The following message was delivered on Sunday, March 15, 2009 at SGBC.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE & ITS ASPECTS
Matthew 18:15-20
INTRODUCTION
I was hoping to expound on the subject of church discipline once we arrive on Matthew 18 in our expositions in Matthew’s Gospel. But by God’s providence, the time has come for me to address the subject this morning. Because God works all things according to his purpose, I am reminded to be submissive to his sovereign schedule, even in terms of what and when I preach. Hence, the words of Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:2 was echoing in my ears for the past several weeks, which reads:
· NAU 2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
The subject of church discipline is one of the greatly ignored subjects in the church; and the most neglected practice in the church. However, what many churches don’t realize is that whether a church practices church discipline or not actually determines whether she is rightly qualified as a church. John Calvin has helped the Christendom since the Reformation that the three marks of a true church are: 1) expositional preaching/teaching of God’s Word, 2) exercise of ordinances, namely the baptism and the Lord’s Table, and 3) exercise of church discipline.[1] Thus, if any so-called church that fails to have those three marks is not a church.
At the onset, let me confess to you that there is so much to this subject that I am not going to cover every aspect and its implications in just one message. This subject is so important that we can spend several weeks on this. In fact, I see the need to spend several weeks on this and you will understand why. But I am not about to launch another new series in midst of our current series in Ephesians. You just need to wait until we get to Matthew 18. But I do need to address some aspects of church discipline that pertain to this very hour at SGBC.
The way I want to approach this subject is by raising a series of questions: 1) what is church discipline, 2) what is the purpose of church discipline, 3) why do some churches fail to implement church discipline, 4) what are the steps of church discipline, and 5) what are the grounds for church discipline?
I. What Is Church Discipline?
It has been my observation that many Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and systematic theology do not define the term because many assume that the readers already know what it is though many descriptions have been written about it.
Before defining what it is, let’s start with what it is not. According to Bill Zimmer, one of the elders at Grace Community Church (where Pastor John MacArthur serves), church discipline is not a witch hunt, a way to get even, nor an investigation of rumors.[2]
Since I have not found any formal or technical definition, I’m going to give it a shot. The church discipline is the process how a member within the local church is helped if he/she goes astray from sound doctrine and/or sound living. I don’t think my definition is anything different than what others have already said throughout our church history.
For instance, in the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563, which almost all Reformed churches subscribe to, states the following in Question 85, which reads, “How is the kingdom of heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline?” and its response states the following:
According to the command of Christ: if anyone, though called a Christian, professes unchristian teachings or lives an unchristian life, if after repeated brotherly counsel, he refuses to abandon his errors and wickedness, and, if after being reported to the church, that is, to its officers, he fails to respond also to their admonition – such a one the officers exclude from the Christian fellowship by withholding the sacraments from him, and God Himself excludes him from the kingdom of Christ. Such a person, when he promises and demonstrates genuine reform, is received again as a member of Christ and of His church.
What’s amazing is that there are many so-called Reformed churches (only in names) that say they subscribe to the Heidelberg Catechism, yet fail to both teach it and practice it, hence as a result, it is neither Reformed nor a church.
Furthermore, Question 82 in the Heidelberg Catechism says “Are those to be admitted to the Lord’s Supper who show by what they say and do that they are unbelieving and ungodly?” in which its response statement says the following:
No, that would dishonor God’s covenant and bring down God’s anger upon the entire congregation. Therefore, according to the instruction of Christ and his apostles, the Christian church is duty-bound to exclude such people, by the official use of the keys of the kingdom, until they reform their lives (emphasis mine).
My final historical church example of what church discipline entails comes from John Owen, a 17th century Puritan theologian, who said that church discipline is “the due exercise of that authority and power which the Lord Christ, in and by His Word, hath granted unto the Church, for its continuance, increase, and preservation in purity, order, and holiness, according to His appointment.”[3]
Due to time, I gave you three examples from our church history as to what church discipline is. Although I only gave you examples from the Heidelberg Catechism and John Owen, they are sufficient for any confessing evangelical church.
