There are topics that one does not always want to talk about, but that are of vital importance for the health of an organism. For example, many times people do not want to go to the doctor because they know that they will have issues to review. Likewise, in some families there are some issues that are “not touched” to maintain peace. But if we went to the doctor, we would be in a healthier condition. Something similar happens with this issue of church discipline.
In its broad sense, church discipline can be both formative and corrective. , the formative discipline of the church “consists in the teaching and training of believers in relation to their responsibilities as Christians and members of the church, and this teaching and training could well be called preventive discipline, because the teaching of the Word is a adequate antidote for all forms of sin.”
However, formative discipline does not always prevent sin among those who are part of the church. Due to this sad reality, when systematic and unrepentant sinful behavior is observed among Christians, it is time for corrective discipline, which is the subject of this article. In this sense, discipline could be defined as:
Intervention process by which a church guides a Christian who has fallen into sin — through ignorance or disobedience — to repentance, and therefore to the restoration of his walk with God (Mt. 18:15-20; Gal. 6: 1).
Church discipline is based on the fact that God disciplines his children. According to Hebrews 12:5-11, God’s discipline is to be seen as a good thing, for at least two reasons. On the one hand, it is a sign of his love, since “the Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Heb. 12:6a), and on the other, it results in spiritual benefit for the disciplined person, in view of the fact that “he disciplines us for our own sake.” well, that we may partake of His holiness” (Heb. 12:10b).
I would like to answer two basic questions regarding church discipline. First, why is discipline necessary? And second, what process should a church follow when disciplining a member?
The command to practice church discipline
Many question the right of the church to “intervene” in the lives of its members. Some allege that discipline results in an intrusion into privacy that is contrary to Christian liberty. Others conceive the application of discipline as a legalistic act because in the end, they say, “whoever is free from sin casts the first stone.” And another group understands that discipline contradicts grace and therefore should not be practiced by the church.
Despite the diversity of opinions, the Word of God is clear. The practice of church discipline is not optional; It is a mandate for every church. It is a command because Jesus refers to it in an imperative when he says: “And if your brother sins, he sees and reproves him alone” (Mt. 18:15). The disciple of Jesus has the mandate to go (“go”) to his brother who is in sin, and has the duty to “intervene”.
In the same way, Paul rebukes the Corinthians precisely because they had not confronted and disciplined a brother who remained in sin. In 1 Corinthians 5:5 he commands them to “hand such a man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh.” Additionally, Paul commands to “admonish the undisciplined” (1 Thes. 5:14) and to suspend all contact and relationship with “every brother who walks disorderly” (2 Thes. 3:6b). It is clear then that the church community must ensure holiness in the lives of its members, and be ready to intervene through a disciplinary process when necessary.
Now, the mandate to practice church discipline is based on the fact that it is necessary, and there are at least three biblical reasons that show it:
1. It is necessary because of the tendency of sin to take root in the life of the believer.
In Romans 7:8-24, Paul speaks dramatically about his struggle with sin. It is incredible to see the struggle with the sin of the apostle Paul when he says: “Well, I do not do the good that I want, but the evil that I do not want, that I practice” (Rom. 7:19). That strong, that deep is the sin that still remains in the hearts of believers.
This condition implies that, on occasions, believers need the loving help that is the discipline of the church to leave behind sinful practices in their lives. Hence “if your brother sins, he sees” (Mt. 18:15). That is why Paul commands that “if anyone is caught in any fault, you who are spiritual restore him in a spirit of meekness” (Gal. 6:1b).
It is important to note that both Jesus in Matthew 18:15 and Paul in Galatians 6:1 assume that the believer can and will sin. That shouldn’t surprise anyone! Fallen nature is still present. It is precisely for this reason that church discipline is necessary. It is part of the medicine that God uses to heal his sin-sick people. Well says Hebrews 12 that discipline is a sign of his love!
2. It is necessary in view of the stealthy nature of sin in the believer’s life.
The remaining sin is not only deep but sneaky. This term refers to the tendency that the sinner has, for various reasons, to hide the sin from him. In fact, this trend is observed as early as Eden. In Genesis 3:8 it is indicated that after the first couple sinned, the first thing they did was hide! It seems strange that Adam and Eve hid from the one who could ease their consciences and forgive their souls, but that is what the story reports.
