Corrective Church Discipline, Part 3

The Major Forms of Corrective Church Discipline: Verbal

0:00 Well, let's proceed now, brethren, having set out in the previous lecture the necessity of corrective or radical church discipline. In the previous hour, the six-fold purpose, or the six purposes of corrective church discipline. We now come to consider the major forms of corrective church discipline. And you will notice in your notes that that's large letter C.

0:27 The major forms of corrective discipline, and I have divided them into two major categories, the verbal, excuse me, and the social. Now, in seeking to categorize these things, I realize there's the danger of making artificial and arbitrary distinctions, and also the danger that because I've separated them, we would think of them in insulated categories, whereas in reality they are not. However, I do believe that the key passage...

0:57 The key passages reflect these categories, at least as general categorizations. First of all, there is the verbal. Now, what I mean by this is simply the following. The discipline does not go beyond the use of words calculated to bring the offender to perceive his sin, repent of it, and to reform his life and practice.

1:24 Now, within this category, there is a range. From private, verbal admonition, entreaty, to semi-private, to corporate reproof and rebuke. But in all of the cases, it does not go beyond the purely verbal. And you think immediately of Matthew 18, 15 through 17a.

1:47 If thy brother sinned, go tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. If he hear thee not, take with thee two or three others. That at the mouth of two or three...

1:58 Every word may be established. There is verbal at that level. Galatians 6, 1. If a man be overtaken in the fault, restore such a one.

2:08 How do we do that? By the wise and loving, meek, careful effort to bring him to see his fault, to deal with it, and to be restored from it. Titus 1, 13. Where Titus is encouraged by Paul to reprove them sharply.

2:27 That they may be sound in the faith. And then in Titus 3, 10a. The first level in the discipline that ultimately results in more formal radical discipline and social dimensions. But it begins at the level of the verbal.

2:48 He says in Titus 3, 10a. A factious man after a first and second admonition. The first and second levels are verbal. They are admonitory.

3:02 And then 1 Timothy 5 and verse 20. The text we've referred to earlier. Then that sin reprove a verbal exercise in the sight of all. So that is the first major form of corrective discipline.

The Major Forms of Corrective Church Discipline: Social

3:19 It takes the form of verbal efforts to bring the sinning brother or sister to see his sin, repent of it, make whatever restitution is necessary, and to reform his ways. But then there is the second category, the social. At this level, there is an actual group or social activity on the part of the church with respect to the person disciplined. Now, it is preceded and in some cases followed by verbal.

3:55 But it is indeed social. Now, this activity ranges from a partial avoidance to no longer regarding him as a brother and giving him none of the privileges of unique Christian social interaction. Now, where do we find this emphasis in such passages as 2 Thessalonians 3, verses 6, 14, and 15? And here the social element is dominant in the passage.

4:27 We command you, notice now, not that you reprove, not that you rebuke, not that you admonish, but that you withdraw yourselves. That's social. Cut yourselves off from ordinary, normal, social interaction with the disorderly. Verse 14, If any man obeys not our word by this epistle, note that man.

4:56 To what end? Not to admonish him. And yet, reprove him, rebuke him, have no company. That's social.

5:03 Now, here's the knee-jerk word that people use to prejudice this. Shut that church practices. Well, they better. They're biblical.

5:16 If any man obeys not this word, note that man and shun him. Have no company with him to the end that he may be ashamed. And yet, do not count him as an enemy. Admonish him as a brother.

5:31 Now, here's a shunning that goes on. Well, a man is still a member of the church. Yet, he is cut off from certain privileges of the social interaction of the people of God. And then, of course, the Romans 16 passage.

5:47 This emphasis, again, is dominant.

5:53 Romans 16, 17, I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and pray for them. Send a loving letter. Send a loving letter to them.

6:09 No, turn away from them. That's not with your mouth. It's with your feet. That is purely a social directive.

6:19 And there is no way responsibly to handle the language of the text, but to say it comes within the realm of social discipline. And then, of course, the strong emphasis of 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Here again, the social element is dominant. See the emphasis, verses 9 to 13.

6:44 I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company social with fornicators, not at all meaning with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters, for then you must needs go out of the world.

6:59 So he said, now don't think I meant, there must be no one with whom you have social interaction who fits this category. He said, if that's so, you've got to go to heaven.

