciplined?
Once a person has gone through a fair process of multiple confrontations but still refuses to repent, they are to be treated as one who has been judged. Christians are told to censure or separate from the disciplined member. Separation from the other person means to not “associate” with them (2 Thess. 3:14-15), to “turn away” from them (Rom. 16:17-18), and to “have nothing to do with them” (Titus 3:9-10). Although this may seem harsh to the postmodern mind, it is this very relational separation which makes church discipline effective in both protecting the community and bringing the disciplined person to repentance. While a person is under discipline, it is proper and even beneficial for members to contact the disciplined person and attempt to persuade them to come back. Members should regularly pray for the fallen brother or sister, so that the Holy Spirit will change their prodigal heart. Members may get together with the disciplined person in order to pray with them or talk with them concerning repentance. What must be avoided, though, is carrying on a relationship with that person as if the sin had never occurred. All contact with the disciplined person must be for the purpose of lovingly urging them to repent. Then, if that person does repent and return to the local community, the church should welcome them back in full forgiveness (2 Cor. 2:7). It is this mercy shown in restoration which truly embodies the gospel to the disciplined and to the local church community.
Are there any times when discipline is wrong?
Yes. The local church is to be an environment of mercy and compassion. Church discipline, though necessary, should be a rare occurrence in the church. When it does occur, it is to stay within the principles mandated in Scripture. This means there are times when discipline should not be done, or is being done incorrectly.
First, discipline is never to be used as a tool to shame people or to manipulate them. Obviously, if someone is disciplined they will experience some level of shame because of the public exposure of their rebellion, but the local church must be very sensitive in deciding when and how the person’s sin should be exposed. Mercy and grace are to lace every aspect of the discipline process. People must be treated with dignity, and those doing the disciplining must approach the process with humility and genuine sorrow over the fallen brother or sister.
Second, discipline is never to be administered to someone over personal liberty or cultural differences. Some church leaders wrongly shun people or ask them to leave the assembly for personal differences which are not clear biblical sin, rebellion or false doctrine. Someone who differs in opinion from the teaching or practices of the leadership should never be handled with divisiveness, which itself is sinful. Punishing someone for their differences is a serious act equivalent to teaching another gospel (Gal. 2:14).
Third, discipline is never to be administered without due process. One abuse which can happen in the local church is for the leadership to decide someone has sinned, and then immediately shun them. Another abuse that can occur is for church members to take it upon themselves to shun individuals without taking them through the process of confrontations. Christians are to seek regular peace and unity with each other (I Pet. 3:11; John 17:23). To separate from someone is to act as their personal judge and this is wrong (Matt. 7:1; Luke 6:37). The most common form of judgment is verbal judgment. Labeling someone in the local body “worldly” or “ungodly” to others in the body is slander and/or gossip and should be avoided at all costs (Eph. 4:29-31). If a church member participates in this or other types of verbal judgment, they should repent and seek forgiveness from the offended party.
Fourth, discipline is not something that can or should be carried out on an admitted non-Christian. Everyone has the liberty to choose Christian or non-Christian friends. There may be appropriate times for individuals to protect themselves from the bad influence of a non-Christian friend or relative by avoiding them. However, official discipline and local church separation should not be administered to non-Christians. Otherwise they would never be reached with the gospel (I Cor. 5:9-13).
Fifth, Christians are not to separate from covenantal relationships if the other party is willing to stay in the relationship. If someone’s spouse goes under church discipline this does not mean they should be divorced because of their sin (I Cor. 7:13-14). As long as the disciplined husband or wife is willing to stay in the relationship, they should be allowed and loved. Admittedly, the discipline process is more difficult to carry out in situations involving a spouse or a child, and much wisdom must be applied to each situation.
Church discipline is one of the most difficult acts that any church can perform. It is not something that any sane leadership would enjoy going through. However, if it is done correctly it can result in restored relationships, as sinners are reconciled. It can result in salvation as a prodigal is restored and sometimes realizes they have never really known a true love for Christ. It can result in the protection of the church community, as the sinner is removed and therefore not able to influence others to follow down the same path. It can result in a healthy church that balances a love for sinners with seriousness towards sin.
[1] These three things were called the marks of the church and were listed in The Confession of the English Congregation at Geneva (1556), the French Confession of Faith (1559), 26-28; the Scottish Confession of Faith (1560), chapters 16 and 18, the Belgic Confession of Faith (1561), articles 27-29; and the Second Helvetic Confession (1566), chapter 17.
[2] Definition is a form of one taken from “The Book of Church Order”, 27-1.
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