Church Discipline – Matthew 18:15-18

Church discipline is a serious topic for the church. It is necessary though unpleasant. God disciplines us in our own personal lives and also has means of discipline in the church. Although we might not want to talk about it, discipline is still part of the gospel and God loves the church so He disciplines the sinner for the church’s sake.

Matthew 18:15-18 is Jesus’ strategy for dealing with tough situations – a sinning brother or sister. We also desire to deal with discipline purely from the word of God and not based on our personal feelings or emotions. God disciplines the sinner, we are merely the means God uses as we obey His word.

Some context for church discipline:

1. God is love and God is just. Often when it comes to a sinning brother we only apply love. We misapply Matthew 18:12 and think only positivity must be shown for the lost sheep. But God is also just and it is because he loves as well as just He wants to discipline His church.
2. Discipline is under discipleship. Discipleship has two sides, one which is instructional (formal) and the other is corrective. We normally instruct and teach but there are times when correction is necessary. Jesus corrects and disciplines out of love for the church (Hebrews 12:6).
3. When someone is in sin we should not be quiet but speak out in love. Church discipline is not excommunication. Excommunication is only the final step if there is no repentance. God is constantly disciplining, using his rod and staff lovingly like a shepherd leading sheep (Psalm 23).
4. Church discipline begins with the gospel. The gospel is not just for the moment of conversion but it should be continually conveyed to every believer every day. It is because the gospel is powerful and can change a person. The gospel must continually grow in our lives. Through the gospel working in our hearts we deny ourselves and follow Jesus Christ. The gospel message, its sanctifying power and call to repentance is the starting point of church discipline.
5. The basis of church discipline comes from the authority of Scripture. Discipline is not determined by a person’s rights or authoritative position but because the Bible dictates. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 says if a person is in sin then there can be no true fellowship. They might attend worship but no true fellowship. Hence the term excommunicated which means no communion. The Bible says it is the process of discipline that restores fellowship in the church. Christian’s are a new creature in Christ and serve as ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, 20). This role applies to one another. When a brother is in sin then we must speak God’s word and be the voice of Christ to our fellow brother or sister, like Peter correcting Simon (Acts 8:20-23).
6. Jesus is the head of the church (Matthew 16:18-19) and he gives the church the power to say who belongs to the church (Matthew 18:18). For the New Testament church, we are here to preach the gospel, baptize those who repent, remember the Lord’s supper and lastly practice self discipline. We are not just here to receive new believers but to love and keep current believers and call out those who are disobedient (3 John 1:9). The apostles practiced a lot of church discipline, especially in the Corinthian church

What is biblical church membership?

Church membership doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you are saved but it does mean you are regarded as such. A true member of the church has repented and trusted in Jesus Christ. They confess Jesus Christ and call upon the name of the Lord wherever they are and wherever they go (1 Corinthians 1:2). Simply, a true Christian is a true member of Christ’s church. Church membership pertains to a local church. Biblical local church membership is like a covenant with its blessing and responsibilities. Membership includes accountability to Jesus, the leadership of the church, and to its fellow members.

A Christian is to be the salt and light of the earth. Yes, we are not perfect but we are pursuing sanctification. We strive, struggle, repent and pray to the Lord to be saltier and shine more brightly. Yet the reason why the church is called hypocritical these days is that we have failed and we have not held accountable those who are disobedient and unfaithful. This is why we need discipline. Jesus says, ‘If your brother sins, go show them their sin in private’. This doesn’t mean every single little sin. However, we want our fellow brethren to follow and represent Christ rightly.

When a believer is in sin for a long time, they are not following or representing Christ rightly. A person’s absence from the church is an example. They might have left for another church but that is not an excuse from the covenant of membership. There are only a few reasons to leave a church and break membership, the main reason being a false gospel and false doctrine. The church is different from the world and its organizations, the church is easy to enter but difficult to leave.

This is the purpose of church discipline: to restore and show love (Matthew 18:15). Church discipline repairs the fellowship, keeps its members in the flock, and sanctifies the church. The process of church discipline is a compassionate warning to show a fellow brother or sister their sin and to call them to repentance. No one loves to be shown their sin so the process of discipline is unpleasant but the result is wonderful. The goal is to bring them back to Christ! Jesus gave his life for the disobedient Christian and so in His love, Jesus tells the church to discipline the sinner so that they may be restored to Him (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 13:6). Though unpleasant, discipline must be carried out with valor, courage, kindness, and compassion.

If the person refuses to repent or reconcile; they claim they found another church. What can we do? We must do what the Lord commands. We must excommunicate with the hope that the person would eventually be restored (1 Corinthians 5:5). Always, the hope through discipline is repentance and reconciliation. While church discipline is necessary, our prayer is that we love one another and encourage one another to live faithfully for the Lord, so that church discipline might not be necessary (Galatians 6:1).