Do you ever see something in the Bible and think, "Wow, that is important and it seems like most churches completely ignore that." I heard a speaker talking recently about how different much of our church experience is from what we see in the Bible. One thing I thought of was this.
There are three principles in the Bible that are largely ignored.
1. We are morally required to rebuke, correct, and restore our brothers who sin.
2. If a brother refuses to repent after being confronted by one, then two or three, the church is supposed to gather and try to correct that person.
3. If we don't do this, then God's judgment falls on the congregation.
4. Leaders who ignore this will have to give an account.
Rebuking and Restoring
Leviticus says not to despise your neighbor in your heart, but rebuke your neighbor frankly so that you do not share in his sin.
Isn't that an interesting and frightening concept. You can share in someone's sin by not rebuking that person. Hebrews 12 tells us to look diligently among ourselves lest there be a fornicator or profane person such as Esau, who for one morsel of meat forsake his birthright. We are to watch out for one another lest a root of bitterness spring up and many be defiled. We are to strengthen the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.
James ends with an exhortation to restore the one who errs from the truth.
Galatians 6 instructs those who are spiritual to go to the one overtaken in a fault and restore him in a spirit of meekness, knowing that they also may be tempted.
Everyone in the church needs to be involved in this. We are to encourage one another to love and to do good works, and we are to correct one another when we sin. We are to confess our faults to one another and pray one for another. Enough with the "Jesus and Me" Christianity. God doesn't just want you to have a personal relationship with Jesus. He wants a body that has a relationship with His Son.
Expelling the Immoral
There are instructions in Matthew 18 about what to do when one person sins against another. The offended party confronts the other one. If he won't repent, go and get one or two more (to serve as witnesses before the church which will serve as a court.) If he won't repent, bring him before the church.
Then he is to have a chance to hear the church, the congregation, not just the pastor. If he won't repent, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Paul added to our understanding of this with his teaching about delivering the man over to Satan. This is something done to those who are called brothers who are unrepentant. It is done when the church is gathered, just as we read in Matthew 18.
What happens if a church doesn't do this? Then there are consequences. I Corinthians 5 shows us that the leaven of sin spreads. We are one bread. We are one lump of dough.
We are one bread because we partake of that one bread when we eat communion (I Corinthians 10.) I Corinthians 5 calls us one lump of dough. We should not eat with the fornicator who calls himself a brother.
We should be careful who we eat communion with. Jude and II Peter warn about false brothers and false teachers, men who are 'spots and blemishes' on believers' love feasts, men who promise liberty, but are servants of corruption who find others to corrupt. 'Spots and blemishes' are the things that made a Passover sacrifice, or any sacrifice of a lamb unacceptable. Christ was the Lamb without spot or blemish according to Peter. When we participate in the Lord's Supper and remember Christ's Passover sacrifice, there should be no spot or blemish among us.
Paul teaches Timothy that the vessel of honor must separate himself from the vessels of dishonor. The vessels of dishonor were men who taught vain and profane things, like those men in the passage who were teaching that the resurrection had already occurred. The passage apparently refers to Korah's rebellion. Moses told the people to withdraw from those wicked men. The ground opened up and swallowed them. We need to withdraw from the wicked men if we want to escape God's judgment.
God's Judgment on the Congregation
Israel had a thief among them, a man who had stolen a robe, silver, and gold that belong to the Lord, the spoils of the battle of Jericho. Israel did not even know about Achan's crime. No doubt only he and his family knew as they managed to hide these treasures in their tent.
But God knew, and even though Israel did not know, He still held them accountable. (Notice we are to look diligently among ourselves for the profane person or fornicator.) When Israel went to fight against Ai, 3000 men died.
Now when we send men to war, if our soldiers die, we might think this is normal, but Joshua didn't. For one thing, how did this podunk city defeat his army? Much more importantly, what about God's promises that Israel would win? If Israel followed the Lord, they were supposed to win. No doubt, Joshua didn't see any idols in the camp. He tried to keep a clean house. But he inquired of the Lord and found out that someone had sinned. They gathered and the lot fell for Achan, and he confessed. They stoned the man, and God's wrath lifted from the congregation.
Notice that Achan had sinned, but 3000 other men died in battle. The whole camp was guilty for harboring sin. Israel seemed to understand this concept somewhat when they attacked Benjamin for harboring and protecting wicked men who raped a concubine to death.
The church is supposed to judge and expel the wicked man called a brother. When the Corinthian church committed sin by not properly regarding the poor while they ate the Lord's Supper, they came under God's judgment. It was God's chastisement on them, that they might not be condemned with the world. But because of their sin, there were sick among them, and some had fallen asleep.
Those are some consequences-- sickness and physical death. Do we have any Achans among us? What about Hymenauses, Alexanders, or Philetuses?
Leaders Must Give an Account
Hebrews 13 tells us that church leaders must give an account for the souls of those they lead. That is a terrifying thought. This verse doesn't specifically mention church discipline issues, but it is one of many issues that church leaders must deal with. As leaders, they must lead in restoring people who fall, and in teaching others to do the same.
Is it any wonder that surveys show no statistical difference between evangelical churches and the world on various metrics like teen pregnancy, divorce and remarriage, and other issues. Some people may come to the church after committing sin, and find forgiveness. That may explain part of it. And some people are victims. But I think another part of the problem is that so many churches tolerate sin, and the leaven of sin spreads.