7:08 He said, you must go out of the world. That's what it seems he's saying to me. But, as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company social if a man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or a covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler. Notice, a reviler, one guilty of a pattern of abusive, evil speech, is put in the same list with idolaters, covetous, and fornicators.

7:32 With such a one, know not to eat. And remember, in the Eastern context, eating was the, as it were, sacramental badge of social acceptance. Remember what they said of Jesus? He eats Republicans and sinners.

7:48 If you go into their banquet halls and stand up on a table and preach the daylights out of them, that's all right. But he's reclining at the couch, eating with them. He's saying, I accept them. And we can't accept the Messiah like that.

8:04 So, Paul focuses upon eat, not so much because somehow their food will defile us if they've touched it, but no, it's speaking of normal, intimate, social interaction with such a one not to eat. For what have I to do with judging them that are without? There's another text for the Operation Rescue Movement. They are seeking to impose biblical morality upon others by force.

8:31 Is it murder to have an abortion? Yes. Is the abortionist a murderer? Yes.

8:37 But what have I to do with judging those that are without?

8:41 And someone tried to force Jesus into that in a matter of economic litigation. My brothers, cheat me of inheritance. Great teacher of righteousness, step in. Man who made me a judge and a ruler over thee.

8:57 Beware of covetousness. And he started preaching of the sin of the heart. And he refused to enter into this matter of litigating a man's personal estate with his brother. What have we to do with judging those that are without?

9:11 Do not you judge them that are within? Now look, but them that are without, God judges. Put away the wicked man from among yourselves. Put him away.

9:25 That's even stronger language than mere shunning.

9:30 So these texts, brethren, are very clear. Along with, of course, Matthew 18. Let him be unto thee as a heathen and a publican. If a heathen or a publican is burning, his house is burning, would you go in and rescue him?

9:42 Of course you would. But if the heathen or publican is looking for a best buddy, will you become his buddy? No. So when he says heathen and publican, he doesn't mean throw stones at them, spit on them.

9:53 If you have natural, civil, social responsibilities to negate them, not at all. But he's saying in terms of the peculiar social interaction afforded the people of God, because they are the people of God, once he's put out of the church, the church is no longer to give him those privileges. And then Titus 3.10c.

10:15 Dismiss or drive out. His arms and gingers. Definition of that verb. He that is an heretic after the second or third admonition, reject.

Historical Precedent for Church Discipline

10:26 Dismiss or drive out. Now here, most have made a distinction between a temporary suspension, which has social implications, 2 Thessalonians 3, and excommunication, which is the more radical and final excision of this sinning member. Our own constitution makes that distinction.

10:52 In volume number 2, The Great Works of Christ in America, the Savoy platform makes that distinction on page 229 and following. And very interestingly, I went back through, recently, Griffiths. A short treatise concerning a true and orderly gospel church by Benjamin Griffiths. And this was reprinted several years ago.

11:17 By Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, Pastor Chantry wrote an introduction to it. And on pages 16 and 17, it's very interesting, 15 to 17, we have of church censures. Number one, first of admonition. Admonition is a holy, tender, and wise endeavor to convince a brother that he has offended in matter of fact, or else has fallen into a way wherein to continue is likely to be a sin.

11:47 Admonition is like to be prejudicial to the party himself or some others, where the matter, whatever it may be, and the sinfulness thereof, with the aggravating circumstances attending it, is to be charged on his conscience in the sight of God, with due application of the word of God, which concerns his condition, thereby leading him to his duty and true reformation. That's a lengthier statement of what I've described as the verbal. Admonition, all right? And then he cites the text.

12:17 Secondly, suspension. And then it deals with suspension, this escalated level. But then thirdly, of excommunication. And then it's very interesting that when dealing with those who are the legitimate subjects of excommunication, he says that amongst the many disorders which church members may be guilty of, and for obstinate continuance therein a church may and ought to use the power that Christ has given to exclude them from her communion, that is one which is when a member doth seclude himself, and that not in any regular way, but contrary to all rule and order.

13:00 For when a church member, by reason of some offense he has taken at the church, or some members thereof, and has not done his duty according to the rule of the word, or else is dying away in religion, by one means or another, as by love of the world, change of condition, and marriage, or not having his expected preferment in the church, or the like, in other words, these are all the reasons why a man may just remove himself, as it were, excommunicate himself, the church, according to their duty, ought to use their endeavors to reclaim such.

