Frequently Asked Questions on Church Discipline in Scripture
Below are questions and answers on the topic of Church Discipline, as addressed in Scripture. This is an expanded version of the brief introduction in the Oct 2007 issue of the Rochester Christian Reformed Church Life Newsletter. If you have any questions, feel free to talk to any member of Council for more information.
The questions:
1. What steps does church discipline involve?
2. What motivation does Scripture give for
this sort of accountability?
3. Isn’t this judging others, which we are
told not to do, lest we be judged?
4. Which sins are chosen for discipline?
5. Aren’t all sins the same in God’s eyes?
6. Which are the key passages on church
discipline?
7. Who takes part in this process? The
leaders, or everyone?
8. What about sins which seem less serious?
9. What examples are there of church
discipline in the NT?
11. Who did Jesus mean when he said to “tell it
to the church” (Mt 18:17)?
12. Doesn’t Mt 18:15 say that you should only confront
someone when he or she has sinned “against you”?
14. What have important people in church
history had to say about church discipline?
15. How was discipline practiced by the
first-century Jewish communities?
16. Where can I read more about this topic?
1. What steps does church discipline involve?
Briefly, if someone is engaged in persistent, pernicious sin, then it is the responsibility of those in the body of Christ to approach him or her in love, and try to convince him or her to stop. The clearest statement of this process is given by Jesus in Mt 18:15-17. This is done first one-on-one, then with one or two others present, and finally by the church (see Q. 10 below). At any point, if this person repents, then the process is successful. If not, then it culminates in expulsion from the faith community.
2. What motivation does Scripture give for
this sort of accountability?
The foremost motivation is repentance: “If the member listens to you, you have regained that one” (Mt 18:15). Note that this passage follows immediately the parable of the lost sheep. Even the final step, expulsion, has this goal: “…you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh [i.e., the worldly nature], so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Cor 5:5).
Discipline also has the goal of the purity of the church (e.g. 1 Cor 5:6-7; 1 Tim 5:20). In this sense, it follows the example of God’s discipline of all his children (cf. Heb 12:4-12). God’s discipline can be hard to endure, but flows out of his love for us and leads to our holiness, righteousness and peace (Heb 12:10-11).
3. Isn’t this judging others, which we are
told not to do, lest we be judged?
If done out of a sense of pride, yes, and scripture warns against this. But true discipline is an act of mercy and love. This process is to be done with prayer (Mt 18:19) and with gentleness and humility, knowing that we each may fall (Gal 6:1-4). Discipline should be accompanied by limitless forgiveness (Mt 18:21-22). As John Chrysostom said, “[Jesus] does not say ‘accuse him’ or ‘punish him’ or ‘take him to court.’ He says ‘correct him.’ For he is possessed, as it were, by some stupor, and drunk in his anger and disgrace. The one who is healthy must go to the one who is sick.” In fact, James 5:19-20 suggests that to set aside discipline is a dire act of negligence, since it leaves the wandering brother or sister lost in his or her sin: “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
4. Which sins are chosen for discipline?
Broadly speaking, Scripture calls out two categories of serious sin for discipline.
Choosing to live as the world does: “…you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler” (1 Cor 5:11). Commenting on this passage, Gordon Fee says, “Paul is not advocating that only the sinless can be members of the Christian community; rather, he is concerned about those who persist in the very activities from which they have been freed through the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb.”
Causing division and spreading false teaching: “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned” (Rom 16:17; see also Tit 3:9-11).
5. Aren’t all sins the same in God’s eyes?
All sins merit death (Rom 6:23). However, sins differ in their effects, some being more dangerous than others, both for the individual and the rest of the church. For example, we are particularly warned of causing others to stumble (Mt 18:6-7; James 3:1), and of sexual sin (1 Cor 6:18-19).
6. Which are the key passages on church
discipline?
Mt 18:15-17 (Jesus’ teaching on discipline) and 1 Cor 5 (Paul addressing a particular case) are the main passages on this topic. Other important passages are Gal 6:1-5 (Paul contrasting the spiritual nature of the believer), 2 Thess 3:6-15 (Paul addressing those who would not work) and James 5:19-20. See also 1 Jn 5:16, 1 Tim 5:19-20, Tit 3:10-11 and Prov 25:5-6. Regarding God’s discipline of his children, see Heb 12:4-12.
