Church Discipline & Excommunication

EXTREME Westwood Bible Fellowship

Issue 7

Matthew 18:17b And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

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CHURCH DISCIPLINE AND EXCOMMUNICATION Making Christian disciples Since believers are required to be involves a whole range of activities for holy, unspotted by the morals of the nurture, instruction , and training. To world, the church itself is separated produce mature disciples, Christian from the world, and it is necessary to l e a r n i n g d e v o t i o n , w o r s h i p define the boundary between the righteousness, and service, all are to world and the church. The New be taught in a context of care and Testament clearly shows that in teh accountability (Matt. 28:20; John whole context of church life judicial 21:15-17; 2 Tim. 2:14-26; Titus 2; Heb. procedures have a significant place for 13:17) among the other believers. Not the health of churches and individuals a b s t r a c t l y, b u t i n t h i s c o n t e x t (1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Cor. 2:5-11; 2 Thess. Reformed theology has emphasized 3:6, 14, 15; Titus 1:10-14; 3:9-11). the importance of church discipline as

Jesus instituted church disciipline Matthew 28:19-20a the official procedures of the church by authoprizing the apostiles to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them permitting it to define its membership prohibit or permit certain kinds of in the name of the Father and of and maintain its standards of belief behavior; this is the power of “binding” the Son and of the Holy and practice, derived from the Bible. and “loosing” sins ( Matt. 18:18; John Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

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20:23). The “keys of the kingdom,” first (excommunication), which is described given to Peter and defined as power to as handing a person over to Satan, the bind and loose (Matt. 16:19), have prince of this world (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 usually been understood as authority Cor. 5:1-5, 11; 1 Tim. 1:20; Titus 3:10, to oversee doctrine and impose 11). Public sins (that is, those that are

LOREM IPSUM

discipline. This authority was given by open to the whole church’s view) Christ to the church in general and to should be publicly corrected in the its ordained leadership in particular.

church’s presence (1 Tim. 5:20; cf.

The Westminster Confession (30.3) Gal. 2:11-14). Jesus teaches a explains: procedure for dealing privately with Church censures are necessary, for the reclaiming and gaining of offending brethren, for deterring of others from the like offenses, for purging out of that leaven which might infect the whole lump, for vindicating the honor of Christ, and the holy profession of the gospel, and for preventing the wrath of God, which might justly fall upon the church, if they should suffer His covenant, and the seals thereof [the sacraments] to be profaned by notorious and obstinate offenders.

those who have given personal offense, in hope that it will not be necessary to ask for the church’s p u b l i c c e n s u re o f t h e m ( M a t t . 18:15-17). The purpose of church censure in all its forms is not punish for punishment’s sake, but to call forth repentance and so recover the straying sheep. ultimately, there is only one sin for which a church member is excommunicated -

Church censures may have to impenitence. When repentance is escalate from admonition through apparent, the church is to declare the exclusion from the Lord’s Supper to sin remitted and receive the offender expulsion from the congregation into fellowship once again.

Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.

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Do You Love Me? When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”