13:34 Why can't you just leave the church peacefully and let people alone? The church is obligated to try to reclaim such people. Try to reclaim them. Which endeavors, if they prove fruitless and the party obstinate, the church ought not, to acquiesce in his irregular departure from them, as if all their bonds of relation and duty were over, and no more has to be done.

13:56 Seeing the party has usurped the power of the keys to himself. The church, therefore, must maintain the power that Christ has committed unto it, though it cannot hinder the inordinate and unruly passions of such a one, if God leads him to it. He will run away from the church, rending himself schismatically off, breaking through all order and covenant obligations, in opposition to brotherly endeavors to hinder him and to stay him in his place. The church is to proceed judicially to turn the key upon such a sinful, disorderly departure and publicly declare that such a one, by name, has been guilty of such a thing, naming his disorders, he is no longer in their communion, not under their watch and care, and that such a person is not to return to their communion, until he has given satisfaction to the church. Romans 16, 17. And then he goes on to give the biblical reasons.

14:58 Benjamin Griffith, the short treatise concerning a true and orderly gospel church. I don't know.

15:08 But you see the point he's making? It is not an act of aggregated bitterness to deal with people who leave a church for no good reason and leave in a disorderly way, leave, disaffected, and slander the church, its people, and its leaders. Benjamin Griffith says, it is part of the duty of a well-ordered church to deal with the keys of public discipline. This is no novel concept.

15:40 This is no extreme concept, brethren. We stand in the stream of the richest balanced statements on church discipline.

Warning 1: Beware of the Carnal Desire for a Detailed Manual

15:52 So there is the verbal, and there is, the social. Now then, let me give you, as the last unit of our time today, some necessary warnings with respect to the proper understanding and wise administration of corrective discipline. Isn't it nice you don't have to write all those words now? Poor Dave sits here having to fight a spirit of envy.

16:15 He had to write all this out. Large letter D. Large letter D. All right?

16:22 And I give, under this heading, brethren, five words that I have not found so much in books, but found in my own heart and in our labors over the years to seek to be biblical in the implementation of these matters, principles that we've come to by tears, by having to confess our sin on both sides of the coin. May the Lord help us in these things. First of all, beware of the carnal desire to have a detailed manual of corrective discipline. Now, that tendency and that desire is very natural,

17:02 but it's doomed to fail because none exist in the Bible. It is contrary to the genius of life in the new covenant in which God, having given us the spirit and the general principles of the word and enough specific case applications of those principles to furnish us unto every good work, we are not to be afraid to expect that anyone can give us in his constitution or church polity a detailed manual of all possible circumstances which warrant corrective discipline and what our actions ought to be in those circumstances. Durham, quoted in volume two of Bannerman, the Church of Christ, in a lengthy footnote on page 198 and 199, has a very, very perceptive and helpful, which I say has a very perceptive and helpful section. This is Durham now, of scandals as they are the object of church censures, is his treatise. And from that treatise, these words, the order and manner to be observed in the following of public scandals are not easily determinable. There being such a variety of cases in which the Lord exerciseth the prudence and wisdom of his church officers,

18:32 and indeed, the gift of government to speak so, doth especially kithe in the right managing of discipline in reference to the several humors and constitutions to say so which men have to do with. For as in bodily diseases, the same cure is not for the same disease in all constitutions and seasons, and as ministers in their doctrine are to press the same thing in diverse manners upon diverse listeners, so this cure of discipline is not to be equally applied unto all persons, nay, not to such as are in the same offenses. For that which would scarce humble one may crush another, and that which may edify one might be stumbling to another of another temper. Therefore we suppose there is no peremptory determining of rules for cases here, but necessarily the manner of procedure in the application of rules is to be left to the prudence and conscientiousness of church officers according to the particular circumstantiate case. When I speak of edifying, I do not speak of pleasing the persons, for that may often be destructive to them and others also. But this is intended, that it is to be weighed in Christian prudence, whether considering the time and place in which we live, and may be the case, the nature of the person we have to do with

20:01 and those among whom we live, it be more fit to follow this way with such a person at such a time or another way. And accordingly, as it seems probable that this way will honor God most, more fully vindicate His ordinances, gain the person from sin to holiness, or at least to a regular walk, and edify others most, so accordingly ought church judicatories to take that way which leads most probable to that end. You see how he included almost all the goals that I mentioned? And therefore it ought not always to be accounted partiality when such differences in church procedure is observed.

