"For the moment, all discipline sems painful rather than pleasant..."
There are two objections that are commonly voiced whenever the subject of church discipline comes up. The first is that discipline is harmful to sinners. It embarrasses them, it makes them feel unloved, it damages their self-esteem. The second objection is that discipline judges a brother's soul before God without warrant. We all know Matthew 7:1 (the world's favorite Bible verse) by heart from the number of times it gets quoted in these contexts.
How to respond? Firstly, Jesus Christ has commanded church discipline. By itself, this is sufficient to quash all objections. But there is more. Scripture sets forth this method of reclaiming erring brothers and demonstrates that it works (2 Corinthians 2:6-8). The lack of church discipline is indifference to the honor of Christ and the welfare of his flock. Exercising church discipline is no more an attempt to judge another's soul than is admittance to church membership in the first place, as prospective members should be examined as to the credibility of the faith they profess. The keys go together.
It is better that the honor of Christ and the cause of his truth be maintained than that 1000 sinners stay on the membership rolls to his dishonor. The results may be a smaller church, but it will be a more pure church. Our contemporary obsession with numbers and numerical growth is profoundly misplaced. We need to repent of it and trust God, not our marketing skills, for the increase.
"...but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).
Tomorrow: The utility of church assemblies.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Of Church Censures, XXX:4
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.
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.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Of Church Censures, XXX:3
Church censures are necessary, for the reclaiming and gaining of offending brethren, for deterring of others from like offenses, for purging out of that leaven which might infect the whole lump, for vindicating the honor of Christ, and the holy profession of the Gospel, and for preventing the wrath of God, which might justly fall upon the Church, if they should suffer His covenant, and the seals thereof, to be profaned by notorious and obstinate offenders.
This paragraph sets forth the purposes of church censures (disciplinary measures). Note that these are mostly positive. The emphasis is on reclamation and restoration, as well as setting a positive example for the church as a whole. Only the idea of avoiding the wrath of God is a negative.
Church censures are intended to:
1. Reclaim and gain offending brothers. Many think of discipline as primarily punitive. In the church, according to the biblical model, discipline is first and foremost restorative.
2. Deter others from committing like offenses. The proper exercise of discipline reminds everyone that sin is taken seriously by God and should be taken seriously by his people.
3. Purge out the leaven. In order to maintain the purity of the church and protect other members from the corrupting influences of unrepented sin it is necessary to exclude--hopefully for only a season--those who remain obstinate.
4. Vindicate the honor of Christ and the profession of the gospel. Do we really want the world to see the mud we splash around? Sadly this is all too characteristic of the church. The bride is a mess; it unjustly reflects on the bridegroom and the truth of his gospel of salvation.
5. Prevent the just wrath of God from falling on his people. Judgment begins with the house of God. Christians are called to have a greater righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees. In Christ we certainly have that greater righteousness (indeed, none greater) but we frequently don't live in keeping with our status.
God has entrusted the church with his holy things. We have a grave responsibility to handle them appropriately.
Tomorrow: The process of censures.
This paragraph sets forth the purposes of church censures (disciplinary measures). Note that these are mostly positive. The emphasis is on reclamation and restoration, as well as setting a positive example for the church as a whole. Only the idea of avoiding the wrath of God is a negative.
Church censures are intended to:
1. Reclaim and gain offending brothers. Many think of discipline as primarily punitive. In the church, according to the biblical model, discipline is first and foremost restorative.
2. Deter others from committing like offenses. The proper exercise of discipline reminds everyone that sin is taken seriously by God and should be taken seriously by his people.
3. Purge out the leaven. In order to maintain the purity of the church and protect other members from the corrupting influences of unrepented sin it is necessary to exclude--hopefully for only a season--those who remain obstinate.
4. Vindicate the honor of Christ and the profession of the gospel. Do we really want the world to see the mud we splash around? Sadly this is all too characteristic of the church. The bride is a mess; it unjustly reflects on the bridegroom and the truth of his gospel of salvation.
5. Prevent the just wrath of God from falling on his people. Judgment begins with the house of God. Christians are called to have a greater righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees. In Christ we certainly have that greater righteousness (indeed, none greater) but we frequently don't live in keeping with our status.
God has entrusted the church with his holy things. We have a grave responsibility to handle them appropriately.
Tomorrow: The process of censures.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Of Church Censures, XXX:2
To these officers the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed; by virtue whereof, they have power, respectively, to retain, and remit sins; to shut that kingdom against the impenitent, both by the Word, and censures; and to open it unto penitent sinners, by the ministry of the Gospel; and by absolution from censures, as occasion shall require.
