Excommunication: Nature and Administrators

Driving home: If we have any view of the church that does not hold both of those perspectives in their proper biblical tension we have no view of the church we have an unbiblical view of the church.

Martin uses the Reformers' three marks of a true church (sound preaching, proper sacraments, faithful discipline) to highlight the neglect of church discipline in the contemporary church, setting the stage for the sermon's topic.

and although there are some glaring areas of blind spots in the reformers thinking with reference to the church one thing they did that is again a great legacy to the people of God in all subsequent generations is to enunciate the three cardinal marks the indispensable marks of a true church sound preaching of the word the proper administration of the sacraments and the faithful administration of church discipline and Calvin and the other reformers when writing on the doctrine of the church made it very clear that where any one of these was absent you no longer had a true church it was not eno...

8:35 - 10:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon's topic, excommunication, emphasizing its biblical basis in Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5, and its importance as one of the three marks of a true…

Martin states he is leaning heavily on Edwards' essay for outline and method, lending historical and theological weight to his approach to the subject.

to a more detailed and specific treatment such as is given in these key passages of the New Testament, which I have read particularly, 1 Corinthians chapter 5. In the preparation of these two expositions, I have been greatly helped by the outline and the method used by Jonathan Edwards in his essay, The Nature and the End of Excommunication, found in the works of Joshua 7. Jonathan Edwards, and I shall be leaning heavily upon his approach to handling the subject only as a guide in organizing the massive amount of biblical material, though the things I bring to you I bring because I believe the...

10:00 - 11:27 Read in full sermon

The point: If we claim any attachment to Jesus Christ in faith and in love, wherever the circumstances demand this frightening means of severing one from our midst, it is only an affront to Christ himself that will either on the on…

The example of Diatrephes from 3 John 9-10 is used to illustrate the frightening abuse of excommunication when not grounded in Christ's authority, but in wicked, usurped power.

Not human anger, human sentiment, papal attitude, such as we find described in 2 John, 3 John verses 9 and 10 concerning this wicked man who rose to prominence in the church of whom it is said, and I read from 3 John, I wrote unto the church, but diatribe, who loveth to have the preeminence among them receiveth us not. Therefore, if I come, I will bring to remembrance his works, which he doeth, prating against us with wicked words, and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren and them that would he forbiddeth and casteth them out of the church. Here you see is a man ...

17:09 - 18:02 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the 'privative' elements: being cut off from the visible people of God and their peculiar privileges. This involves removal from the community, not geographical…

An analogy of a parent telling a disobedient child to go to bed without supper (privative) and giving a spanking (positive) is used to explain the two specific ingredients of excommunication.

One of you is disobedient in the form of punishment that your parents administer is to tell you that you must go to bed without your supper. That is privative. And they say prior to that you shall have a spanking. That's positive.

22:16 - 22:32 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the 'privative' elements: being cut off from the visible people of God and their peculiar privileges. This involves removal from the community, not geographical…

Martin clarifies that 'taken away from among you' does not mean geographical deportation, contrasting it with the abuse of this doctrine by inflicting physical punishments or imprisonment.

Now it's obvious he's not speaking of a geographical deportation. The word deportation is a word that is used to describe a person's life. The word of God knows no elements in excommunication but those that are moral and spiritual. They are never to inflict the body.

24:00 - 24:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Admonish him, though you regard him as no longer within the body of Christ, you have a greater responsibility to admonish him, to pray for him, than one who has never been amongst you.

He uses the distinction between 'love of principle' (benevolence) and 'love of complacency' (delight) to explain how Christians should love the excommunicated (with benevolence, but not delight), similar to God's love for all creatures versus His people.

And the second qualification is but with respect to intimacy and what the theologians would call a love of complacency. That is a love of delight. And this is a helpful distinction. It's not philosophical.

39:13 - 39:26 Read in full sermon

The point: If my neighbor's house is burning I do not go and first of all ask if he is a Christian before I seek to awake him and call the fire department and so a man or woman who has been excommunicated I owe to that person every…

The Jewish custom of not eating with publicans or heathens is used to illustrate that 'not to eat' with an excommunicated person signifies the withholding of complacent love and delight, as eating was a sign of intimacy.

no, not to eat. There is to be even less social contact than with the unconverted. So when Jesus said let him be to thee as the heathen and publican he meant in the very strict Jewish connotation a Jew would not eat with a publican or with a heathen. Eating was the sign of the delight of complacent love.

41:32 - 42:02 Read in full sermon

The point: If my neighbor's house is burning I do not go and first of all ask if he is a Christian before I seek to awake him and call the fire department and so a man or woman who has been excommunicated I owe to that person every…

The image of Jesus supping with those who open the door is used to reinforce the idea of eating as a sign of delight and intimate fellowship, which is withheld from the excommunicated.