20:42 And brethren, we need that warning. Our flesh hates being shut up to God.

20:49 It hates that posture where we cry out with the King of old, Lord, we know not what to do, but our eyes are upon me. Brethren, that's where we were last night. Prostrate before God in the light of recent developments in our own assembly.

21:08 Lord, we know not what to do. Teach us. And in that posture, we cried. And in that posture, we sought.

21:17 And we wrestled. And we believe God's begun to give light. Someone has said, when statutory law has no wise judges to interpret and apply it, injustice always follows. When statutory, statutory law has no wise judges to interpret and apply it, injustice always follows.

21:44 You see, we cannot expect a detailed manual because the purposes are manifold. And in any given situation, certain of those purposes would be buried if we took a given course. For example, the situation that is before us, of which I'm sure a number of you are already aware, you will all, I'll be aware of it, God willing, by Lord's Day evening.

22:10 We said, if it were just a matter of having a congregation made up of strong, well-established Christians who know us all well, we would simply ignore this whole thing. It's so self-defeating.

22:24 Then we said, wait a minute. We've already gotten a call from some new weak believers who do not know us over the long haul. And they were shaken to their deaths. One of your number called me, saying you had to patch up a couple who was really shaken up.

22:40 So we began to ask ourselves, do we have some basic categories within the church? And we came up with three or four basic categories of our people. And we said, well, if it were just this category, we could ignore the whole thing. But now we've got this and this category.

22:56 If we ignore it, those sheep will be left vulnerable. And we must be prepared to spend and be spent for the sake of those sheep. Now, how can we minister to those sheep without, in any way, being an occasion of stumbling on the one hand or leaving them unnecessarily vulnerable to the influence of evil men on the other? And we were weighing all of these things.

23:20 The purity of the church, the fear, the edification of the church. You're juggling all of these balls continually as you're praying and wrestling. And when you begin to zero in on one, then one of the brethren says, yes, but how will that affect this segment over here? Ah, yes.

23:37 That's right. Because of this and this. Then that moderates this. And so you're wrestling through.

23:43 And there's no manual. Because every situation has its own custom-made ingredients. And therefore, brethren, as much as I would love to have one, and you will love to have one, beware of that carnal desire to have a detailed manual of corrective discipline. Secondly,

Warning 2: Beware of Unbiblical Extremes (Laxity and Severity)

24:03 beware of the carnal tendency to unbiblical extremes and to the unbiblical extremes in the administration of corrective discipline. Beware of the carnal tendency to unbiblical extremes in the administration of corrective discipline. Imbalance is native to our judgment since the fall. And, and imbalance is native to our remaining corruption even if regenerate men.

24:34 And it's only a careful walk before God, a constant examination of the world, a word in our own hearts that will keep us from these extremes. The history of the church is a sad commentary upon them, and they can be seen in two opposite directions. On the one hand, carnal laxity, and on the other hand, carnal severity.

24:59 Carnal laxity. That's what was the problem at Corinth. They apparently were actually boasting that they could maintain a patently immoral man in their midst. And usually in a soft age with low standards of piety or as a reaction against a harsh, unfeeling, overkill, disciplinary practice, people drift into carnal laxity.

25:29 How often have I had to deal with men who have found it difficult to be faithful in the use of the rod because they were cruelly, unprinciply beaten by their fathers as a child. And the very thought of an instrument of punishment in the hand of a father conjures up such emotional and psychological negativism they can barely bring themselves to lay their hand, let alone a belt or a paddle, on the behind of their own children. And it's a reaction that's understandable, but as that godly father must say, Lord, sort out all of my emotional and psychological quirks and hang-ups and rivet my soul and my soul and my psyche to your word and to the principles particularly of the book of Proverbs. Subdue that carnal laxity that has been woven into the texture of my psyche.

26:25 On the other hand, someone who was indulged and has to unpack all the baggage of being indulged and sees that foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child, a rod of correction drives it far from him. He said, my kids are never going to have the problems I did. And so he becomes unprincipled unprincipled and unthinking and unprayerful. He picks up the rod for everything.

26:47 He forgets that it says, fathers, nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord. All he sees is chastening. And he's whomping from day till night. And he said, my kids are not going to turn out like I.

