Church Discipline and Pastoral Rule (Part 3)

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Church Discipline and Pastoral Rule (Part 3)

I.       Sins that merit church discipline

1. The sins listed in 1Co 5:11 call for church exclusion (see Section VI).
   1. These sins include: fornication, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, extortion.
   2. Therefore, a man that is commonly known to have committed a sin listed in this verse will be put out of the local church.
2. The sinners listed in 1Co 6:9-10 “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
   1. These sinners include: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate (men who act like women, transgenders, cross-dressers), abusers of themselves with mankind (sodomites), thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners.
   2. The kingdom of God is the local church (see Section V).
   3. Therefore, a man that is commonly known to be such a sinner listed in these verses will lose his inheritance in the kingdom of God by being put out of the local church.
3. Those that commit sins listed in Gal 5:19-21 “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
   1. These sins include: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, sedition, heresy, envy, murder, drunkenness, and reveling.
   2. The kingdom of God is the local church (see Section V).
   3. Therefore, a man that is commonly known to have committed a sin listed in these verses will lose his inheritance in the kingdom of God by being put out of the local church.
4. None of those that commit sins listed in Eph 5:3-5 “hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
   1. These sins include: fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting, whoremongering, and idolatry.
   2. The kingdom of God is the local church (see Section V).
   3. Therefore, those who commit such sins have no place in the church and will be put out of it.
   4. The use of the word “hath” in Eph 5:5 shows that God has already disinherited these sinners of His kingdom.
      1. Such sinners hath (present tense) no inheritance in the kingdom of God.
      2. When the church excludes a sinner from their number they are simply reacting to what God has already done.
      3. Those that go out from the church were not truly of the church before they went out (1Jo 2:19).
         1. They could have been of the church at one time and then fell way prior to being excluded.
         2. They also may never have truly been part of it, but just chaff among the wheat and goats/wolves among the sheep (Mat 7:15; 2Co 11:13-15; Gal 2:4; Jud 1:4).
   5. Therefore, a man that is commonly known to have committed a sin listed in these verses will lose his inheritance in the kingdom of God by being put out of the local church.
5. Those that commit the sins listed in Rom 1:29-31 are worthy of death (Rom 1:32).
   1. These sins include: unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperering, backbiting, hating God, despitefulness, pride, boasting, inventing evil things, disobeying parents, being without understanding, covenant breaking, being without natural affection, implacability, and unmercifulness.
   2. A sinner will not be physically put to death by the church (2Co 10:3-5).
   3. But a brother will experience a death to fellowship in the church if he commits such sins (1Co 5:5; 1Jo 5:16; Luk 15:24; Rom 11:17 c/w Rom 11:15; Rev 3:1; Jam 5:19-20).
6. The sinners in 1Ti 6:3-5 are to be withdrawn from (1Ti 6:5).
   1. Those sins include: pride, envy, strife, railing, evil surmising, perverse disputing, and supposing that gain is godliness.
   2. The church must withdraw fellowship from such people who are commonly known to have committed these sins.
7. The sinners in 2Ti 3:1-5 are to be turned away from (2Ti 3:5).
   1. These sinners include those who are lovers of their own selves and are covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, and have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.
   2. The church must turn away from such people who are commonly known to have committed these sins.
   3. As we draw toward the end of time, such sinners will become more commonplace (2Ti 3:1).
8. Such like things (Gal 5:21).
   1. Such-like – A. Of such a kind; of the like or a similar kind; of the before-mentioned sort or character.
   2. Any sin that is similar to any of the sins in the lists of excludable offences will be met with church discipline.
   3. Therefore, getting high by smoking marijuana or other mind-altering drugs is an excludable offence because it is a sin “such like” drunkenness.
   4. Therefore, for women to dress, wear their hair, or act like men is an excludable offence because these are sins “such like” effeminacy.
   5. Therefore, bestiality, necrophilia, pedophilia, etc. are excludable offences because they are sexual sins “such like” fornication and sodomy.
9. Not providing for oneself or one’s family
   1. If a man provides not for himself, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel (1Ti 5:8).
      1. Infidel – 1. One who does not believe in (what the speaker holds to be) the true religion; an ‘unbeliever’.
      2. The church must not be yoked with unbelievers (2Co 6:14).
      3. Therefore, the church must not be yoked with those who don’t provide for their own.
   2. The church must withdraw from a brother who doesn’t work when he can and should (2Th 3:6-14).
   3. If a person will not work when he can, he should not eat (2Th 3:10).
   4. The church must withdraw from such a man and have no company with him (2Th 3:6, 14).
