One of the most important reasons for practicing church discipline is to maintain the purity of God's church. Paul is clear in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (NASB). If a church does not address sin in the body of believers, sin will grow and infect more people over time.

Love for the person who is in sin should be of utmost importance when carrying out church discipline. Since the mark of a true believer is love, the mark of a true church should be love as well. If a church has any other motive than love when applying church discipline, God will not be honored and the church will not be blessed. Of course, any church would claim to be doing discipline in love, but how they process is handled and how the person is treated after the discipline are clear indicators as to whether love is the motive in discipling a member. If the process does not involve a careful investigation of ALL evidence, the opportunity to present witnesses and a self-defense, as well as the ability to face one's accusers, the discipline process is a sham and the discipline is not recognized by God.

The Witness of the Church

Another important reason for disciplining a sinning member of the church is to preserve the testimony of the church before the world. If a member of a church is known in the community as a guilty of clear sin, the church must deal with that person. If the church fails to do so, those in the community will be able to justly criticize the church for allowing hypocrisy to continue.  Since hypocrisy in churches is a major "excuse" for unbelievers to avoid the church, no church lend credence to the idea that the churches are "full of hypocrites". By addressing sin swiftly, and disciplining and removing an unrepentant member, the church is at least showing the world they oppose hypocrisy in the church.

The Obedience to God's Word

Churches should be characterized by obedience to God's Word. Since Christ is the head of the church, his Word should be the rule by which all actions are governed. Since the Bible gives clear instruction regarding church discipline, its basis, process, and purpose, any church that does not follow these instructions cannot claim to be submitting to Christ as head of the church. Although almost all churches would claim to follow the Word of God, far less actually do. The area of church discipline is a clear indicator as to whether a church is truly concerned with purity, love, holiness, and obedience.