Remember Jesus said in Revelation 3 if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and do what? Sup with him. I'll delight in him. When the Easterner opened his home and bid you to come at his table it was his way of saying I love you with the love of complacency and delight and Jesus said he's to be as the heathen and publican there is to be no love of complacency and delight there is to be the love of principle but the love that will have in it admonition and censure.

42:02 - 42:34 Read in full sermon

The point: If my neighbor's house is burning I do not go and first of all ask if he is a Christian before I seek to awake him and call the fire department and so a man or woman who has been excommunicated I owe to that person every…

Martin vehemently protests Rome's historical abuses of excommunication, such as boycotting and inflicting temporal punishments, to emphasize that biblical excommunication is exclusively moral and spiritual.

Now the second question that comes out of our exposition thus far. Not only must we ask to what extent should excommunicated people be treated as those who've never been part of the church and we've given the general answer with the two exceptions or qualifications the second question is to what extent should excommunicated people be treated with kindness and respect. The answer lies in the realization already mentioned this morning that the act of excommunication is exclusively moral and spiritual having to do with the conscience and the relationship of a man to his God and to his people not ...

42:34 - 43:59 Read in full sermon

The point: If my neighbor's house is burning I do not go and first of all ask if he is a Christian before I seek to awake him and call the fire department and so a man or woman who has been excommunicated I owe to that person every…

Martin quotes Edwards at length to define the extent of kindness and respect due to the excommunicated, emphasizing prayer, admonition, common humanity, and the continuation of natural/civil relationships.

boycotted from every form of physical and temporal ease and I stand to blush and say some of our great and good reformers were guilty of this vicious mentality of Rome and in that sense I must confess the sins of some of my revered fathers. And away on the other hand with the heartless unnatural castigation of a person's family that often happens in churches where this frightening means of grace is employed. I can do no better to answer this question to what extent should excommunicated people be treated with kindness and respect than to give you a quote from Jonathan Edwards I quote him now T...

43:59 - 45:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Whatever the delivering unto Satan is the end in view is the salvation of the man's soul and any interpretation that doesn't land you there cannot be the right one.

Martin quotes John Owen extensively to explain that 'delivering unto Satan' means casting a man out of the visible kingdom of Christ into the visible kingdom of Satan, for the purpose of humiliation, recovery, and salvation, not demonic torment.

than to quote from that great prince in Israel Dr. John Owen who in answering this question says or who asked the question what does this phrase mean delivered unto Satan and his answer is this the design and end of it was the man's humiliation recovery and salvation as is expressly affirmed in the text and this is the key to it whatever the delivering unto Satan is the end in view is the salvation of the man's soul and any interpretation that doesn't land you there cannot be the right one and this is exactly the effect it had with this man at Corinth wherefore this delivery unto Satan is an o...

48:18 - 49:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Do you love me enough to do what is contrary to everything natural? And even contrary to that which seems to be The dictate of your renewed man Your renewed spirit Do you love me? Keep my commandments.

The analogy of a policeman's authority (using his gun/badge) being legitimate only within the framework of his designation is used to illustrate that the church acts under Christ's authority only when it operates within the boundaries of His Word.

and thirdly in vivid awareness of the day of Christ let me flesh those out for a moment first of all the church gathered is to administer this solemn means of grace in clear obedience to the word of Christ for you see once the church steps out of the boundaries of the word of Christ she no longer acts in the legitimate authority of Christ a policeman has authority to use his gun his badge the influence of his position only within the framework of the designation of that authority under which he works the moment he begins to use his gun for personal vindictiveness his badge for personal gain he...

59:58 - 61:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Do you love me enough to do what is contrary to everything natural? And even contrary to that which seems to be The dictate of your renewed man Your renewed spirit Do you love me? Keep my commandments.

Martin quotes Lutheran commentator Lenski on 1 Corinthians 5:2 to explain that the proper attitude for church discipline is grief and deepest sorrow, not anger or indignation, highlighting the motive of mourning for the devil's success, the congregation's disgrace, and the sinner's soul.

1 Corinthians chapter 5 As Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their failure to act With regard to this sinning man Will you notice the first element of the attitude That should have characterized them Is mentioned in verse 2 as mourning And ye are puffed up and did not rather mourn That he that had done this deed might be taken away You see what he says? He says if only you had been gripped with a proper mourning It would have led to right actions Indicating that Paul cannot conceive of the act of communication Administered in any other context But an evident demonstration of the spirit of Chris...

62:49 - 64:16 Read in full sermon