My parents can tell you that I was a curious child. I'm sure in fact that they would confirm both implications of the previous statement, but I want to focus on the questioning nature of a curious soul. My mother used to say I could ask the same question in 20 different ways. I did ask a lot of questions, and often those questions were the same question asked in different ways, because I wanted to make sure that I understood what was being said. Maybe it was because I was a bit thick sometimes, but I know that often I asked questions because I wanted to understand, well, everything.
I think that same principle animates most of us. Not that we realize that we want to know everything, but that we will not do that which we do not see the purpose to doing. For instance, to this day, I rarely make my bed, because I figure I'm going to get back into it anyhow, why bother making the sheets nice just so I can mess them up when I sleep? Besides, I figure leaving the sheets open in a bit of a tangle helps to air out the bed from where I was sleeping on it all night. But, if I know that I have a guest coming, or that, for whatever reason, someone may go into my room or see my bed, I'll take the time to make it, so as to keep a presentable room when necessary. (Fortunately I am married to a wonderful woman who thinks much the same as me in this area.)
I think this is the way most of us live. When we understand the purpose of something, we are willing to do it, we may even embrace an action that we find particularly meaningful. But, when we do not understand we are less willing to do what seems to be a hindrance. Sometimes we skip over what we think to be minor steps in an order of operations, and sometimes that is okay. But, sometimes what appears to be a small thing turns out to be a major thing. The problem is that we cannot understand everything, and sometimes we have to accept that what we are called to do we must do based on our faith in the one who has commanded it, and not based on our own wisdom and understanding.
I think that is what has happened with church discipline. There was a time when we understood that discipline was necessary, and was an integral part of our faith and our walk with God. Now a days, when people can simply go to any church and can move from place to place quickly, it seems more of a hindrance for a church to worry about discipline. However, if we understood how serious discipline really was, perhaps we would be willing to do it. Perhaps, if we understood how serious discipline is, we would embrace it as part of our culture once again.
I want to take a minute to explain what I mean by church discipline. To be honest, until I went to seminary, that term was not one I was familiar with. I belonged to what I have come to think of as the typical Southern Baptist church, one that did not practice church discipline, and had ceased to even teach on the subject at all. Thus I think there is perhaps a large portion of this generation of Christians (in America) who have no idea what church discipline is. I'll try and explain it briefly.
Church discipline, most narrowly conceived, is that process by which a church attempts to correct a wayward member. Usually this starts with one person confronting another with some specific and public sin. After that person has been confronted with this sin, if he refuses to repent and turn from his sin, whoever initially confronted him will bring others with them to confront the person again. After this second confrontation, if the person who has sinned still refuses to repent, then after an appropriate season of prayer, the matter will be brought before the congregation, and the whole congregation will then join in asking the person to repent (often this is done through letter from the congregation hand delivered to the person in question, if they refuse to come to the meeting arranged for this purpose). After this, if the person remains disobedient, the congregation will then move forward to discontinue fellowship with that person, basically saying that the person's continuous disobedience brings their salvation into question.
The last point here addresses the seriousness of church discipline carried through to its end on an unrepentant person. The goal is to make clear that the behavior of the person in question is such that it cannot be tolerated by the church, and that no Christian should willingly engage in this behavior. Therefore, the response of the church, if fellowship is withdrawn, is not that the church is saying, "We don't like you" instead the church is saying, "We cannot discern that you really are a Christian, and because we do not want you to be confusion as to your eternal state, we are going to treat you as a non-Christian, so that you may realize your need for Christ and repent of your sin." Discipline is thus the most loving thing a church can do, because discipline takes seriously the question of a person's eternal fate, and encourages people to examine themselves before God that they may know if they are condemned.
But, because of the very serious nature of discipline carried out this far, it ought not be done for light matters. For matters that can be shrugged off the church should bear with, and bear up, the weaker brother, so that his faith may be strengthened. Judgment ought to be reserved for matters of clear sin, not for petty arguments and complaints. Moreover, discipline ought only ever be done for matters of public sin. "He said, she said" arguments ought never go to the point of discipline, because the matter is private, and ought to be resolved privately.
But, church discipline should not really be that narrowly conceived. The fact is that discipleship is discipline. When we tell someone that God needs to be Lord of his life, and that God has certain ways he wants things done, then we are asking them to submit to church discipline. The goal is to get the person so disciplined in spiritual matters that he can go on to train and discipline others, creating a cycle of discipleship and discipline that glorifies God through many lives. Everything the church does, from encouraging prayer and bible reading, to practicing witnessing and faithful living, is discipline. That means that we need to always be open to rebuke, to correction, and to encouragement, in every aspect of our spiritual lives.
Hebrews says that our fathers punished us for a time as they saw fit, and that no man enjoys discipline while he is going through it. But, the end result of discipline is that a man is better prepared for life, discipline is good. Likewise Hebrews says our Father does the same for us, that he disciplines us for our good. Therefore, the teaching of Hebrews is that discipline from God, when rightly understood is for our benefit. Thus, though it is painful, we should embrace it, because it will bring us glory on the day that Christ is revealed.
Often I have read this verse and thought of the discipline that I have gone through in various trials and troubles in life. From learning to do with little do to unemployment and poverty, to learning to enjoy the simple of things of life through having possessions stripped away from me, I thought this was discipline. It has taken me a long time to realize that God does not just discipline through these events, but also through the church. Those who have come along beside me, my brothers who have prayed for me, my sisters who have shared with me, my family who has taught me and walked with me in good times and bad, they have been the discipline of God in my life, and that discipline has been good for me, and good to me.
Discipline, godly discipline, is good in every way. We ought to embrace discipline, training one another, correcting one another, loving one another enough to share not only in the good, but in the bad as well. We think of discipline as only the hard times when a brother or sister refuses our correction, and we forget that the one who hardens his back is the one who is not being disciplined, because he will not submit. We, who remain pliable clay in the hands of God, are the ones who are disciplined, and we find joy because of that discipline. Sometimes we must disassociate with someone, because we want to love the stubborn soul. Embrace discipline when it first comes upon you, and discipline others as well, because we are the tools of God, his hands and feet in performing his will here on earth.
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