7. Who takes part in this process? The
leaders, or everyone?
Jesus calls all members of the church to this difficult but merciful task in Mt 18 (see also James 5:19-20). Gal 6:1 additionally calls on “you who are spiritual” to restore someone who falls into sin. Those who are “spiritual” are distinguished by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:16, 22-24). 1 Thess 5:12 says to respect those “over you in the Lord and who admonish you.” So while all are called, a particular responsibility falls on the shoulders of those more mature, which will typically include those in leadership.
“Paul, though an apostle, does not excommunicate as an individual, but participates with the church in a common authority (1 Cor 5:4), exercised through [properly] elected representatives” [NDT].
8. What about sins which seem less serious?
Mutual admonition for “smaller” sins can be just as challenging because they are easier to ignore and accountability may feel harder to justify. Yet in Gal 6:1-5, Paul describes accountability as part of the normal life in the Spirit, an example of how we “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (6:2). Commenting on this passage, John Stott says, “…we have many other, less sensational experiences when somebody has been surprised or detected in a sin.” Martin Luther agrees: “If we carefully weigh the words of the Apostle we perceive that he does not speak of doctrinal faults and errors, but of much lesser faults by which a person is overtaken through the weakness of his flesh.”
Admonishment between Christian friends is a key part of growing more Christ-like. As a result, wisdom to know when and when not to admonish is of great importance. We often instinctively avoid addressing sin because we lack the necessary intimacy and trust. Instead, we should develop close enough friendships that we can speak the truth in love even when it’s difficult. As Paul says in Col 3, we should clothe ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility and patience,” while we also “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (vv. 12, 16).
9. What examples are there of church
discipline in the NT?
There are many examples of church discipline alluded to in Scripture, such as:
· The man sleeping with his father’s wife (1 Cor 5).
· Discipline recommended for Hymenaeus and Alexander so that they “might learn not to blaspheme” (1 Tim 1:20).
· Paul’s exhortation of Timothy to correct his opponents (2 Tim 2:24-26).
· Paul’s admonishing Titus to avoid a schismatic person (Tit 3:10-11).
· Warning to exclude those responsible for false teaching (2 Jn 10-11).
In addition, there are (at least) two examples of discipline applied incorrectly. First, Paul himself was disciplined by the Jews. Five times he received the 39 lashes (2 Cor 11:24), probably for heretical teaching (though the Mishnah only specifies discipline for ritual purity violations). Second, in 3 John, “the elder” (author of 1-3 John) wrote to some Christians who were looking to him for guidance. We learned in 3 John that they had been expelled from their church by one called Diotrephes (3 Jn 9-11). In this case, Christians were expelled from the church apparently for not embracing a Gnostic corruption of the gospel.
10. What did Jesus mean when he said to
treat an unrepentant sinner as a “pagan or a tax collector” (Mt 18:17)?
The following quote from the commentary by Craig Keener helps explain the attitude implied in this verse: “Neither outsiders nor the sinner should continue under the delusion that this person is truly a follower of Jesus. One should treat such a person as a tax gatherer (cf. 9:9; 21:32) or a Gentile (cf. 5:47; 6:7; 20:25…)—unclean and to be avoided. Although lesser forms of public discipline existed (e.g….2 Thess 3:6…), the discipline urged here was full excommunication, implying spiritual death (1 Cor 5:5; 1 Tim 1:20; Titus 3:10-11).” Recall that Jesus reached out to the “tax collectors and sinners” specifically because “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Mt 9:10-12).
If a church reaches this stage in disciplining a member, it must be asked whether the errant brother or sister really understood the gospel to begin with. He or she is now the target of outreach as much as pastoral ministry.
11. Who did Jesus mean when he said to
“tell it to the church” (Mt 18:17)?
The Greek term translated “the church” is ekklesia, which means the assembly or congregation of believers. The canonical lexicon of Bauer et al. translates it here as “the church or congregation as the totality of Christians living in one place.” Craig Keener, in his commentary on Matthew, indicates that this may have been a standard practice: “Other Jewish groups also required confronting an erring person before witnesses before the matter could be brought before the public assembly…” This reading is in harmony with 1 Cor 5:4, where Paul describes an excommunication taking place before the congregation.
