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The Spirit and Method of Discipline

Various verses address our attitude when faced with misconduct.

Galatians 6:1 exhorts us to be gentle and aware of our own humanness when we try to correct a sinning brother. 2 Thessalonians 3:15 warns us to keep in mind the relationship we have with the offender. He is not our enemy--he is our brother.

But the most complete instruction in the New Testament on discipline is Matthew 18:15-20. It is profound for its brevity and its thoroughness:

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

The passage assumes a relationship.

"If your brother...."

Church discipline is a family affair. 1 Corinthians 5:10-11 makes it clear that discipline is confined to those "in Christ" and does not reach beyond the boundaries of the church to the world.

The passage implies imperfection.

"If your brother sins...."

Sin is both a reality and a possibility in the believer's life. We all wish it were not, but it is.

The passage commands confrontation.

"....go...."

Confrontation is extremely difficult for many people. To speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) to an offending brother requires more than an insensitive accusation. More than a perfunctory rebuke. More than an unsubstantiated assumption.

Confrontation, or the act of addressing the problem of sin in a brother's life, must be pre-prayed, pre-thought, and pre-planned. It must not be done impulsively or in anger, since it is the first crucial and cautious step toward the restoration of a Christian brother.

The passage commands reproof.

"....reprove...."

This word means to expose and convince a person of his sin. Reproof is the gentle, loving word of warning that tells the offender that someone knows and cares about the sin in his life. It suggests that someone is willing to take the risks involved in confrontation and to spend the time needed to help.

The passage demands privacy.

"...in private...."

We should never take delight in the weaknesses of others or take delight in broadcasting all of the information at our disposal. Confidentiality is crucial to the act of restoration. The fewer people who know about it, the better.

The passage seeks restoration.

"....if he listens to you, you have won your brother."

The goal of confrontation is restoration.

The passage teaches alternatives.

"....but if he does not listen...."

When confronted with their sin, persons might reject your help, might try to rationalize or justify their behavior, or might deny that they did anything wrong. When any of these occur, it's time to expand the sphere of information. Two or more witnesses are always required in Scripture before any accusation can be honored (I Timothy 5:19; Deuteronomy 19:15). One witness is never enough.

Two or more witnesses are needed to confirm that the person has rejected your reproof, or to confirm the validity of an accusation. Every fact and every word needs confirmation. When we deal with sin, we need to approach it with the thoroughness of a trial lawyer. We are not concerned with mere hearsay, feelings, or impressions.

The passage expands the alternatives.

"And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church...."

To the believer, the church is always his supreme court here on earth--his final court of appeals. The church has access to greater wisdom than any human institution (1 Cor. 6:1-5), and the church always has a member of the Godhead present (Matt. 18:20).

The church, with its combined spiritual gifts, its limitless wisdom and its God, is capable of bringing combined pressure to bear on Satan that can limit his power in a believer's life.

In the case of an unrepentant person, the church brings its combined power to bear through love and persistent prayer for restoration. Only as a last resort is action taken to expel. Premature judgment may abort God's program of restoration (Luke 9:53-56).

The passage suggests the ultimate alternative.

"....if he refuses to listen to the church, let him be as a Gentile and a tax-collector."

The painfully decisive step to exclude a brother or a sister from the fellowship of the church is sometimes a necessity. He is then to be regarded as an outsider. Gentiles were regarded as heathen. The Jews had no fellowship with them. The tax-gatherer was considered to be a person of low character who was obstinate, self-willed, totally unlike a child of God.

In other words, the sinning Christian is disowned as a brother and treated as a nonbeliever. This means he is excluded from the ministry, service, and fellowship at the Lord's Table. However, it does not mean that he cannot attend the services of the church. Even nonbelievers are granted this privilege.

The final decision is made by a vote of the church or representative body, and that decision is binding. It is important that the action not be reversed until sufficient time has elapsed to confirm the genuineness of repentance.