26:59 So he goes into carnal severity. Well, what is true with parents is true with churches, is true with Christ overseers. And just as surely as we see the example of carnal severity, carnal laxity at Corinth, we see carnal severity in that evil man, Diotrephes, who made his own will the standard by which men would be admitted and excluded from the church. And John deals very severely with him.

27:30 And brethren, I plead with you to cry to God that as you enter upon anything that has to do with corrective or radical church discipline, that you cry to the Lord in your own heart among your fellow overseers. Lord, keep us from all of our native built-in tendencies either to laxity on the one hand, severity on the other, and enable us to walk the razor's edge of biblically balanced discipline. Now listen carefully as I quote, I don't know who stated this, but it's so perceptive. Persons who have embraced sentiments which are not which afterward appear to them erroneous often think they can never remove too far from them and the more remote they go from their former opinions, the nearer they come to truth.

28:27 See what he's saying? Here's someone who's been an Arminian all his life. I mean a real Arminian. Thought that, or maybe a semi-Pelagian, that man had inherent ability to believe, a semi-Pelagian, alright?

28:40 He sees his heirs, salvations, all of grace, and any terminology except for the word accepting Christ, receiving Christ, even though you may find some terminology in the Bible as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord. He's determined. He's going to remove that and the further he gets in that, the nearer he is to truth and before he lost, he's a full-blown hyper-Calvinist. Scared to death to give any impression whatsoever that maybe Christ died for anyone other than his elect and he gets more fastidious in the Bible.

29:09 He comes to text where it says the Lamb of God who takes away the sin and he swallows. He can't say, takes away the sin of the world. Someone will think I'm an Arminian, see? That's what happens.

29:22 And the further he gets away from his former heirs, the nearer he thinks he's coming to truth. But what is really happening is he's moving further and further away from the inherent tensions of truth of which you hear much in this place. Well, the same is true with this matter of discipline. If you've had an experience where there's been laxity, you will be tempted to go to carnal severity.

29:45 If you've been in a context where there was carnal severity, you will be tempted to get further and further away from that into what you think is balance, but which will indeed be carnal laxity. Listen to Mather again. Volume 2, page 230 in the section on church polity. That's Mather's Magnolia Christia Maricana, The Great Works of Christ in America.

30:15 In the section, Dealing with an Offender, great cares to be taken that we be neither over-strict or rigorous, nor too indulgent or remiss. Our proceedings ought to be with a spirit of meekness, considering ourselves lest we be tempted, and that the best of us have need of much forgiveness from the Lord. Yet, the winning and healing of the offender's soul being the end of these endeavors, we must not daub with untempered mortar, nor heal the wounds of our brethren slightly. And some have compassion, others save with fear.

30:51 And there he's quoting, of course, Jude, verse 23. So, brethren, I urge you, beware of the carnal tendency to unbiblical extremes. Now, don't let people decide and determine what extremes are. Let the word of God determine it.

31:09 In our day, to reprove someone before others would be considered extreme, even though the Bible says to do it. To avoid and shun people by public pronouncement is considered by some extreme, but the Bible doesn't. So make sure that your standard of extreme is drawn from the word of God. Your standard of laxity and severity is drawn from the word.

Warning 3: Beware of Artificial and Arbitrary Categories of Sins

31:33 Thirdly, beware of the tendency to make artificial and arbitrary categories of sins with respect to corrected discipline. And here, brethren, I urge you to hear me carefully. Left to ourselves, we are Pharisees and Romanists. We'll have our categories of sins.

31:54 Now, the Bible does have certain categories. There are certain sins that it lists and says. Anyone found in these sins, to any degree as a pattern, we have no reason to regard them as being in a state of grace. 1 Corinthians 5, 9-11.

32:10 There, it's very clear. If any man named a brother be fornicator, covetous, idolater, reviler, drunkard, extortioner, don't eat with him. Why? Because he's self-deceived.

32:20 Calls himself a brother. But, according to chapter 6, verses 9-11, such people shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Know ye not the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived.

32:31 Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. Now, the Bible does make a distinction. It says that, anything that can be legitimately described as a pattern of behavior in those categories is antithetical to being a child of God. And therefore, to excommunicate such, to keep them out of the church, that is clear.

33:07 Galatians 5, 19-21. The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these. Now the list gets expanded a little bit. And in the midst of them, you read such things, to make sure I don't omit any, let me turn to the passage with you.

33:20 Galatians 5, 19-21. Galatians 5, 19-21. Galatians 5, 19-21. Galatians 5, 19-21.

