Church Discipline

See part 1 for the first step in church discipline The second step is a semi-private reproof. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed” (Matt 18:16). The semi-private meeting only happens if…

God desires that his people be holy. This desire is true in the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as in the present hour. Salvation is the work of God to make people holy by faith in Jesus Christ so that they might know and enjoy God and his works forever. The cross demonstrates…

If the SBC valued church discipline in the way that Christ does, I suggest we would not find ourselves in our current hour of distress. Moreover, if we do not begin to value and follow His commands on how to deal with unrepented of sin in the church, we shall never free ourselves from our…

The Great Commission is talked about, promoted, and extolled, and rightly so.[1] The Great Commission is the mandate given by Jesus to the church (Matt 28:18-20). If someone preaches about reaching people with the gospel, everyone is rightly excited and supportive–even though some may not actually contribute more than an expected amen. When someone is…

I have led churches to practice church discipline for over thirty years now, and I do not see the need for church discipline to be any less today than in years past. If anything, the need has increased. Church discipline can be understood as the biblical attitude and actions of the local church that enable…

A biblical attitude is crucial to the whole process of church discipline. If the attitude of those implementing discipline is not right, then what God designed to be a beautiful act of selfless love is transformed into an ugly act of power, even if all the other instructions are followed to the letter. The offspring…

I remember the first time we implemented church discipline in my former church. It was the greatest spiritual challenge the church had faced. The process took over a year, and it ended with removing a young lady and others leaving because of her removal. But that was not to be the end of the story.…

I have practiced church discipline for over thirty years, and here are some of the practical reasons often posed to me against the practice of church discipline. It was abused in the past When the subject of church discipline surfaces, someone will inevitably point to the abuses of the past as reason enough to squelch…

The term discipline, both in the Bible and in everyday usage, displays various nuances depending on the particular biblical or life context. The ideas communicated by discipline are that of chastening, instruction, nurturing, training, correction, reproof, and punishment. In the negative sense, the idea of punishment is most prominent. In the positive sense, things like…

The Friendship of Church Discipline and the Gospel On one occasion, the chief priests and elders approached Jesus while he was teaching and asked him, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” (Matt 21:23). While it is obvious that the priests and elders were disputing rather than making…