This tendency to hide sin is part of what church discipline tries to address. Many believers do not leave their sin unless it is pointed out to them. In fact, many believers don’t even see their sin unless others show it to them.
God knows this, and for this reason he leaves specific instructions so that in the church no one sins with impunity, but rather, on the contrary, some watch over each other and help each other to walk in holiness. Church discipline is necessary for this reason as well.
3. It is necessary because it persuades others not to sin.
Additionally, when church discipline is applied to someone, those who observe and witness such discipline are persuaded not to sin, whether in the same area of discipline or in any area of their lives.
In this sense, Paul’s words are sober when he tells the Corinthians: “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (1 Cor. 5:6). The context of this passage is the discipline applied to a person who was having an impure relationship with “his father’s wife” (1 Cor. 5:1c). In said passage, Paul commands the Corinthians to discipline that person, and informs them that not doing so “leavens” the rest; that is, it affects the purity of the rest of the church. In other words, it is possible that others will be motivated to sin when they see that said individual is not disciplined.
In another passage, and speaking of the discipline of leaders, Paul instructs Timothy the following: “Rebuke those who continue in sin in the presence of all so that others may be afraid of sinning” (1 Tim. 5:20). . That is, publicly reprimanding a leader, as part of a discipline process, generates fear of sin in others.
The process for applying church discipline
There is definitely more agreement on the need for discipline than on the way to apply it. It seems that the reason for this is that although God’s Word gives some principles about the process, it leaves a lot of discretion to the leadership to determine the “best way” to proceed with each case.
God, it is his infinite wisdom, knew that the enormous variety of cases to be disciplined, with all its variants, could not be circumscribed to a “manual”. Hence, each disciplinary process, although guided by biblical principles, requires leadership to search intensely for wisdom, in order to then be able to apply said principles to each particular case, with the purpose of achieving the restoration of the sinner (Mt. 18:15-20; Gal. 6:1).
In this sense, below are some biblical aspects to take into account in a disciplinary process.
1. The attitude. The sin of the other must hurt the one who confronts. The brother who sins is part of the body of Christ, and his condition should produce regret and sadness. When someone is “caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore him in a spirit of meekness, keeping an eye on yourself, lest you also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). There are two attitudes that the confronter should exhibit, namely meekness and humility. The combination of these two attitudes supposes that the sinner feels the one he confronts as a brother and not as a judge. Someone who is for him, not against him. Unfortunately, a bad attitude boycotts the discipline process, and far from restoring and bringing the sinner closer to repentance, it is a stumbling block.
2. The “trigger” of discipline. According to Matthew 18:15, the brother’s sin is the “trigger” of the disciplinary process. “If your brother sins, he goes and tells him.” It would seem that the passage commands to confront every sin of every brother. The reality is that if the passage is applied in this way, the church would become a place where judgment and criticism abound more than grace and mercy.
In this sense, that in light of the Word of God, there are three areas that deserve discipline: (1) faithfulness of doctrine, (2) unity and fellowship, and (3) purity of life. In other words, everything that threatens the truth of the gospel, the unity of the church, and personal holiness must be considered an object of discipline.
Sometimes, before proceeding, it would be wise to check whether the sin observed in a brother is an occasional flash of the old self, or if it is a practice of sin that characterizes his life. If a practice is proven, and no matter how small the sin, it must be confronted. However, there are sins that, despite the fact that they are not a practice in the brother’s life, due to their level of seriousness, warrant confrontation and discipline as soon as they become aware of it, such as sexual sins, fraud, among others.
3. The steps of discipline. Matthew 18:15-20 establishes the steps to follow once it is determined that a brother must be confronted with his sin.
- Alone. “Go and rebuke him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother” (v. 15). This is a private conversation with the sinner about the sin in question. One of the most ignored aspects of the discipline process is precisely the “alone” instruction. It also implies that it is private, that the matter is not previously shared with anyone else. If in said meeting the sinner acknowledges his sin and repents, it was successful and that is the matter.
- one or two more. “But if he doesn’t listen to you, take one or two others with you” (v. 16). If the above did not work, after a while a conversation is called with two or more witnesses…