   5. Those that are commonly known to not work and provide for themselves when they can and should will be put out of the church.
10. Not keeping apostolic traditions given in the word of God (2Th 3:6, 14)
    1. The church must withdraw from those who don’t walk after the traditions that were given in the scriptures by the apostles.
    2. Tradition – 1. The action of handing over (something material) to another; delivery, transfer. 3. a. Delivery, esp. oral delivery, of information or instruction.
    3. Apostolic traditions and instructions that were delivered to the churches in the scriptures include:
       1. Assembling with the church
          1. Assembling as a church for worship is an apostolic tradition.
          2. Church members must not forsake assembling with the church for worship (Heb 10:25).
          3. Forsake – 1. trans. To deny (an accusation, an alleged fact, etc.). Obs. c. To deny, renounce, or repudiate allegiance to (God, a lord, etc.). 4. To abandon, leave entirely, withdraw from; esp. to withdraw one’s presence and help or companionship from; to desert.
          4. A church member is free to move his membership to another church.
             1. This is not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
             2. It would only become an excludable offense if the member stopped attending church and did not join another true church.
          5. Those that are commonly known to forsake assembling with the church will be put out of the church.
       2. Keeping the ordinance of communion
          1. Observing communion is an apostolic tradition that Paul delivered to the churches (1Co 11:23-26 c/w 1Co 4:17).
          2. Church members are commanded (“this do”) to partake of communion with the church (Luk 22:19).
          3. Those that are commonly known to refuse to partake of communion with the church will be put out of the church.
       3. Keeping the ordinance of feetwashing
          1. Feetwashing is an apostolic tradition.
             1. Jesus commanded the church to wash each other’s feet (Joh 13:14-17).
             2. Washing the saints’ feet is an ordinance that is to be kept in the church (1Ti 5:10).
          2. Those that are commonly known to refuse to wash the saints’ feet will be put out of the church.
11. Disorderly conduct (2Th 3:6)
    1. Those who are commonly known to act disorderly, whether in the church assembly or outside of it, must be withdrawn from by the church.
    2. Disorderly adv. – 1. Without order or regular arrangement; confusedly, irregularly; in disorder or confusion. 2. Not according to order or rule; in a lawless or unruly way; tumultuously, riotously. (The OED cites 2Th 3:6 for definition #2.)
    3. Church members who act lawlessly, unruly, tumultuously, or riotously will be excluded from the church.
12. Not accepting the church’s judgment in a case of offense (Mat 18:15-17)
    1. In Mat 18:15-17, Jesus gave instruction on the Biblical way to deal with an offence that is private in nature between two brethren and which is not an excludable offence.
       1. Note: If the offence was an excludable offence (ex.: a brother suspects another brother of committing adultery with his wife), the Matthew 18 procedure would have to stop short of being taken before the church because if the church would determine that he was guilty, he could not then choose to hear the church and be reconciled to his brother, but would have to be excluded.
       2. Though an offence that is dealt with in the “Matthew 18” manner is not an excludable offence in itself, it can end up in church exclusion if carried out in its entirety.
    2. The method of Mat 18:15-17
       1. Step 1 (Mat 18:15)
          1. Brother A is offended by Brother B.
          2. Brother A goes to Brother B privately and tells him that he was offended by him.
          3. If Brother B hears Brother A and repents and apologizes, the problem is resolved and no further action needs to, nor should be, taken.
          4. If Brother B doesn’t hear Brother A, then Brother A has two choices:
             1. Drop the matter and forget about it.
             2. Proceed to Step 2.
       2. Step 2 (Mat 18:16)
          1. Brother A brings one or two witnesses to be impartial judges of the matter and once again confronts Brother B.
          2. If the witnesses agree that Brother A is in right, then Brother A and they tell Brother B that he is at fault.
          3. If Brother B hears them and repents and apologizes, the problem is resolved and no further action needs to, nor should be, taken.
          4. If Brother B doesn’t hear them, then Brother A has two choices:
             1. Drop the matter and forget about it.
             2. Proceed to Step 3.
       3. Step 3 (Mat 18:17)
          1. Brother A brings the matter before the church and once again confronts Brother B.
          2. If the church agrees that Brother A is in right, then they tell Brother B that he is at fault.
          3. If Brother B hears the church and repents and apologizes, the problem is resolved and no further action needs to, nor should be, taken.
          4. If Brother B doesn’t hear the church, then he must be excluded from the church for being implacable (Rom 1:31) and for being at variance (Gal 5:20) with the church and be unto the church as a heathen man and a publican (a sinner outside the church).
          5. If the church determines that the Brother B is not guilty of Brother A’s accusation, then Brother A will be excluded from the church for being a false accuser (2Ti 3:3).