Church officers are entrusted with the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:19). Contrary to the teaching of some communions, the sacraments are not the keys. Instead, as we have established rather thoroughly by now, the sacraments are the signs and seals of that to which men are admitted or from which they are excluded. The biblical keys are the faithful preaching of the gospel and the faithful exercise of church discipline.
The keys are used to bind and loose, or to retain or remit sins. They also shut the kingdom against the impenitent by the proclamation of the "bad news" of the wrath of God coming upon sinners, and the use of church discipline in the case of wayward members. And they open the kingdom unto the penitent through the gosple and by absolution/restoration of the penitant.
Tomorrow: The purpose of church censures.
Church officers are entrusted with the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:19). Contrary to the teaching of some communions, the sacraments are not the keys. Instead, as we have established rather thoroughly by now, the sacraments are the signs and seals of that to which men are admitted or from which they are excluded. The biblical keys are the faithful preaching of the gospel and the faithful exercise of church discipline.
The keys are used to bind and loose, or to retain or remit sins. They also shut the kingdom against the impenitent by the proclamation of the "bad news" of the wrath of God coming upon sinners, and the use of church discipline in the case of wayward members. And they open the kingdom unto the penitent through the gosple and by absolution/restoration of the penitant.
Tomorrow: The purpose of church censures.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Of Church Censures, XXX:1
The Lord Jesus, as King and Head of His Church, has therein appointed a government, in the hand of Church officers, distinct from the civil magistrate.
For 21st century American Protestants this chapter might provide some challenges. The Westminster divines had rather pronounced views on the spiritual authority of church leaders that will sound strange and perhaps even threatening to our egalitarian patterns of thinking.
But this chapter certainly begins with a statement every Christian can endorse: the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the Christian church; indeed, he is Lord of all. This is a truth well established by now in our consideration of the Westminster Confession. See chapters VIII:1 and XXV:6 as well as Ephesians 3:23 and Colossians 1:18.
In his glorious wisdom, the Lord has seen fit to delegate some of his authority to local church leaders. He has appointed governing officers distinct from the civil magistrate, because the church is not co-extensive with the state. Not everyone who lives in a particular country also belongs to the church. This idea contrasts to that which prevailed through much of the 16th century in Europe, where the thought frequently was that the personal faith of the country's ruler would define the faith of all of his subjects as well. From this is a short step to the idea that religious dissent is treason against the king.
According to presbyterian thought (and the Westminster Assembly was chiefly, but not entirely, composed of presbyterian churchmen) the church government is apostolic in authority and presbyterian in form--that is, constituted as a plurality of elders. The principles of government set forth in the Scriptures include: Christ alone is head of the church; elders are chosen by the people over which they are to rule; all ruling officers are equal in authority; each particular church must have a plurality of elders; church officers are ordained by the presbytery (made up of the ruling eldership of the entire region or whatever organization is applied); and there is right of appeal from the smaller to the larger body.
Tomorrow: The keys of the kingdom.
For 21st century American Protestants this chapter might provide some challenges. The Westminster divines had rather pronounced views on the spiritual authority of church leaders that will sound strange and perhaps even threatening to our egalitarian patterns of thinking.
But this chapter certainly begins with a statement every Christian can endorse: the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the Christian church; indeed, he is Lord of all. This is a truth well established by now in our consideration of the Westminster Confession. See chapters VIII:1 and XXV:6 as well as Ephesians 3:23 and Colossians 1:18.
In his glorious wisdom, the Lord has seen fit to delegate some of his authority to local church leaders. He has appointed governing officers distinct from the civil magistrate, because the church is not co-extensive with the state. Not everyone who lives in a particular country also belongs to the church. This idea contrasts to that which prevailed through much of the 16th century in Europe, where the thought frequently was that the personal faith of the country's ruler would define the faith of all of his subjects as well. From this is a short step to the idea that religious dissent is treason against the king.
According to presbyterian thought (and the Westminster Assembly was chiefly, but not entirely, composed of presbyterian churchmen) the church government is apostolic in authority and presbyterian in form--that is, constituted as a plurality of elders. The principles of government set forth in the Scriptures include: Christ alone is head of the church; elders are chosen by the people over which they are to rule; all ruling officers are equal in authority; each particular church must have a plurality of elders; church officers are ordained by the presbytery (made up of the ruling eldership of the entire region or whatever organization is applied); and there is right of appeal from the smaller to the larger body.
