The Pattern for carrying out church discipline.
Thankfully, the Bible gives very clear instructions regarding how to carry out church discipline. Churches are not left to themselves to figure out this important aspect of church life. Sadly, although the Bible is clear, many churches that claim to believe in church discipline ignore the Biblical pattern regarding how to address sin among the members.
Matthew 18:15-20 is a great place to start when examining how to carry out church discipline. Read the text and then consider the clarity with which Jesus gives us guidelines.
Mat 18:15-20 - “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
A sin against a brother is what starts this entire matter. Notice the particular words "if your brother sins against you". This is not some openly wicked sin that is known to others like in 1 Corinthians 5. This is a personal sin against committed by one brother against another brother. Contrary to popular opinion, if your brother sins against you, nowhere in the Bible are you just commanded to forgive him. Rather, according to Jesus, "go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone." Jesus repeats this same teaching in Luke 17:3-4. "Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
In the Matthew text, "if he listens to you, you have gained your brother". This indicates that if he repents, the relationship has been restored and the matter resolved. "But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses". In other words, two or three others should hear the matter to verify that the brother has actually sinned. That "every charge may be established". This doesn't mean that you get a couple of people who agree with you and gang up on him and tell him he is sinning. It is possible that the witnesses may disagree with the first brother who brought them along after examining the evidence. The point is that the facts should be examined and the charge of sin should be established. Without considering the facts, there is no basis for the next step.
The final step takes place if the two or three witnesses establish the charge against the sinning brother is true and he still refuses to repent. If that happens the next step is to "tell it to the church". This entire passage is based on the Old Testament passage found in Deuteronomy 19:15-20. We will examine that passage below. The question must be asked, what does it mean to "tell it to the church"? Does this mean that the person accused is to be excluded from that church gathering and accused without an opportunity to respond? Certainly no court in America would be considered just if they did that to an accused person. As we will see from the principles taught in Deuteronomy 19, the matter should be brought to the church. Both the accused, the accusers, and the witnesses should present the matter to the church. If the church hears the evidence and concludes that the accused is guilty, the church should speak to accused and urge them to repentance. If the accused will not listen to the church, then there is a consequence.
Before the consequence is discussed, consider the following. The goal of all of these steps is to determine who has sinned. It is possible that a false witness could arise and falsely accuse a brother. Consider now the passage from Deuteronomy 19:15-20.
“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you."
It is interesting that the Deuteronomy passage, upon which Jesus bases his teaching in Matthew, is for the protection of the accused. "A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed." Rather, witnesses must establish the charge, and "then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priest and the judges who are in office in those days." A key idea here is "both parties" being present at the same time before those who are to judge the matter. If both parties are not able to be present, you have an unjust trial. This is in fact the whole basis of your legal justice system in America. Sadly, some churches who claim to practice "church discipline" completely neglect this idea and therefore are not following the Biblical pattern, thus nullifying any decision they arrive at. When accusations are made against an individual and the accused is not allowed to face his accusers, justice will not prevail. God's Word offers no support for such decisions made by individuals or even a church if the pattern of both parties appearing together is not followed.
The other clear point in Deuteronomy 19 is that "the judges shall inquire diligently". If a church refuses to listen to both sides in a conflict, but determines guilt or innocence of the accused before inquiring diligently, justice will not be served. Remember, it is altogether possible that the accuser is a false witness according to Deuteronomy 19. In that case, "The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother." Without diligent inquiry into the facts of the matter, justice is mocked and an innocent man may be condemned.
Now let us return to the Matthew 18 text. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. The interesting point of this verse is that the Bible says, "let him be to you...". This could actually be the one who was sinned against, or it could be referring to the entire church. In either case, the consequence of refusing to listen to the church, after having been given a fair hearing in the presence of his accusers, and after the judges have "inquired diligently" is that the guilty person is to be treated as a Gentile and a tax collector. The consequence is clear nothing beyond what Jesus taught should be carried out. In other words, it doesn't say, "shun them, avoid them, treat them as if they don't exist, try to destroy their life and family". It says to treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Consider the words of the commentator Albert Barnes. "The meaning of this is, cease to have religious contact with him, or to acknowledge him as a Christian brother. It does not mean that we should cease to show kindness to him and aid him in affliction or trial, for that is required toward all people; but it means that we should disown him as a Christian brother, and treat him as we do other people not connected with the church. This should not be done until all these steps are taken. This is the only way of kindness."
To treat anyone, even one who is put out of the church, with hatred or shunning, is completely contrary to the whole of Scripture, and certainly to the great commandment Jesus taught that we are to love others as he loved us. Can you imagine if Jesus treated unbelievers as some churches treat members that they consider under discipline?
