CHURCH DISCIPLINE

By Edgar J. Dye

A STUDY OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE Edgar J. Dye

LESSON #1

  1. Introduction.
  2. Church discipline is a NT doctrine, a command of God.

LESSON #2 God’s requirement of discipline and His dealing with the disobedient in the past. LESSON #3 What does discipline mean? LESSON #4 Who is responsible for the action to be taken in matters of church discipline? LESSON #5 Who should receive corrective disciplinary action in and by the local church? Or, from whom is fellowship to be withdrawn?

LESSON #6 What is the design or purpose of church discipline? LESSON #7 How should corrective discipline be carried out? LESSON #8 How the disfellowshipped should be treated and what attitude should the faithful have toward them? Or, what withdrawing means from a practical standpoint.

LESSON #9 Objections to disfellowshipping considered (#1). LESSON #10 Objections to disfellowshipping considered (#2). LESSON #11 Why is the plain Bible teaching on discipline neglected? LESSON #12 Withdrawing fellowship is effective when done as God directs. LESSON #13 Withdrawing from the withdrawn (further considered).

A STUDY OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE

Edgar J. Dye

Lesson #1

I. INTRODUCTION

  1. A word of advice and caution from J.D. Tant, Ancient Landmarks, Vol. XI, No. 4, April, 1976 is in order to start: “It is no accident that we are depicted as ‘the family of God.’ We are spiritually brothers and sisters in the household of God, sharing ‘the father of Spirits’ and an elder brother. This is no superficial relationship of people who get together on Sundays for a good time. God decreed that these ties of the spirit family are deeper even than the cherished, but fleshly, parent-child relationship (Mt. 10:34-39). But in order to have such family solidarity, there must be discipline. To have the unifying love at the expense of purity in faith an life is an exercise in selfdestruction. The forces of love and discipline are not mutually antagonistic, but are rather complementary. When you think of the environment of the physical family, you understand that where either of these elements is missing you have a flawed structure. So it is with the Lord’s family - the church.”But we have extremists on two fronts who seemingly stress one almost to the exclusion of the other. Some cry for love, tolerance, fellowship and brotherhood, stressing unity no matter how deviant in life or doctrine one may become. On the other hand are the professional purifiers who go from place to place and person to person seeking witches whom they may condemn to the flames ignited within their own crucibles of self-righteous indignation. ‘Party-line-pronouncements’ thus become the standard of measurement. Must we have one without the other? We encourage parents to strike a happy balance within the family sphere so that firm discipline and loving acceptance can work together in bringing children to fruitful maturity. That fruitful maturity is the same goal we have for the spiritual man, and the Bible teaches the same recipe of firm discipline coupled with loving obedience. “In fact, these two cannot properly exist without one another. Separation, discipline, is good and proper, but when it is separated from the motivation of love, it deteriorates into the works of true flesh – ‘factions, divisions, parties.’ And while unity is most desired, there is that which is worse than division -unity and compromise with error either in faith or morals. Balance is needed, and God’s word certainly gives the formula for success.”
  2. Two extremes are encountered in the matter of church discipline: 1. misuse (abuse), and 2. non-use (abandonment). We must avoid both like the plague.
  3. “Some brethren have an attitude toward sin in the congregation about like the woman who was so ‘patient’ with her little boy she let him run the visiting preacher out of two chairs and throw a fit when he didn’t move from the third. Such ‘looking in the other direction’ does about as much good as ignoring cancer and hoping it will go away.” -Keith Sharp
  4. If we had the faith and the moral courage (backbone) to stand against sin in the church and uphold the preaching of church discipline, many more would “fear,” and in that fear, return to the Lord. For preaching, practicing and applying God’s word will produce fear in the hearts of all who are desirous of doing his will (Ac. 5:11; 1 Tim. 5:20).
  5. In all matters of faith, church discipline included, we must recognize the Bible as the one and only complete guide for serving God. We have no right to either add to it or take from it; nor do we have the right to either ignore or reject any N.T. directive.
  6. Given enough time (Heb. $5: 12$ ) we should learn and grow to enough spiritual maturity to take our stand on church discipline as we have on baptism for the remission of sins, etc.
  7. We strive to do this because of a love of truth and righteousness and because of the alternative if we don’t have this attitude and determination (2 Jn. 9).