Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5.12, 13

It’s not that believers – and the Church as a Body – are not to exercise judgment against sinners. They are, as our Lord Jesus explained, and strictly according to the standards of righteousness in the Law of God (Jn. 7.24; cf. Deut. 16.18-20). But since the Church is not the state, she may not wield the weapons of the state in seeking to achieve justice. The state may wield these, and should, but this is not our concern here. Rather, the church applies the methods of church discipline in order to cleanse the Body of sin and to restore relationships and justice among the members.

Jesus outlined the steps of church discipline in Matthew 18.15-20. If a brother sins against another, violating one of God’s Laws, the one offended must go and confront his brother, calling him to repentance and standing ready to forgive and restore the relationship when repentance is in evidence. If that private confrontation does not produce justice, the one against whom the transgression has been committed must take another church member with him – one who knows the situation – to confront the sinner. Hopefully, the testimony of two witnesses will be compelling, and repentance will be achieved.

Suppose that fails, however. In that case, the one offended against must take the sinner to the church – typically, to its rulers, the elders and pastors of the church. There a formal charge can be laid; the leaders of the church can weigh the evidence and claims, and, through prayer and searching the Scriptures, reach a just judgment and a course of action for its implementation.

The Law of God continues to guide our moral conduct, but the discipline of the church is the only sanction church leaders may apply in seeking to restore justice. Where church discipline is ignored, justice and transgression will likely be present, and this short-circuits the blessing of God to His people.

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