Church discipline is necessary for the building of healthy churches.
Church discipline is one characteristic of a healthy church. This is an indisputable truth. Instruction and correction must go hand in hand. However, we have seen a clear lack of this practice in our local churches. In my childhood and adolescence I attended church with my parents. But I can’t remember learning or even hearing about church discipline. I never saw a member go through corrective discipline. It isn’t a common practice. Thus today Christians know little to nothing about the subject. Some pastors avoid it, because it is a complex and often exhausting process. However, church discipline is necessary for the building of healthy churches.
Below I’ll offer a short definition of church discipline. Then I’ll argue why it’s necessary, before concluding with three principles that should always undergird the process. In a second article I’ll get into more details concerning the process itself.
What Is Church Discipline?
The term discipline won’t be new to most readers. But many believers in the local church are unaware of what church discipline really is. One of the roles of the church is the ongoing discipleship of its members. Even though the process of discipleship administered by the church necessarily involves both teaching and correction, the latter is usually vague or completely lacking. With teaching, corporate worship, prayer, ongoing pastoral care we refer to formative discipline. On the other hand, the Bible explicitly teaches on corrective discipline, as well.
The Bible explicitly teaches on corrective discipline.
Broadly speaking, church discipline should be understood as a part of the ongoing discipleship process in the local church. In it, sin is addressed directly, repentance should be demonstrated, and Christian disciples are directed towards the right path.
As Jonathan Leeman puts it, “church discipline is the act of removing an individual from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Table. It’s not an act of forbidding an individual from attending the church’s public gatherings. It is the church’s public statement that it can no longer affirm the person’s profession of faith by calling him or her a Christian. It’s a refusal to give a person the Lord’s Supper.” Admittedly, this can sound harsh. And the process has undoubtedly been abused. So is it really necessary?
Do We Really Need It?
Church discipline is essential, because it works towards maintaining the purity of the church. It prioritises fidelity and the the commitment of God’s people to reflect God’s glory in the church.
In the words of Augustus Nicodemus Lopes, “This need is also seen, in biblical exhortations and teachings. Many passages of scripture demand that offending members be corrected and disciplined. This alone leads to the conclusion that discipline is necessary. In fact, it is as necessary as the preaching of the word and the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”
Church discipline promotes and protects the gospel.
Lopes then quotes Don Baker, “discipline in the church is not optional, but mandatory—it is an absolute necessity, if we are to be obedient to the scriptures.” So, Lopes concludes, “among the passages that demand the discipline of the offending are Matthew 18.15-20 and 1 Corinthians 5.1-5. Both make the need for discipline very clear.”
As Paul writes, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). We need church discipline not only because it promotes purity, but it also protects the gospel.
The Aims of Church Discipline
The biblical model for the good exercise of church discipline is presented to us by our Lord. In my next article I will unpack the steps Jesus outlines in Matthew 18. But I want to bring this article to a close by briefly highlighting the three fundamental objectives in exercising discipline. We might also refer to these as the biblical principles behind the process.
Fundamental to discipline is the desire for restoration.
Firstly, fundamental to discipline is the desire for restoration (Matthew 18:15; 1 Corinthians 5.5). In other words, discipline isn’t in the first place a means of getting people out of your church. That might happen in the end. But it’s not the aim. Secondly, discipline has the church’s purity as its goal (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). It isn’t personal or political. Thirdly, discipline admonishes (1 Timothy 5:20). That’s a peculiar but important word. Because it reminds us that church discipline requires firmness but also grace; we warn others because we love them.
Taking those together, church discipline must grow out of concern both for an individual’s salvation and the God’s glory in the church. In my next article I’ll consider the steps. But these biblical aims must also shape our attitude and approach to the process.
