For the better attaining of these ends, the officers of the church are to proceed by admonition, suspension from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper for a season; and by excommunication from the Church, according to the nature of the crime, and demerit of the person.
This paragraph elaborates on the measures available to church officers to discipline deserving members. These are meted out according to the nature of the crime and the demerit of the person and follow the prescribed pattern set out in Matthew 18. The punishment should fit the crime. Read Hebrews 12:11.
1. Admonition. Sometimes a gentle but firm rebuke is sufficient to waken a sinner. Admonition should first take place privately, then in concert with other concerned believers, and finally in public assembly.
2. Suspension from the Supper for a season. Why would this be a fitting punishment for some? Because admission to the Table is considered automatic to anyone who considers himself a Christian, it can bring one up short to realize that others no longer consider it safe for one to participate--recall our discussion of the Supper and the peril of the unworthy recipient.
3. Excommunication. To excommunicate is not to shun. The church is to treat the one under discipline as an unbeliever—proclaim the gospel to him and urge his repentance, pray for him, and befriend him. But such a one is not given the fellowship of Christ.
Tomorrow: Objections to church discipline answered.
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