Does this mean that the congregation as a group decides who will be excommunicated? It seems most natural to assume that the disciples were to follow typical Jewish practice except where Jesus directs them to depart from it. Calvin, in his commentary on this passage, says that the standard practice was for the elders to make a final decision regarding excommunication, and concludes that this authority still rests with the church leaders.
It is worth noting that in Mt 18:18 Jesus is endowing his followers with authority previously reserved for the Jewish leaders. The “bind” and “loose” terminology is found in the Mishnah, where prominent rabbis allowed or forbade certain behaviors or interpretations of the law. Here Jesus is using the terminology not (just?) for legal theory, but instead for judicial decisions.
12. Doesn’t Mt 18:15 only say that you
should confront someone when he or she has sinned “against you”?
This phrase only appears in some of our ancient manuscripts, and arguments can be made for and against its originality. If original, it’s unlikely that Jesus meant this as a hard-and-fast rule. After all, if church discipline is truly merciful, as we expect from Jesus’ instruction, then we shouldn’t hesitate to exercise it, in a spirit of humility and gentleness, even if we aren’t directly victimized. In the 1 Cor 5 example, a man was sleeping with his father’s wife. In today’s culture this might be seen as a victimless crime and ignored. Paul believed it worth pursuing for the sake of those involved as well as the rest of the church.
13. How can excommunication possibly be
merciful? Aren’t we more likely to hear the truth and repent when we are in
communion with other believers?
In 1 Cor 5:5 Paul says to “hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord”. Perhaps someone deeply mired in sin needs to be battered around by the world (or by Satan, “prince” of this world, cf. Jn 14:30) in order to see the error of his or her ways. 2 Thess 3:14 adds a second motivation, recommending exclusion “in order that he may feel ashamed.”
In 2 Tim 2:25-26, Paul advises Timothy: “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” If someone has ignored the urgings of fellow believers, first one-on-one, then in a small group, and has ignored even the voice of the church as a whole, then it is likely that this person has indeed fallen into the “trap of the devil,” and is blind to the danger he or she is in. In times like this, a clearer understanding of sin and the Gospel may come through association with the world, than from repetition of the same message by the body of believers. If a believer’s heart is so hardened that this is necessary, then he has already cut himself off, and this step brings that out into the open.
If the church is healthy, we can hope that this sort of expulsion will be rare. In fact, this will be as effective as there is distance between life in the (local) church and the life in the world. If living as a member of this church is no different from living in the world at large, why should the erring member return? This is an important reminder that our fellowship should be so valuable and enriching that its absence leaves a mark.
14. What have important people in church
history had to say about church discipline?
· John Calvin, “Hence as the saving doctrine of Christ is the life of the Church, so discipline is, as it were, its sinews; for to it is owing that the members of the body adhere together, each in its own place. Wherefore, all who either wish that discipline were abolished, or who impede the restoration of it, whether they do this of design or through thoughtlessness, certainly aim at the complete devastation of the Church” (Institutes IV.xii 1).
· John Calvin: “Those who think that the church can stand for long without this bond of discipline are mistaken; unless by chance we can afford to omit that support which the Lord foresaw would be necessary for us” (Institutes IV.xii 4).
· Charles Finney: “If you see your neighbor sin, and you pass by and neglect to reprove him, it is just as cruel as if you should see his house on fire, and pass by and not warn him of it.” [JCL, p. 358.]
· John Wesley: “I was more convinced than ever, that the preaching like an apostle, without joining together those that are awakened, and training them up in the ways of God is only begetting children for the murderer. How much preaching has there been for these 20 years all over Pembrokeshire! But no regular societies, no discipline, no order or connection; and the consequence is, that nine in ten of the once-awakened are now faster asleep than ever.” [Quoted in the Feb 2001 issue of Christian History and Biography (Charles Edward White, CH&B, Feb 2001, 20, p. 28).]
· Augustine: “If someone has done you injury and you have suffered, what should be done? You have heard the answer already in today’s scripture: ‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.’ If you fail to do so, you are worse than he is. He has done someone harm, and by doing harm he has stricken himself with a grievous wound. Will you then completely disregard your brother’s wound? Will you simply watch him stumble and fall down? Will you disregard his predicament? If so, you are worse in your silence than he is in his abuse.” [Sermon 82.7; ACCS, Mt 18:16, p. 77.]
