Law in the Kingdom (4)

For what haveI to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.” 1 Corinthians 5.12, 13

Judge righteous judgment
The Apostle James instructs us to live as those who expect to be judged by the perfect Law of liberty (Jms. 2.12). He’s not referring only to the final judgment, when all our works will be weighed against the Law of God. As he shows us in chapter 5, the Law of God is to be used in judging the conduct of believers in the church, to urge them to keep to the path of righteousness (Jms. 5.1-4).

It’s not that believers – and the Church as a Body – are not to exercise judgment against sinners. We are, as our Lord Jesus explained, but strictly according to the standards of righteousness – or justice – in the Law of God (Jn. 7.24; cf. Deut. 16.18-20). Beginning with our own lives, we must submit to the Law of God to guide our steps and help us in making sure grace flows throughout our community unto the justice of the Lord (Heb. 10.24).

And since the Church is not the state, believers do not wield the weapons of the state in seeking to achieve justice within their own communities. 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.

Church discipline
Church discipline is not consistently practiced within churches in our day. As we recover a proper place and uses for the Law of God, we’ll want to recover church discipline as a valuable tool for helping to keep grace flowing in our midst.

Jesus outlined the steps of church discipline in Matthew 18.15-20. If a brother sins against another, 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 does not lead to repentance, the one against whom the transgression has been committed must take another church member with him 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 (the “judges” of the new Israel). There a formal charge may be laid, the leaders of the church can weigh the evidence and claims, and, through prayer and searching the Scriptures, they can reach a just judgment.

But what if, even in the face of evidence sufficient to convince the judges of the church, the sinner continues to insist he has done nothing wrong, or refuses to abide by the decision of the church’s leaders? At that point, the unrepentant sinner must be put out of the church – excommunicated (note the NKJV’s citation of four references from the Law of God to support this action in 1 Cor. 5.13). Excommunication is a formal and public act in which the congregation as a whole is informed of the situation and the judgment of church leaders. Members are then expected to abide by that decision and have no fellowship with the unrepentant believer until he recovers his senses, repents of his sins, and sets about to achieve restoration and a changed life (1 Cor. 5.11).

Two intermediary steps
Historically, in most churches two steps precede that of excommunication. The first is admonition, in which the church’s leaders prepare a formal judgment in writing, together with instructions for corrective behavior, and put it in the hands of the offender. If that does not lead to repentance, the offender can be suspended from the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, since to eat and drink the body and blood of Christ in an unworthy manner brings judgment and discipline from the Lord against offenders (1 Cor. 11.27-32).

But if admonition and suspension do not accomplish the righteous judgment determined by church leaders, then excommunication must follow.

Room for grace
It’s not hard to see how, at every step of the process of church discipline, ample room for grace is permitted, and the Holy Spirit is given abundant opportunities to convict the guilty and lead him to repentance. Such acts of the local church must be kept within the circle of the sin for as long as possible. Only when the final judgment of excommunication has been enacted should the congregation be apprised of the situation, for then it, too, becomes involved in enacting judgment against the sinner and seeking justice for the one offended against.

And even excommunication is not the last step. For if one who has been excommunicated finally comes to his senses, repents, and seeks forgiveness, then it is the church’s duty to receive him back into full fellowship as a returning prodigal (2 Cor. 2.3-8).

Not many churches today practice church discipline with any degree of consistency. As a result, sins of all kinds ravage the Body of Christ, grace is not provided the necessary space in which to work, the Holy Spirit is squelched, the holiness, righteousness, and goodness of God’s Law is denied, and the progress of the Kingdom economy slows, stalls, and staggers.

For reflection
1.  Does your church practice church discipline? Ask a church leader.

2.  How can you see that church discipline follows the retributive and restorative dimensions of Old Testament Law, but leaves room for grace and the Spirit to work?

3.  What is an individual believer’s role in the practice of church discipline?

Next steps – Preparation: Study the practice of church discipline by meditating on the Scriptures mentioned in this article. Pray that your church will be consistent and gracious in using this important tool of the Kingdom economy.

T. M. Moore

This week’s ReVision study is Part 8 of a 10-part series, “The Kingdom Economy.” You can download “Law in the Kingdom” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here. For a background study of Kingdom economics, order the book, The Kingdom Turn,  from our online store, and learn what it means to enter the Kingdom, not just talk about it.

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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.