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Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction

Discipline is a ministry of the Word.


“And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” Matthew 18.17

Institutes of the Christian Religion
John Calvin (1509-1564)
“…this is the aim of ecclesiastical jurisdiction: that offenses be resisted, and any scandal that has arisen be wiped out. In its use two things ought to be taken into account: that this spiritual power be completely separated from the right of the sword; secondly, that it be administered not by the decision of one man but by a lawful assembly. Both of these were observed when the church was purer.”

Churches today can be reluctant to wield the power and authority granted to them by the Lord Himself. We prefer to turn a blind eye to sin – whether of omission or commission – than to confront a brother. Church trials, in which elders convene to help a straying sinner and protect the flock of God from wickedness or error, are rare these days. We have substituted a false idea of tolerance and forbearance as the way to love the sinners in our midst. But we’re neither loving those who sin, nor those with whom they associate, if we take no steps to lead them back to the path of righteousness (Heb. 12.3-11). And, while we should always practice patience and compassion, our practice must not be such that sin is ignored, allowed, or worse, endorsed. Church discipline is a loving tool for improving the lives of believers and congregations alike. We must learn to use it as Christ intends, according to, and for the purposes of, His Word.

Does your church practice church discipline? Do your members understand the Biblical teaching about the nature and practice of church discipline?

T. M. Moore

Healthy, Growing Churches
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from John Calvin,
Institutes of the Christian Religion, John T. McNeill, ed., Ford Lewis Battles, tr. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960), Vol. 2, Book IV, pp. 1012ff.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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