CONTENTS

Constructive Church Discipline
Church Membership Committee Material
Personal Church Discipline
Corrective Church Discipline
Punitive Church Discipline
Local Church Discipline
Neglected Church Discipline
Foot Washing -- Church Ordinance or Church Discipline?

PART IV

CORRECTIVE CHURCH DISCIPLINE

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there r

nciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).

"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them

ememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reco, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican" (Matthew 18:15-17).

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

"Sufficient to such a man is the punishment, which was inflected of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:6-11).

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1).

"Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear" (1 Timothy 5:20).

"A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject" (Titus 3:10).

We must ever keep before us the fact that we have church discipline in order to correct that which is wrong. It is to restore the member who has failed; yes, we purpose to get them back in fellowship with God and the church. This is all involved in training a believer to be a disciple of Christ, which is the fundamental purpose of discipline.

Some know so little about church discipline, as taught in the New Testament, until they think that it is carried on in order to get rid of church members, be harsh, embarrass folk, and operate a church gestapo. Would it not be wonderful if they could see how that discipline is to correct, restore, and thus build up the child of God in the faith and help him to let the world see Christ in his life? Withdrawing fellowship from people is not the purpose of church discipline; it is what we do only when we are unable to correct and restore.

In practicing the following paragraph of our Church Covenant, we help carry on corrective church discipline: "We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Saviour to secure it without delay."

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).

Here our Lord makes it clear that when there is trouble between brethren, it should be corrected before there is even an effort to worship. We are to go to the member. Correction is to be made. What hypocrisy, what mockery that some folk sit in church pretending to worship our Lord when there are folk sitting there in the same service to whom they will not so much as speak. To be right with God is to be right with others.

Gossip, hard feelings, jealousy, malice, and hatred must be removed, if our worship is to be acceptable to Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit is never manifested in some services because there are some things that first need to be corrected. These verses tell us emphatically that we are to get the matters straightened out, then come worship.

"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican" (Matthew 18:15-17).

In the passage in Matthew 5:23-24, we hear the Lord saying that wrongs between brethren should be corrected before these brethren worship. However, we must remember that though some may make every Scriptural effort to correct the wrongs, there are still some who are unwilling. Here the Lord instructs us what to do when we go to right wrongs, even though the member to whom we go will not be reconciled. We are to take two or three brethren with us and try again. If this effort fails, we are to take the matter to the church. And if that fails, fellowship is to be withdrawn from the offending member.

Let us note with emphasis the effort that our Lord teaches us to make in order to correct the wrong and have restoration made. The major objective is to help those who have been overcome with sin. It is not to hurt but to help. This responsibility rests on every believer. It is not merely a discipline committee's job but the job of all of us as brothers in Christ. And it is right because our Lord taught it!

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). This verse could be read: "Stop being overcome by evil, but be overcoming the evil by means of good." this is in keeping with the context, showing us how to correct trouble which we have with our enemies. Enemies to Christ and His church may be found in the local church membership as well as outside. In speaking of heaping coals of fire on his head, He has reference to the burning shame and remorse which the man feels whose hostility is repaid by love. This is the only kind of vengeance the Christian is at liberty to contemplate. In thinking of this privilege and responsibility of the believer, we join the poet in saying:

"There is a service God-inspired,
A zeal that tireless grows,
Where self is crucified with Christ,
And joy unceasing flows.
There is a being `right with God'
That yields to His commands
Unswerving, true fidelity,
A loyalty that stands."

"Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive any thing. I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:6-11).

To get the import of this passage, we must go back to 1 Corinthians 5. Terrible fornication was being countenanced in the church at Corinth. A man had taken his father's wife. Evidently the man's mother died, and his father married again. The, the son took his father's wife for his own. Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, Paul sternly rebuked the church for its laxity in not exercising discipline, and he closed the fifth chapter with these words: "Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

The church took the rebuke and did something about it. They withdrew fellowship from the brother. But when he repented and sought restoration to fellowship with the Lord and the church, the local congregation refused to restore him. Now is that not just like Satan? First, he succeeded in getting the church to tolerate evil and not exercise church discipline. Then, when Paul was used of the Holy Spirit to get them to practice discipline, Satan stepped in and led them to undue severity. They hounded the man until he was about to be overwhelmed and in despair. And in these verses of 2 Corinthians 2, Paul is showing them that correction and restoration is the very point of discipline. That is the purpose of it!

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1).

With all the evil effects and havoc which the heresy of the Judaizers had produced in the churches in the regions of Galatia, there were some members who needed to be disciplined. These Judaizers had tried (and succeeded in some cases) to lead the members to believe that salvation was not by grace alone but grace plus works. They put special emphasis on the ceremony of circumcision. Paul's entire letter here was purposed to correct this heresy. And in this verse he makes it emphatically clear that the discipline is to be exercised with a view to the restoration of the sinning member. He points out that it is to be done in humility and love with the realization that the one trying to help the offending member could have fallen himself. Surely, this method will remove all self-righteousness in exercising corrective church discipline.

If we realize what we ourselves are and how easily we too might fall, we will not be overly stern in dealing with others. It is not that we are called upon to excuse sin. We are to point the way of deliverance. We must consider our constant need of divine help, in order that we may be kept from sin and know better how to deal with those who miss their path in the hour of testing.

"Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear" (1 Timothy 5:20).