Tomorrow: The keys of the kingdom.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A Summary of the Confession on the Lord's Supper
Attempting to provide a succinct summary of what the Westminster Confession of Faith has to say on the subject of the Lord's Supper, especially within the broader context of its treatment of sacraments as a whole, is a daunting prospect. Nevertheless, a few observations can be made with safety:
1. Regular participation in the Lord's Supper ("as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup") is a right, a privilege, and a duty of the Christian who truly places faith in Christ. This is one important means by which God feeds and sustains the Body of Christ.
2. Jesus Christ is specially present in the Lord's Supper in a unique way, but not in the way considered by Roman Catholics or Lutherans. And the memorialists have missed something very significant (multiple meanings intended).
3. There is a reason, worked out in history, why so much of the conflict between biblical Christians and Roman Catholicism has centered upon the Supper. Faithful Protestant forebears paid the ultimate earthly price to defend their Christian views from wrong-headed fanatics and partisans. We disgrace their memory when we lightly dismiss the differences that are still very much in evidence.
4. Similarly, a light view of the Supper disregards the great danger in which unworthy participants place themselves. The Church must regain right thinking on the Supper so that the blessings abound and the curses are forefended.
Tomorrow: Biblical government of the church.
1. Regular participation in the Lord's Supper ("as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup") is a right, a privilege, and a duty of the Christian who truly places faith in Christ. This is one important means by which God feeds and sustains the Body of Christ.
2. Jesus Christ is specially present in the Lord's Supper in a unique way, but not in the way considered by Roman Catholics or Lutherans. And the memorialists have missed something very significant (multiple meanings intended).
3. There is a reason, worked out in history, why so much of the conflict between biblical Christians and Roman Catholicism has centered upon the Supper. Faithful Protestant forebears paid the ultimate earthly price to defend their Christian views from wrong-headed fanatics and partisans. We disgrace their memory when we lightly dismiss the differences that are still very much in evidence.
4. Similarly, a light view of the Supper disregards the great danger in which unworthy participants place themselves. The Church must regain right thinking on the Supper so that the blessings abound and the curses are forefended.
Tomorrow: Biblical government of the church.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Of the Lord's Supper, XXIX:8
Although ignorant and wicked men receive the outward elements in this sacrament; yet, they receive not the thing signified thereby; but, by their unworthy coming thereunto, are guilty of the body of the Lord, to their own damnation. Wherefore, all ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Him, so are they unworthy of the Lord's table; and cannot, without great sin against Christ, while they remain such, partake of these holy mysteries, or be admitted thereunto.
Very stern words on the part of the Westminster divines here are quite appropriate, because the sacraments are serious and we have a tendency to regard such things all too lightly.
Unbelievers who participate in the Supper despite not being eligible to do so receive the sign (the outward elements of bread and wine) but not the things signified. Because transubstantiation and consubstantiation are incorrect views, the unbeliever does not eat or drink Christ physically; because he does not believe--has no faith--he does not receive Christ spiritually either. All he gets is bread and wine, plus something else he didn't bargain for.
The unbeliever eats unworthily, without faith, and so is guilty of the body and blood of Christ and brings condemnation upon himself (1 Corinthians 11:27). Instead of blessings he receives curses. Instead of promises he comes under condemnation.
As it is a great sin for unbelievers to partake of the Supper or even to be admitted to the sacrament, the responsibility falls upon believers--especially church leaders--to ensure that no one eats and drinks unworthily. The presiding minister should fence the table, warning the people congregated of the seriousness of the sacrament, discouraging any unbelievers from participating for their own sake as well as the sake of the church.
Tomorrow: Summary thoughts on the Lord's Supper.
Very stern words on the part of the Westminster divines here are quite appropriate, because the sacraments are serious and we have a tendency to regard such things all too lightly.
Unbelievers who participate in the Supper despite not being eligible to do so receive the sign (the outward elements of bread and wine) but not the things signified. Because transubstantiation and consubstantiation are incorrect views, the unbeliever does not eat or drink Christ physically; because he does not believe--has no faith--he does not receive Christ spiritually either. All he gets is bread and wine, plus something else he didn't bargain for.
The unbeliever eats unworthily, without faith, and so is guilty of the body and blood of Christ and brings condemnation upon himself (1 Corinthians 11:27). Instead of blessings he receives curses. Instead of promises he comes under condemnation.
As it is a great sin for unbelievers to partake of the Supper or even to be admitted to the sacrament, the responsibility falls upon believers--especially church leaders--to ensure that no one eats and drinks unworthily. The presiding minister should fence the table, warning the people congregated of the seriousness of the sacrament, discouraging any unbelievers from participating for their own sake as well as the sake of the church.
Tomorrow: Summary thoughts on the Lord's Supper.
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