Church Discipline
​
There are times when a Christian will wander away from the fellowship of other believers and find himself trapped in sin through ignorance or willful disobedience. It then is the loving response of the church, and particularly its shepherds, to seek the repentance and restoration of that Christian. As shepherds of the flock, the elders love the people of the church and are held accountable by God for their spiritual welfare, including that of the wanderer. As in Jesus’ parable in Luke 15:3-8, it is a time of graceful joy, both in the church and in heaven, when a wandering Christian truly repents.
One means by which the church seeks to lovingly restore wandering believers is the process of church discipline. In Matthew 18, the Lord explains to His disciples the process in responding to a believer in sin. The process Jesus sets forth must guide the Church as she seeks to implement discipline in the body.
​
​
The Purpose of Discipline
The purpose of church discipline is the spiritual restoration of those in sin with the side benefits of strengthening the church and glorifying the Lord. When a sinning believer is rebuked resulting in his turning from sin; they are forgiven, restored to fellowship with the body and with its head, Jesus Christ.
The goal of church discipline, then, to restore a believer caught in sin to holiness and return them to a pure relationship within the assembly. It is not to throw people out of the church or to feed the self-righteous pride of those who administer the discipline. It is not to embarrass people, Lord over them or express power in some unbiblical manner.
In Matthew 18:15, Jesus says, “And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.” The Greek word gives us sense of the accumulation of wealth or money. Here it refers to the gaining back of something of value that is lost, namely, a brother entrapped in sin. When a brother or sister wanders off, a valuable prize is lost. Therefore, the church should not be content until they are restored. The body of Christ is to search after and recover (Gal. 6:1). This is at the heart of the purpose of church discipline.
​
​
The Process of Discipline
In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus sets forth the four-step process of church discipline: (1) tell him his sin one on one; (2) take some witnesses; (3) tell the church; and (4) treat him as an outsider.
Step One (Matt. 18:15). The process of church discipline begins on an individual level. Jesus said, “And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private” (v. 15a). Here, an individual believer is to go to a sinning one privately confronting them in a spirit of humility and gentleness. This confrontation involves exposing sin so that there is an awareness with a call to repentance. If the sinning one repents because of the private confrontation, that one is to be forgiven and restored (v. 15b).
Step Two (Matt. 18:16). If the sinning one refuses to listen to the one who has rebuked him privately, the next step in the discipline process is to take one or two more believers along to confront them again (v. 16a). The purpose of taking other believers is so that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed” (v. 16b). In other words, the witnesses are present to confirm sin, establish that the one was rebuked and there was a lack of repentance.
The presence of additional witnesses is a protection for both parties. It could be that a biased person could erroneously say disparaging things regarding the one sinning. It is a grace to the relationship when independent verification is made. Said facts, then, can be basis of for further action because the process has been followed when one is unrepentant.
Due to unrepentance and after the confrontation of two or three witnesses then confronting the sinner will have to become public with the Church intervening. The best result is the added weight of rebuke leads to repentance of the one. If a change of heart does occur, that brother is forgiven and restored with the matte being dropped.
Step Three (Matt. 18:17a). If the one sinning has refused to acknowledge sin and repent whether one on one or in the presence of witnesses, the witnesses are then to tell it to the church (v. 17a). This is most appropriately done by bringing the matter to the attention of the elders, who oversee the Church. It is they that shall bring the matter forward.
What is the length of time used as a guide before the Church is notified? The elders at Bethany Baptist avoid carrying out the third or fourth stage of church discipline until there is certitude that the one has sinned or is continuing in sin That they have been confronted in grace with the evidence and that the one is unrepentant. The elders will routinely send a letter by certified mail warning the individual that further action is to take place if a response is not made by a specified date. When this date has passed, the person’s sin and refusal to repent are made known publicly to the assembly.
It has been instituted as Bethany Baptist, upon carrying out the third step, to clearly pursue the one sinning pleading with them to repent. Then and only then is the fourth step taken. Yet the desire is repentance and restoration to take place.
Step Four (Matt. 18:17b). The fourth and final step in the process of church discipline is shunning. If one sinning has refused to listen even to the church, he is to be banned from the fellowship. Jesus said, “let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer” (v. 17b). The term “Gentile” was primarily used of non-Jews who held to their traditional paganism and had no part in the covenant, worship, or social life of the Jews. On the other hand, a “tax-gatherer” was an outcast from the Jews by choice, having become a traitor to his own people. Jesus’ use of these terms still allows for graceful dealings. But it does mean we shun them treating them as if they are outside of the fellowship. The local body of Christ shall not associate with them nor allow their participation in the benefits and blessings of the assembly.
When a man in the Corinthian church refused to forsake an incestuous relationship with his stepmother, the apostle Paul commanded that the man be removed from their midst (1 Cor. 5:13). The believers there were not even to share a meal with him (1 Cor. 5:11), for dining with someone was symbolic of a hospitality and fellowship. The one who is persistently unrepentant is to be totally shunned and treated like an outcast, not a brother.
Where the church is concerned, the purpose of putting the brother out is to protect the purity of the fellowship (1 Cor. 5:6), to warn the assembly of the seriousness of sin (1 Tim. 5:20), protect unity, and to give a testimony to a watching world. But as far as the welfare of the one is concerned, the purpose of being shunned is to awaken them. Thus, it must be done in humility, love, and grace. It should never be in a spirit of prideful self-righteousness (2 Thess. 3:15).
When a church has done all it can to return a sinning member to purity of life but is unsuccessful, that individual is to be left to their sin and shame. If one is a Christian, God will not cast them away, but God may allow them to sink still deeper before he becomes desperate enough to turn from their sin.
The command not to have fellowship or even social contact with the unrepentant brother does not exclude all contact. When there is an opportunity to admonish him and call him back, the opportunity should be taken. In fact, such opportunities should be sought. But the contact should be for the purpose of admonishment and restoration and no other.