II. What is the Purpose of Church Discipline?
Simply, there are twofold answers: restoration and protection. Restoration is clearly mentioned by our Lord in our text, namely to win over or gain the erring brother (v. 15). It is to help the so-called brother/sister who is going astray to be reconciled to God and possible involving individual(s). Later on in the NT, Apostle Paul echoes the same teaching of Jesus in his letter to Galatians:
· NAU Galatians 6:1 ¶ Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
The second purpose of church discipline is protection, namely to keep sin from spreading to the body of a local church, hence to protect the purity of the church and the honor of Christ. The word “church” in the NT is ekklesia, which means “the assembly of the called out ones.” Although the meaning may be too simplistic, it does point out a set of contrasts, meaning from something to something. Hence, a church is an assembly of the people that God chose to call out of darkness to light, death to life, and sin to holiness. In fact, one of the characteristics of the church is her holiness.
· NAU Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
That is one of many biblical references where holiness is declared a distinct characteristic of a church that belongs to Christ. To be holy means to be separated from sin and unrighteousness, and set apart for God. Since Christ is holy, so the church must be holy.
· NAU 1 Peter 1:15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
Hence, a church that is not holy is not a church. For that reason, Jesus Christ instituted the process of church discipline as a means to purify his church. That is why a church that fails to practice this Christ-ordained means does not only disqualifies herself as a church, but disobeys and dishonors Christ and brings a great judgment of God against such so-called church. And God’s judgment does not have to be loud and noticeable as fire and brimstone, but often in a subtle form – a slow death by starvation of his word.
· NAU Amos 8:11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD.
The fact that only a small percentage of churches actually preach the Bible compared to all the so-called churches in the North America is a sign of God’s judgment on this land and on churches where the Word is not taught. The sad thing is dead churches don’t know they are dead; they go on business as usual. How can they know? How would the dead know that they are dead when they are dead? According to Scripture, the natural man or the spiritually dead or unregenerate “does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they [biblically truths] are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14).
III. Reasons Why Churches Fail to Implement
Let me offer some of the popular reasons why churches fail to implement church discipline. They are not particularly in the order of importance.
First, people minimize sin. They do not call sin as sin. Rather, they label it as a bad habit, a mistake, a cultural difference, an addiction, a tradition, just a way it is, or what have you. People try to cover it up or call sin with all sorts of fancy labels and excuses. All that is to say, a so-called church that is not serious about sin would not be serious about the gospel, genuine conversion, faith, repentance, and salvation, let alone, church discipline.
Before I can believe the good-news about God in Christ, I must believe the bad-news about sin in me. According to J.C. Ryle, “The plain truth is that a right knowledge of sin lies at the root of all saving Christian. Without it such doctrines as justification, conversion, sanctification, are ‘words and names’ which convey no meaning to the mind.”[4] That is why we should not shy away from faithfully preaching and teaching on the subject of sin.
Secondly, people grossly misunderstand what true love is. Some people think it is wrong or unloving to confront a church member of his/her habitual sin. They often quote Matthew 7:1, but are simply clueless as to what it means in light of its context.
Third, people feel hypocritical to confront sin. They say, “Who am I to say that?” That may sound pious or have pretense of humility, but it is a sham. The bigger question I often respond is, “Why can’t you confront sin? Are you not a Christian and a member of a local church?” Why do some people feel hypocritical to confront certain sin? It is because they themselves commit the very act. It is difficult to confront sin when your life cannot back it up. Instead of genuinely repenting and growing out of whatever sin, people choose to live in certain sin because they love it. And they know that no one would dare to question them because they think that everyone is just like them.
After I left the church that I was last serving, someone from Titus Ministries, an outside consulting group, called to interview me. He said that there is an interim already in the place to work to “relate to the people” and asked me if I had any word to pass on to the new interim pastor. Since he asked, I simply pointed out to him that the church does not need a pastor who can merely relate to the people, but a pastor who can relate to God. The last thing the church needs is an individual just like the people.
Lastly, there is a greater fear factor for people than for God. Fear of losing relationship with people is more important than losing covenant relationship with God. In other words, for many, there is a greater concern for pleasing people than pleasing God.
However, regardless of what reasons people give, they all have to answer to God, as to why they chose not to obey his command. According to William Hendriksen in his commentary on Matthew said, “Lack of discipline is a curse to any church.”[5] In other words, when a church habitually fails to deal with unrepentant members, ultimately, the church brings the destruction and judgment of God upon her.
IV. Steps for Church Discipline
There are four-step involvements: 1) personal, 2) group, 3) corporate church, and 4) removal and excommunication. And this is what is taught in our text by our Lord.