33:21 Galatians 5, 19-21.

33:25 Works of the flesh are manifest. What are they?

33:30 Fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorceries, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revelings, and he said, I haven't completed the list, and such like. Of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Anything that can in the judgment of good sense be called a pattern of any one or combination of these things is inconsistent with a man being an heir of the kingdom. And therefore, the church must deal with such and make sure that they do not maintain a status as members in good standing. And surely as we would not leave our membership open to a crisis to a chronic drunkard, to a chronic fornicator, neither must we to a chronically strife-producing, jealous, wrathful person.

34:37 My Bible says anything that says that. So beware of making distinctions that the Bible does not make. And it's interesting in the Matthew 18.15 passage, no sin is listed.

34:52 It simply says, if thy brother sin or sin against me, tell him his fault, and he will if he hear thee thou hast gained him. Obviously, it was not a scandalous open sin. It's dealt with privately because it's a private offense. But isn't it interesting that the excommunication then occurs regardless of what the offense is because the man is determined to persist in a way of known disobedience to the law of God.

35:19 And no category is given.

35:23 I don't find any in the passage. It just clearly must be sin. Not some thing that you don't particularly like. Not an area of legitimate liberty.

35:33 But real sin. And if he's determined to persist in that sin, then the church is to deal with him. Now I read from Kuyper's Glorious Body of Christ.

35:49 Pages 3.11 over to page 3.12. He speaks of the wholesome operation of church discipline.

35:59 Those churches which still exercise some discipline today are ordinarily much less concerned about the beliefs of their member than about their behavior. This is a grave mistake. And then he deals with the necessity of disciplining error and errorists. He says the Roman Catholic Church makes a sharp distinction between venial and mortal sins.

36:21 Many Protestants too presume to be able to tell which sins are great and which are small. The notion has become prevalent that the church properly resorts to discipline listen carefully now if one of its members holds up a bank or commits premeditated murder but not if he occasionally or even frequently tells a lie. Those who make such distinctions are treading on dangerous ground. Every sin is heinous and while there are more heinous and less heinous sins God's judgment of that matter may differ widely from ours.

36:53 God is not influenced as we are by traditions and popular prejudices. The eighth commandment forbids stealing and the ninth forbids the bearing of false witness. What right has anyone to take the ninth less seriously than the eighth? It follows that in the exercise of discipline the church must take into account not only the seriousness of the offense committed but also and especially the attitude of the offender toward his sin.

37:19 If the murderer gives evidence of heartfelt repentance he can be dealt with gently. If the slanderer gives no evidence of sorrow but hardens his heart excommunication may be in order.

Warning 4: Beware of Insulating Discipline from Corporate Context

37:34 End quote. R.B. Piper Now having given the first three warnings with respect to the proper understanding and wise administration of corrective discipline we come now to consider the fourth of these warnings and as it is worded in your notes before you it is this beware of the tendency to insulate the issues of corrective discipline from their corporate context.

38:03 Now let me explain what I mean by that warning. You may be in the situation where you are dealing with a particular individual who has fallen into a particular sin or pattern of sin that demands that the first levels of church discipline be investigated and perhaps even implemented and at the level of getting all of the facts it is primarily an individual matter between you as an elder or you and your fellow elders and the particular brother or sister who has fallen into this particular sin. However in considering his or her individual sin we must never separate that sin from the context in which it was committed. That is it was committed by someone who was a member of the body of Christ by someone who may sustain a relationship to husband or wife and to children. It may be that in a particular way there was some aggravation of this sin in relationship to another individual in the church and our tendency is in our desire to minister biblically and compassionately to the individual at times to forget that if we are to deal responsibly with the individual we must not deal with him as though he were isolated from these other relationships

39:32 with the individual in which that particular sin was committed. For example there have been times when we have dealt with a given individual who was married in such a way that differed from the way we would deal in a parallel situation were it a single person and the primary reason has been that the shame that would come to the other members of the family was a mitigating circumstance and caused us to take a different tack in the process and in a precise manner in which the sin was dealt with. And so I give this cautionary word beware of the tendency to insulate the issues of corrective discipline from their corporate context and though there are no specific rules there are principles from the word of God that must guide us when we come to actually deal with such situations. And then we come to the fifth and final warning with reference to the administration of corrective or radical church discipline and it is this. Beware of administering corrective discipline apart from the required attendant attitudes and activities. It is in the setting of discipline that the promises regarding God's answering the agreed symphony of prayer

