Disciplining of Church Members

By David Block

Introduction: What a church should do when a member is found in err and requires discipline.

I. Purpose of church discipline

A. To restore the erring member (2 Timothy 2:25)

1. Their spirit is saved (1 Corinthians 5:5)

2. They are taught not to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20)

B. To maintain a public testimony- this is important since the Church is the representation of Christ on this earth (Romans 2:24)

C. To prevent an individual’s sin from destroying the whole church- sin is described as being yeast that can infect the whole dough (1 Corinthians 5:6)

D. To provide a warning and reminder of the severity of sin- people tend to become apathetic towards the severity of sin if it is not brought to people’s attention (1 Timothy 5:20)

II. An offense is made

A. Church discipline can only occur between those that attend a church- this is obvious but needs to be mentioned since many will try to apply these rules to those outside the church.

B. Possible offenses- all sins require discipline, below are a few

1. Sexual immorality- this would include any sexual act outside of the covenant of marriage (1 Corinthians 5:11)

2. Greed- the love of money needs discipline because it is a form of idolatry.(1 Corinthians 5:11)

3. Idolatry- obviously the worship of another god would require action (1 Corinthians 5:11)

4. Slander- this goes against Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself (1 Corinthians 5:11)

5. Drunkenness- this and debauchery go hand and hand and goes against the command to love the Lord your God with all your mind (1 Corinthians 5:11)

6. Swindling (1 Corinthians 5:11)

7. Being a stumbling block- knowingly causing another Christian to struggle in his spiritual life is cause for discipline (1 Corinthians 8:9-12)

8. Anger and holding a grudge (Matthew 5:22)

9. Being contentious about unscriptural forms and fashions in order to disrupt the church (1 Corinthians 11:12-16)

10. Teaching of false doctrine- teachers are held to a high standard and teaching of false doctrine is a serious offence (1 Timothy 1:3)

11. Devotion to myths- anything that takes devotion from God requires discipline (1 Timothy 1:4)

12. Devotion to creating endless genealogies- this requires rebuking because it is a fruitless endeavor and takes away time for us to do things that God has commanded us to do (1 Timothy 1:4)

13. Divisiveness- purposely causing divisions within the church (Titus 3:10)

14. Not providing for relatives- this is seen as being worse than what pagans do (1 Timothy 5:8)

III. Discipline of private sins- sins done against another or made aware to only one person

A. Step 1: Private admonition (Matthew 18:15)

1. Reasons for private encounter

a. To rebuke- an attempt to turn the offender back from evil (Luke 17:3)

b. To restore- an attempt to return the person back to their original position with God (Galatians 6:1)

c. To admonish - the giving of friendly advice and encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:12)

2. Failure to repent requires moving to the next step

B. Step 2: Second attempt with witnesses (Matthew 18:16)

1. Two or more witnesses required- this harkens back to the OT when a person needed a witness in order to file a claim that a crime was committed (1 Timothy 5:19, 20)

a. To admonish (1 Thessalonians 5:12)

b. To restore (Galatians 6:1)

c. To rebuke (Luke 17:3)

2. Failure to repent requires moving to the next step

C. Step 3: Offense brought before congregation (Matthew 18:17)

1. Offender is rebuked- this is the last attempt to try and reason with the person (1 Timothy 5:20)

2. Withholding of fellowship- this is not excommunication but the offender is not allowed to participate in things like communion (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

3. Failure to repent requires moving to next step

D. Step 4: Excommunication- this is complete severing of ties with the church.

1. Must be inflicted by the majority of the church- this must be in order to show the severity of the punishment as well as to demonstrate the oneness of the church. (2 Corinthians 2:5-8)

2. Person is to be treated as a pagan or tax collector- basically, contact is limited to a must need basis (Matthew 18:17)

3. This should be honored by all churches- a person should not be allowed to jump from church to church because it taints the public testimony of the church.

IV. Discipline of public sins- knowledge of an offence is had by many

A. Step 1: Offender confronted by spiritual leaders- this should be the elders and pastor of the church (Galatians 6:1)

1. To admonish (1 Thessalonians 5:12)

2. To restore (Galatians 6:1)

3. To rebuke (Luke 17:3)

B. Step 2: Offense brought before congregation

1. Offender is warned

2. Withholding of fellowship (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

3. Failure to repent requires moving to next step

C. Step 3: Excommunication

1. Person is to be treated as a pagan or tax collector (Matthew 18:17)

2. Inflicted by the majority of the church (2 Corinthians 2:5-8)

3. This should be honored by all churches

V. Discipline of elders- discipline of those that hold a leadership position in the church

A. Step 1: Offense brought before congregation

1. Offender is warned

2. Withholding of fellowship (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

3. Failure to repent requires moving to next step

B. Step 2: Excommunication

1. Person is to be treated as a pagan or tax collector (Matthew 18:17)

2. Inflicted by the majority of the church (2 Corinthians 2:5-8)

3. This should be honored by all churches

Works Cited

The New Student Bible New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.