The Old Testament strictly forbad the removal of landmarks which they of old time had set. In principle this applies to the spiritual landmarks God has set in the New Testament. Setting aside the word of the New Testament in any manner or degree constitutes removal of divine landmarks, and is forbidden. (See Gal. 1:6-11; 3:15; 2 John 9-11). No right thinking Christian would advocate omitting baptism from the Scheme of Redemption, yet other items of equal importance are readily ignored. One of them is church discipline.’
Discipline means: “To educate, train, and develop church members. To correct evil, to punish.” There is a great lack of discipline in the Lord’s church today. Why not practice it more? Or, at all? Some are afraid in view of a possible law suit. This should not be, for God’s law is always above the law of the land. So many are the excuses no attempt will be made to list them. If it were practiced as the Bible requires, the church would grow spiritually and numerically and the church would command the respect of outsiders.
Discipline is needed in the church, home, school and State, otherwise anarchy will prevail and confusion result. The purpose of church discipline is to save the individual, not harm (1 Cor. 5:6). God wants a pure church, and that is what He plans to take home to glory (Eph. 5:25-27; 2 Cor. 11:2-3).
Once Alexander Campbell is said to have hired a husbandman to prune his vineyard. When the work was done, Campbell thought the man had ruined it, for he cut it down almost to the ground. But as it turned out he had the best crop of grapes ever. J. D. Tant once reported a good gospel meeting. When asked how many baptisms he had, he replied, “None. We had twenty (or so) withdrawals.” It never has hurt to trim the dead and diseased branches from a tree.
1. God’s Discipline. God is a God of mercy, but also a God of wrath. He desires that all should be obedient and thereby receive His blessings. Hebrews 12:5-9 teaches that God chastens whom He loves. So Paul says, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord.” Romans 1:24-28 shows that God gave up three times on the Gentiles, and chapter two says the Jews were guilty of the same sins. There are many examples of God’s punitive discipline in the Old Testament.
Because Cain perverted God’s plan for worship, and then added to his sin by killing Abel, God drove him out and he went to the land of Nod. Cain said his punishment was more than he could bear (Gen. 4:13-16). In the days of Noah, the human race became so corrupt God determined to destroy everything wherein was the breath of life (Genesis Chapter 6). Sodom and Gomorrah became so wicked that God destroyed the cities and all therein (Gen. 19). Second Samuel six gives the record of one Uzzah who violated a positive command of God by touching the Ark of the Covenant. God killed him on the spot. He was honest and his heart was right, but God said: “Neither shall ye touch it lest ye die.”
Do not forget Adam and Eve, who were cast out of the Garden of Eden for eating the forbidden fruit. Uzziah the king presumed to burn incense, which was the duty of the priests, and while he was wroth with them, the leprosy rose up in his forehead (2 Chron. 26:18-19). The rebellious nation of Israel died In the wilderness wanderings, and we are warned not to sin in like manner (Heb. 3:7-4:1). When Ananias and Sapphira misrepresented their giving and thereby lied to the Holy Spirit, their lives were forfeited immediately (Acts 5). The list could be expanded.
2. Different Kinds of Offenses. There are sins that one may commit which are known to himself and God alone. It is not required that these be publicly confessed, but should be repented of and confessed to God. To make such known publicly may do more harm than good, for some people are unwilling to forgive and forget, as God does. When one individual sins against another, let the two solve that, and the offender be forgiven (Matt. 18:15- 18; Luke 17:1-4; Mark 11:24-25). When a sin is made public and is generally known so as to bring reflection upon the church and the gospel, it should be publicly acknowledged and prayers of the saints requested (1 Cor. 10:32; James 5:16-20).
3. Who Should Be Disciplined? Please note carefully: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from EVERY brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition received of us” (2 Thes. 3:6). Observe that this is a command, not something one may do or-leave undone, any more than he can baptism, the Lord’s supper, Godly living, or any other thing that pertains to the will of Christ. It is to be done in the name, by the authority of Christ, and is commanded through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to disrespect this command, and not keep it, is to reject the authority of the Godhead Three (Matt. 10:40; Luke 10:16; Acts 3:22-23; John 12:48-50).
There are various sins that may be classed as disorderly, and which are often ignored by the saints in general, and especially by those who should take the lead in discipline, about which more may be written later. Occasionally one finds those in the leadership advocating social drinking of alcoholic beverages. This is a sin that should not be condoned by any, others may participate in licentious activities. There was one who committed adultery by taking his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5). Paul said to withdraw from him. Sometimes a wife may leave her husband and “shack up” with another man, living openly in adultery and no action be taken by the church, though she supposedly is a member. The same is true when a man leaves his wife and commits the same act. Or, one may turn to the other types of sinful conduct, man with man, or woman with woman. Most of the time this is ignored. Such is a rejection of the instructions in the word of God. Let it be forcefully impressed that God has not given any unnecessary commands, and his commands are not grievous (1 John 5:3). Indeed, they are not designed to produce grief, except such as may cause one to grieve over his sins and be brought to repentance to the saving of his soul (2 Cor. 7:7-12). (This topic will be continued next week, Lord willing).
-Roy J. Hearn (deceased)
0 Comments