· John Chrysostom: “[Jesus] does not say ‘accuse him’ or ‘punish him’ or ‘take him to court.’ He says ‘correct him.’ For he is possessed, as it were, by some stupor, and drunk in his anger and disgrace. The one who is healthy must go to the one who is sick… For when a physician sees the sickness unyielding, he does not stand aside or take it hard but then is all the more earnest. That then is what Christ orders us to do.” [The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 60.1; ACCS.]
· Martin Luther: “…if any man be overtaken with a fault, do not aggravate his grief, do not scold him, do not condemn him, but lift him up and gently restore his faith. If you see a brother despondent over a sin he has committed, run up to him, reach out your hand to him, comfort him with the Gospel and embrace him like a mother. But when you meet a willful sinner who does not care, go after him and rebuke him sharply.” [Commentary on Gal 6:1.]
15. How was discipline practiced by the
first-century Jewish communities?
Both the
rabbinic tradition, which may represent 1st-century Pharisaic
practice, and the
Essenes: “Offenders [in the
Pharisees: “[Synagogues served as] community centers, where discipline would be inflicted on an erring member of the community. This discipline could take a variety of forms, including public beating, but the most severe were several levels of dismissal from the community. After the most severe level of discipline the offending member would be treated as a pagan instead of a Jew. Pagans and tax gatherers alike—tax gatherers were seen as agents of a pagan government—were excluded from the religious life of the Jewish community. Giving a person a final warning before a court would take action (e.g. Deut 25:8) was an act of mercy.” [DPL]
“Rabbinic traditions
suggest that the Pharisees of Paul’s time commonly imposed a ‘ban’, a state of
social isolation imposed for deviation from ritual purity laws or for heretical
views… The ban was a temporary measure, lasting at least thirty days, designed
to recall the offender to full participation in the community. While under the
ban, the offender had to exhibit signs of mourning, and everyone but his
immediate family was to keep a ‘leper’s distance’ of four cubits from him. He
could, however, participate in Jewish public life, including
If this is the way the other Jews of Jesus’
day practiced discipline, how did Jesus differ? “A different stress
distinguished early Christian practice from that of the
Finally, for an OT antecedent, see Deut 17:2-7. This passage prescribes the process of discipline for the case of covenant violation. Note that the punishment is death, not excommunication, and that “the hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death.” Note also that the goal of discipline here is purity—the removal of evil from the community.
16. Where can I read more about this topic?
· John Calvin, The Institutes of Religion, IV, xii.
· Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), pp. 224, 226.
· NDT: New Dictionary of Theology, S. B. Ferguson and J. I. Packer (Downers Grover, IL: IVP), 2000, p. 199.
·
DPL: Dictionary
of Paul and his Letters, eds. G. F. Hawthorne, R. P. Martin, D. G. Reid (
·
Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (
·
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary (
·
Ted G. Kitchens, “Perimeters of
· JCL: J. Carl Laney, “The Biblical Practice of Church Discipline,” Bibliotheca Sacra, 143, 353, 1986.
·
Martin Luther, Commentary on
·
DLNT&D: Dictionary
of the Later New Testament and Developments, eds. Ralph P. Martin and Peter
H. Davids (
· Jay A. Quine, “Court Involvement in Church Discipline,” Bibliotheca Sacra, 149, 60, 1992.
·
John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians (
· Articles by various authors in Christianity Today, Aug 2005, pp. 30-36.
· To see how one (evangelical but not specifically Reformed) network of home churches implements church discipline: “Practicing Church Discipline in Xenos Fellowship,” http://www.xenos.org/classes/leadership/appdis.html.
·
The
Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, eds. Joel B. Green and Scot McKight (
·
ACCS: The
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Vol. Ib, Matthew 14-28, Manlio
Simonetti ed. (
Interesting fact: Jesus adds in Mt 18:20 that when two or three gather in his name, he will be with them. The two or three are presumably the witnesses he mentioned in v. 16, who went to confront the erring brother or sister, and who prayed for him or her in vv. 18-19. Craig Keener writes that this assurance by Jesus was packed with meaning:
An ancient Jewish saying promised God’s presence not only for ten males (the minimum prerequisite for a synagogue…), but for even two or three gathered to study his law… Here Jesus himself fills the role of Shekinah, God’s presence, in the traditional Jewish saying… Jewish teachers often called God “the Place,” that is, “the Omnipresent One”; Jesus is “God with us” (1:23; 28:20).
[Keener, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, 18:15-17.]