What are you going to do about it?
There are three principles in the Bible that are largely ignored.
1. We are morally required to rebuke, correct, and restore our brothers who sin.
2. If a brother refuses to repent after being confronted by one, then two or three, the church is supposed to gather and try to correct that person.
3. If we don't do this, then God's judgment falls on the congregation.
4. Leaders who ignore this will have to give an account.
Rebuking and Restoring
Leviticus says not to despise your neighbor in your heart, but rebuke your neighbor frankly so that you do not share in his sin.
Isn't that an interesting and frightening concept. You can share in someone's sin by not rebuking that person. Hebrews 12 tells us to look diligently among ourselves lest there be a fornicator or profane person such as Esau, who for one morsel of meat forsake his birthright. We are to watch out for one another lest a root of bitterness spring up and many be defiled. We are to strengthen the hands that hang down and the feeble knees.
James ends with an exhortation to restore the one who errs from the truth.
Galatians 6 instructs those who are spiritual to go to the one overtaken in a fault and restore him in a spirit of meekness, knowing that they also may be tempted.
Everyone in the church needs to be involved in this. We are to encourage one another to love and to do good works, and we are to correct one another when we sin. We are to confess our faults to one another and pray one for another. Enough with the "Jesus and Me" Christianity. God doesn't just want you to have a personal relationship with Jesus. He wants a body that has a relationship with His Son.
Expelling the Immoral
There are instructions in Matthew 18 about what to do when one person sins against another. The offended party confronts the other one. If he won't repent, go and get one or two more (to serve as witnesses before the church which will serve as a court.) If he won't repent, bring him before the church.
Then he is to have a chance to hear the church, the congregation, not just the pastor. If he won't repent, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Paul added to our understanding of this with his teaching about delivering the man over to Satan. This is something done to those who are called brothers who are unrepentant. It is done when the church is gathered, just as we read in Matthew 18.
What happens if a church doesn't do this? Then there are consequences. I Corinthians 5 shows us that the leaven of sin spreads. We are one bread. We are one lump of dough.
We are one bread because we partake of that one bread when we eat communion (I Corinthians 10.) I Corinthians 5 calls us one lump of dough. We should not eat with the fornicator who calls himself a brother.
We should be careful who we eat communion with. Jude and II Peter warn about false brothers and false teachers, men who are 'spots and blemishes' on believers' love feasts, men who promise liberty, but are servants of corruption who find others to corrupt. 'Spots and blemishes' are the things that made a Passover sacrifice, or any sacrifice of a lamb unacceptable. Christ was the Lamb without spot or blemish according to Peter. When we participate in the Lord's Supper and remember Christ's Passover sacrifice, there should be no spot or blemish among us.
Paul teaches Timothy that the vessel of honor must separate himself from the vessels of dishonor. The vessels of dishonor were men who taught vain and profane things, like those men in the passage who were teaching that the resurrection had already occurred. The passage apparently refers to Korah's rebellion. Moses told the people to withdraw from those wicked men. The ground opened up and swallowed them. We need to withdraw from the wicked men if we want to escape God's judgment.
God's Judgment on the Congregation
Israel had a thief among them, a man who had stolen a robe, silver, and gold that belong to the Lord, the spoils of the battle of Jericho. Israel did not even know about Achan's crime. No doubt only he and his family knew as they managed to hide these treasures in their tent.
But God knew, and even though Israel did not know, He still held them accountable. (Notice we are to look diligently among ourselves for the profane person or fornicator.) When Israel went to fight against Ai, 3000 men died.
Now when we send men to war, if our soldiers die, we might think this is normal, but Joshua didn't. For one thing, how did this podunk city defeat his army? Much more importantly, what about God's promises that Israel would win? If Israel followed the Lord, they were supposed to win. No doubt, Joshua didn't see any idols in the camp. He tried to keep a clean house. But he inquired of the Lord and found out that someone had sinned. They gathered and the lot fell for Achan, and he confessed. They stoned the man, and God's wrath lifted from the congregation.
Notice that Achan had sinned, but 3000 other men died in battle. The whole camp was guilty for harboring sin. Israel seemed to understand this concept somewhat when they attacked Benjamin for harboring and protecting wicked men who raped a concubine to death.
The church is supposed to judge and expel the wicked man called a brother. When the Corinthian church committed sin by not properly regarding the poor while they ate the Lord's Supper, they came under God's judgment. It was God's chastisement on them, that they might not be condemned with the world. But because of their sin, there were sick among them, and some had fallen asleep.
Those are some consequences-- sickness and physical death. Do we have any Achans among us? What about Hymenauses, Alexanders, or Philetuses?
Leaders Must Give an Account
Hebrews 13 tells us that church leaders must give an account for the souls of those they lead. That is a terrifying thought. This verse doesn't specifically mention church discipline issues, but it is one of many issues that church leaders must deal with. As leaders, they must lead in restoring people who fall, and in teaching others to do the same.
Is it any wonder that surveys show no statistical difference between evangelical churches and the world on various metrics like teen pregnancy, divorce and remarriage, and other issues. Some people may come to the church after committing sin, and find forgiveness. That may explain part of it. And some people are victims. But I think another part of the problem is that so many churches tolerate sin, and the leaven of sin spreads.
What are you going to do about it?
