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Understanding Church Discipline: What, When, Why, and How

Exploring the practice of church discipline, its importance, reasons, and execution within the Church of Christ, ensuring a community of believers working together in worship and growth towards heaven.

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Understanding Church Discipline: What, When, Why, and How

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  1. Church Discipline What? When? Why? How? Who? Why Not?

  2. Church of Christ • Identifiable body of baptized believers working and worshipping together. • Voluntary relationship for the good of all. • Honor and praise God • Salvation of lost souls • Cultivate qualities in the individual that are necessary for entrance into heaven • Christians are to live in the doctrine of Christ • Discipline is required to maintain this proper relationship—instructive and corrective

  3. Discipline • Training or experience that corrects, molds, strengthens; Esp. mental faculties or moral character. • Primarily, an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind or self-control. • Instructive – preventive in nature; education • Corrective – chastising or penalizing in nature

  4. Why Practice It? • Obey God (Mt. 18:15-18; 2 Thess. 3:6-15) • Save the soul of the erring one (1 Cor. 5:4-5) • Protect others in the church (1 Cor. 5:6) • Keep the church pure (1 Cor. 5:7) • Cause all of us to examine our lives (Acts 5:12: 1 Tim. 1:20) • Be an example to the world (Mt. 5:13-16)

  5. No Sin Exempt • Those who sin against a brother (Mt. 18:15-17) • Fornicator, covetous, unclean (Eph. 5:3-5) • Reviler, idolater, drunkard, extortioner (1 Cor. 5:11) • Blasphemers (1 Tim. 1:20) • False teachers, divisive men (Rom. 16:17) • Heretics (Titus 3:10); Hypocrites (1 Cor. 16:22) • Liars, murderers, unbelieving, fearful (Rev. 21:8) • Homosexuals, adulterers, thieves (1 Cor. 6:9-10) • Disorderly (2 Thess. 3:6) • Those who forsake the assembly (Heb. 10:25)

  6. Who Should Be Disciplined? • The brother or sister who refuses to repent of sin. • Fellowship is not severed because of a particular sin being committed, but rather, because of an unrepentant attitude or disposition of heart toward the sin or sins committed.

  7. When Do We Withdraw? • Establish that sin has been committed • Sin must be proved (1 Jn. 3:4; Mt. 18:15-17) • Proof of Achan’s sin shown to all (Josh. 7:22-23) • Cannot act on hearsay (1 Tim. 5:19) • Give sufficient time to reach the erring (Mt. 18:15-17) • Time given for entire church to act • Visits, cards, admonishments, & prayers • After all efforts fail—action taken (1 Cor. 5) • Withdrawal—last step in long chain of efforts to save the erring brother or sister

  8. Who Would Not Support Church Discipline? • Other sinners (2 Cor. 12:21-13:2) • Ignorant and untaught (Lev. 5:17) • Grumblers looking for a complaint • Those who think they know better than God how to save the erring. • Those with little faith (2 Cor. 5:7) • Those who put fellowship with men above fellowship with God (Mt. 10:37; Jn. 12:42-43). • Power-seekers (2 Sam. 15:4)

  9. Corrective Church Discipline • Appointed by God to save His erring children! • Who are we to fight against God (Acts 5:39)? • Who are we to question God (Rom. 9:20-21)? • Can we withstand God (Acts 11:17)?

  10. How To Treat Those Who Have Been Disciplined? • Public announcement (1 Cor. 5:3-5) • “Mark” (Rom. 16:17) • “Withdraw” and “Note” (2 Thess. 3:6, 14) • “Admonish” and “Reject” (Titus 3:10) • Individual Practice of Discipline • Proper support of whole body (2 Cor. 2:6) • Do not keep company with him (2 Thess. 3:14) • Do not associate with him (1 Cor. 5:11) • Do not eat with him (1 Cor. 5:11) • Do not receive him (2 John 10-11) • Treat as a heathen and tax collector (Mt. 18:18)

  11. Reasons Given For Nor Practicing Discipline: • We are not to judge. • Tear up church and do more harm than good. • It will harden them in their sins. • No one is perfect, we all sin. • Their family will be upset if we discipline. • Our other preachers never said much about this. • We didn’t withdraw from some in past years, its not fair to start now.

  12. Questions • Could I work on the same job? • Could I eat in the same café? • Could I accept invitations from other Christians if they also invited those who were disciplined? • What if my spouse is disciplined? • What about the parent-child relationship?

  13. Cut off From his people Gen. 17:14 Exod. 30:33, 38 Lev. 7:20-21, 25, 27 Lev. 19:8; 23:29 Num. 9:13 Exod. 32:28-29 Lev. 10:1-7 Deut. 13:6-11; 21:18-21 Josh. 7:15-25; Deut. 24:16 1 Sam. 3:13; 1 Kgs. 15:11-13 Ezra 10:3, 4, 11 Matt. 10:34-36 Matt. 12:46-50 Luke 9:62 1 Cor. 5:11 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15 Matt. 18:15-17 Are Family Members Exempt?

  14. Working With God To Save Souls • God Has Done His Part • Sacrificed His Son For Us • Revealed Plan For Saving Souls • We Must Do Our Part • Warn the Unruly – Gal. 6:1; 1 Thess. 5:14 • Withdraw From Disorderly – 2 Thess. 3:6 • Public Announcement – 1 Cor. 5:4-5 • Private Application – 1 Cor. 5:11 • Sinner Must Do His Part • Repent, Confess, and Correct – Acts 8:22

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