Warning 5: Beware of Administering Discipline Apart from Required Attitudes and Activities

40:59 of his people is given to us in Matthew chapter 8. And here as in so many other areas Owen is of great help in volume 16 of his works in which he is dealing with the whole subject of excommunication. Owen writes as follows again the manner of its administration that is the administration of church discipline according to the mind of Christ may be considered and here unto are required and then Owen lists three things that must accompany the exercise of church discipline if that discipline is indeed to have both the authority and the blessing of Christ attending it. He lists in these three things first of all prayer. Quoting now on page 169 of volume 16 prayer without which it can no way be administered in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The administration of any sort of prayer solemn ordinance of the gospel without prayer is a horrible profanation of it and the neglect or contempt hereof in any who take upon them to excommunicate others is an open proclamation of the nullity of their act and sentence.

42:22 Continuing under this heading he says wherefore when our Lord Jesus Christ gives unto his church the power of binding and loosing directing them in the exercise of that power he directs them to ask assistance by prayer when they are gathered together Matthew 18 18 to 20 and the apostle directs the church of Corinth that they should proceed unto this sentence when they were gathered together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Corinthians 5 4 which could not be without calling on his name. In brief without prayer neither is the ordinance itself sanctified unto the church nor are any meet to administer it nor is the authority of Christ either owned or engaged nor divine assistance obtained neither is what is done any more excommunication than any rash curse is so that many such proceed inordinately out of the mouths of men and then over to the church of Corinth and goes on to enlarge upon the substance of the prayer that should attend all correct implementation of discipline but then he goes on to say that secondly the required attendant activity should be that of lamentation

43:50 or of mourning quoting now page 170 so the apostle reproving the church of Corinth for the omission of it when it was necessary tells them that they had not mourned that the offender might be taken away from among them 1 Corinthians 5 2 it is not to be done without mourning and then he goes on to enlarge bringing other scriptural data to underscore this second necessary attendant and then the third necessary attendant is what Owen calls a due sense of the future judgment of Christ for we herein judge for Christ in the matters of his house and of his kingdom and woe to them who dare pronounce this sentence that is the sentence of excommunication without a persuasion on good grounds that it is the sentence of Christ himself and there is a representation also in it of the future judgment when Christ will eternally cut off and separate from himself all hypocrites and all and impenitent sinners and so we have these five basic warnings with respect to the administration of church discipline and in concluding our consideration of this very sobering but vital theme

45:19 let me state one final word and that is this as in the administration of civil law so in the administration of the censures of the church mistakes will be made there are times when fallible men will make wrong judgments but if as in the civil court the fear of making a wrong judgment paralyzes those involved from ever making any judgment then there is a complete relinquishment of the very institutions ordained of God on the one hand the civil governor who is instituted of God to punish evil and the institution of church discipline which is given not only for the punishment and the restoration of an offender but as we have seen in our previous lecture has other manifold purposes in the will and plan of God and perhaps I can do no better than conclude this observation by quoting from volume two of Bannerman's work on the church of Christ where recognizing this possibility Bannerman writes on page 195 and over onto 196 as follows in the case of the key of discipline the office and duty of the church are simply ministerial having power to admit

46:47 or to exclude from the outward privileges of the Christian society according as it believes that Christ in his word has admitted or excluded but having no power itself to open or shut the door of the invisible church or to give or withhold admission to the favor of God in these respects the right of discipline exercised by the church is limited by the authority of Christ as the source of it in pronouncing absolution or condemnation the church is simply declaring the sentence of Christ in the matter according to its own interpretation of that sentence it has no independent or misinterpreted authority to absolve from guilt or to condemn to future punishment and then he goes on to say that if a church has acted wrongly but in good faith there is no ratification of that action by God himself but that the church must act with the light that it has in prayerful dependence upon God and there is always open to us as the people of God the possibility of God of acknowledging that as a church and as office bearers we have erred and then to seek the forgiveness of those whom we have wrongly judged for the church to reverse its public censures or even

48:16 its act of excommunication and so let us never allow the fear of a wrong judgment so to paralyze us that we will not proceed in obedience to the word of God with the light that God has given us rather let us pray in the biblical perspectives let us seek to receive and constantly be exposed to the wise counselors of the past and of the present and then in dependence of the spirit of Christ proceed so that we