This verse could be read: "Those who are sinning, in the presence of all be rebuking, in order that the rest may have fear." The context shows that the primary reference is to church members. The word "rebuke" means to reprove another with such effectual wielding of the victorious arms of the truth, as to bring him, if not always to confession, at least to a conviction of his sin.

This admonition is simple, easy to be understood, and refreshing in these days when there is so much spineless preaching and teaching. So many are afraid they will offend the people, and overlook the fact that they hurt Christ, when they refuse to obey the plain teachings of the New Testament.

Look at what the word says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Among other things, it makes it clear that God gives His Word for correction. And then climaxes it all by saying that the man of god should be mature, throughly furnished unto all good works. What a pity that we have so many preachers, deacons, teachers, and church members in general who are more interested in pleasing people than in pleasing the Saviour.

"A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject" (Titus 3:10).

Here we see that there should be efforts to admonish those who have accepted heresy before fellowship is withdrawn. Heresy is the teaching of any doctrine that is contrary to the Scriptures! In other words, we seek to correct the false teachings that are being countenanced. How pertinent this admonition is in these days when folk are so careless about joining churches, for trivial reasons of a thousand varieties, without consideration of heresy or heresies they may be teaching.

How we need some correcting in our churches, all over the country, on this matter of the doctrines that are being taught.

We Are Our Brother's Keeper

From the early pages of the Word of God, we learn that we are our brother's keeper. God constantly affirms this throughout the Holy Scriptures. Our neglecting it, denying it, or hating it cannot change it. It is a wonderful privilege, as well as a terrible responsibility. Cain is an example of how horrible it is not to remember that one is his brother's keeper.

In practicing this truth, we practice corrective church discipline. And certainly the words "brother" and "keeper" in Christian language would suggest that love should prompt corrective church discipline and that restoration is the motive.

Not to practice corrective church discipline is to sin against our brother. Until we have sought sincerely to help him correct sin in his life, we could not claim to be his keeper. We became guilty of his sin in the eyes of God, when we refuse to help our church brother.

Genuine Love Seeks to Correct

Look again at what God's Holy Spirit tells us about love (charity) here in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13. "Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (love) envieth not; charity (love) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity (love) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away... And now abideth faith, hope, charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love)."

The story is told of a deacon who heard of a young brother in the church who was planning to take dancing lessons. Instead of gossiping about the boy, as too many do today, he went to see him. He told the boy what he had heard. Then he said, "Son, you know we are brothers in Christ in this church and you know dancing leads to sin that ought never to be in the lives of God's children. I just wanted to come to talk and to pray with you about it." They prayed together. Then, the young man said: "I had planned to begin dancing, but, Brother, since talking to you and praying with you, dancing is all off for me." Praise God for a deacon who loved his brother. Love will do its best to correct.

We have some today who say that they love their children so much that they cannot correct them and discipline them. This is not love; this is sentimental foolishness. If they really loved their children, they would correct and discipline them. The same applies to church families as well.

Correction Will Often Produce Prevention -- Making Rescuing Unnecessary

As long as preachers, deacons, teachers, and other church leaders do not hesitate to correct and point out the wrong, we will have the prevention of sin in many, many cases. Some churches try to help folk in trouble, but do not have the courage to stand publicly and without apology against the sins causing the trouble.

The old proverb: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" well deserves our heed. Yet how disgusting it is to find churches and church leaders more concerned about their popularity with a godless world and a bunch of religious hypocrites than they are about doing the will of God and really seeking to keep people out of sin and faithfully warning against all sin.

How sad that millions of people go to church every week but never are taught about sin involved in dancing, movies, tobacco, petting, mixed swimming, drinking, gambling, wearing shorts, profanity, desecrating the Lord's Day, abortion, using dope, living together without marriage, etc. Corrective preaching and teaching would make a lot of rescuing unnecessary.

Wrong Is Bad; Refusing to Correct the Wrong Is Worse

There is, and will continue to be, sin found in the church among God's people. This is bad, but it is far worse when we refuse to correct the wrong. No matter how thoroughly we teach, sin is still going to have to be dealt with in church discipline. But as we have seen trying to show throughout this lesson, we have the discipline program to correct and restore. And, if we did not have the discipline, that within itself would be an injustice to our brethren.

We could prevent so many from falling into sin, if we were faithful in our churches. But, nevertheless, sin will come in, and we will have to go to our brothers and sisters and deal with them in corrective church discipline, if we are to be New Testament Christians and have a New Testament church.

We are not to do it because it is easy; it is not easy. We are not to do it because it is popular; it is not popular. We are to do it because we want to obey Him and because we love Him and our fellow Christians.

Conclusions

1. Corrective church discipline is one of several kinds of church discipline.

2. Some of God's best blessings and some of the most precious experiences He gives are forfeited those who refuse to have corrective church discipline.

3. The whole program of church discipline is to correct and restore.

4. Too many church leaders are more concerned about pleasing people than they are about pleasing God.

5. To love is to correct.

6. Only the ignorant and the dishonest deny that the Bible teaches us to practice church discipline

7. Some preachers cry out against the liberal theologian who cuts out part of the Bible and then turn around and cut out the message of church discipline.

8. An ounce of correction is worth a pound of restoration.

See New Testament Church Discipline Part V -- "Corrective Church Discipline"