Step 1: Personal (v. 15)
Please don’t say, “I’ll just pray for him.” There are times when praying is all you can do. But there are times when praying alone are not sufficient. And this is one of those times. To say, “I’ll just pray for him” may sound humble and pious, but that’s a false humility and false piety. In fact, to avoid a clear biblical command for the fear of people is nothing but cowardice. There is no humility in doing something that is a direct violation to what Jesus clearly commands. He commands to go and reprove, not pray. Reprove means to show where someone is wrong. The word means to bring to light. When a fellow Christian corrects another believer, you do that in light of God’s Word because that’s where the authority and its sufficiency lie.
If that person accepts your correction with acknowledgment, confession and appreciation, there is no need for Step 2. But if that person fails to listen to you, then you go to Step 2.
Step 2: Group (v. 16)
The one or two people do not necessarily have to be involved with the original issue. Rather, they are witnesses for the purpose of confirming what was said. By doing so, this eliminates biased people and protects the one who is giving or receiving the discipline.
Again, if that person accepts the correction with acknowledgement, confession and appreciation, there is no need for the further step. But if that person fails to listen, then you go to Step 3.
Step 3: Church (v. 17a)
In other words, announce publicly who they are and what the charges are.
Again, if that person accepts the correction of the church, there is no further step needed other than restoration. There are many people who will not go far as Step 3 due to fear of being embarrassed or fear of having their sin exposed to the entire corporate body. So even for the sake of saving their face from such a public humiliation, in their thoughts they want to do what’s right.
But if that person fails to listen “even to the church,” that simply reveals that he/she has no conscience and no shame, which according to Romans 1, is a candidate to receive the wrath of God. According to Romans 1, one of the judgments against the people who suppress God’s truth is that God would give them over to their depraved mind. And when such individual rejects to hear the plea from the church, the church has no choice than to go to the final step.
Step 4: Removal and Excommunication (v. 17b)
“Let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” is the utmost severity and prohibitions. The Jewish listeners understood exactly what Jesus meant. That meant two things, no religious participation and no social participation. And such principle naturally carried into the early church.
When a person is disciplined out of the church, at this point all the privileges of being a member to a local church are removed. Hence, the church does not allow him/her to associate and participate in the blessings and the benefits. In other words, bar from all church fellowships, including, the Lord’s Table. And this is the religious prohibition.
Another prohibition is social. In the context of church discipline in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul commanded, “Not even to eat with such a one.” This is done to let the disciplined person know what he is missing and that there will be no mixed messages by a social function.
Jesus clearly implies in verses 17 to 20 that a local church is the final arbitrary court that settles the issues within the life of a local church. According to verse 18, what the church binds on earth will be bound in heaven, and what she loses on earth will be loosed in heaven. Hence, when an unrepentant member gets disciplined out of a local church and looks for another church to join, he is like a fugitive that is on the run and the church who embraces such one is guilty of aiding a fugitive.
Now I want you to know that Matthew 18 is a general procedure for church discipline. But as you will see in a minute from other NT passages, there are times when you don’t need to go through all four steps to remove an individual. All that is to say, certain sins are more severe than the other that require a fast action from the church. Just like when you discover a life-threatening disease that is about to spread all over your body, you don’t wait around several months but immediately act toward surgical removal.
V. Grounds for Church Discipline
There are three notable biblical grounds. First, doctrinal error or unsound teaching (cf. 1 Timothy 1:18-20). All the things that the apostle pointed out prior to verse 18 has to do with aberrant teachings that are contrary to “the faith” (v. 19). Hence, in verse 20, he specifically names two individuals that Paul personally forced them out of the church.
Secondly, the issue of disunity and/or insubordination to authority is another notable biblical ground for church discipline (cf. Titus 3:1-11). The verb “reject” in verse 10 is a command, not a suggestion. And the same verb is translated in 1 Timothy 4:7 “have nothing to do with” or “do not accept” or “refuse” in 1 Timothy 5:11. Anything that would help cause disunity in the church, such as, gossip, back-biting, undermining, or insubordination to authority are all grounds for church discipline. This particular issue is so important that Paul repeatedly warns throughout the Pastoral Epistle; here’s another case in point – cf. 1 Timothy 5:17-20.
Third, publicly scandalous sin, such as sexual sin (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13).
[2] Bill Zimmer, “How To Practice Church Discipline” at http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/SC03-1040.htm (accessed on March 11, 2009).
[3] Quoted in G. Lambert, “The Church,” in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 5 volumes, edited by Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 1:855.
[4] J.C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (Moscow, Ida.: Charles Nolan Publishers, 2001), 1.
