Nobody likes to be disciplined, whether by our earthly father or our heavenly Father, especially if the chastisement is severe and sorrowful. However, is discipline an act of the mercy of God?
1 Corinthians 5:3-5
For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:20
Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
Today, many believers disagree, or have cognitive dissonances, with what Apostle Paul did in delivering church members over to Satan to teach them a lesson for disobedience. Many church leaders will also baulk at such discipline, citing “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13) or “do not judge so that you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1) as their basis.
Yet, Paul judged and exercised discipline in the churches that he oversaw.
Is church discipline counter-culture in the church today? Would you have agreed with, or submitted to, Paul’s discipline if you were present in his churches then? Or would you respond like Korah and company after Moses ordered the stoning of a man breaking Sabbath?
Numbers 16:1-3
Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown. They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
So, was Paul overly harsh, unmerciful, and unloving? Did he misrepresent the mercy of God? Did he not have the Father’s heart? Did he not know what Jesus said about judging?
Quite the contrary, as even Apostle John called out and exposed publicly the deeds of Diotrephes in the church, first by letter, and then possibly in person.
3 John 9-10
I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.
Oh, what about Apostle Peter, who did not even give a chance to Ananias and Sapphira to explain themselves?
Acts 5:1-11
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.
So, why did Paul, John, and Peter exercise church discipline?
Church discipline is an act of the mercy of God; for not only will it protect saints of good morals in the church from bad company (c.f. 1 Corinthians 15:33), it may also lead to the salvation of the disciplined / excommunicated person should he repent after suffering under the father of the sin which he so loves and perpetuates, especially if the opportunity to repent is given by God.
Indeed, “foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child (or immature man); the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15) Thus, discipline is an act of the mercy of God upon His people who are immature, foolish, obstinate, or persistent in sinning.
Think about it for a minute from the perspective of the disciplined / excommunicated person. There would be a big difference between being under the authority and covering of the church, and being under the authority and covering of Satan, the father of disobedience. For him, the chasm was like heaven and hell on earth.
Despite its imperfections, the church in Corinth was the house of God, the portal of heavenly activities and fellowship, that he would starkly miss the moment he was excommunicated, just like how Adam and Eve was excommunicated from Eden.
After suffering in “waterless places”, will he not come to his senses and say, “How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight,” like the prodigal son? (Luke 15:17-18)
The church, as the house of God, is an awesome place on earth (c.f. Genesis 28:17). As such, the heavenly stature and manifestations of the church magnify the mercy and blessing of God towards His people on earth.
Matthew 18:15-18 (LEB)
“Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take with you in addition one or two others, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church also, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.”
As far as Jesus is concerned, an excommunicated person would no longer be a part of the community of God’s people, but would be considered as an uncircumcised Gentile and sinner of the world. This is a serious matter, as that person would no longer share the salvific benefits or inherit the promises of the covenant of Abraham. This is literally a heaven-and-hell difference in spiritual experience for the excommunicated person, even if he walks into another church, unless he repents; that is, if repentance is still available to him (c.f. Hebrews 10:26-29; 12:16-17).
So, as the tabernacle and camp of God in the Spirit (c.f. Numbers 9:15-23), the gates of the church are the gateways of heavenly covering. He who runs into it will be covered by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night; yet to him who is excommunicated from the camp, the cold, dark, and waterless places of the wilderness outside the commonwealth of God’s people will be his abode.
Today, do we see or experience such apostolic authority and heavenly covering over the church that distinctly separates itself from the world?
God is about to restore such distinctiveness of the church, as it displays the holiness, sanctification (or separateness), and mercy of God towards those who are His own.
Hold this thought for a moment, and let us continue to look at church discipline, and how it is an act of the mercy of God.
As we can see from above, church discipline was executed in the Spirit, by the apostolic authority and decisive responsibility of Paul in expression of the Father’s heart, with the power of Jesus Christ, in the presence of the assembly of the church. In such a scenario, whatever they bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever they loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (c.f. Matthew 16:19).
1 Corinthians 5:11-13
But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
Church discipline is the delegated responsibility and authority of God the Father to judge and remove so-called brothers who are not of the same nature of faith as the Firstborn Son from His household, so that “God is not ashamed to be called their God” (Hebrews 11:16).
So, governing elders and ministry leaders of churches must learn to righteously judge and blamelessly enforce discipline within the church if certain members perpetuate sins in their lives, so that the persistent sins of a few will not hinder the whole church, like Achan did (c.f. Joshua 7:16-26). In this light, judgment and discipline are the delegated acts of the merciful God in and through the “ekklesia” before the holy God acts (c.f. Numbers 12:14-15).
Hebrews 12:7-11
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
… On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Discipline is defined as the practice of training people to obey rules or live by a code of behaviour, using chastisement if necessary.
Apart from applying discipline to train others, like a father to his children or a church to its members, we can also apply discipline to train ourselves, like applying personal discipline for the purpose of training in godliness.
Thus, discipline is not chastisement, though it may include chastisement. Discipline is a training and development process for maturation and conformance according to a set of desired behavioural outcomes, while chastisement is “a severe criticism or punishment” (as defined by Cambridge Dictionary) to be meted out if and when a bad behaviour warrants it.
For example, “the rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother” (Proverbs 29:15). The development process of discipline is to train up the child in the way he should go, so that he will not depart from it, and thus bring shame to his mother, even when he is old (c.f. Proverbs 22:6). Yet, at times, chastisement with the rod and strong reproof may be required in the training and development processes to mature the child.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
So, the end goal of the maturation process of discipline, which includes exhorting, encouraging, imploring, and chastising where necessity dictates, is that “you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory”, according to the Father’s holy nature, moral character, righteous justice, sovereign will, and good pleasure.
With this understanding of discipline and chastisement, we can now categorise the severe judgment of Paul on the unnamed church member in Corinth, and on Hymenaeus and Alexander, as the application of the rod of chastisement in the development process of training, disciplining, and maturing the church. Such processes can also be seen being applied often by God on Israel through the ministry of Moses.
Proverbs 13:24
He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
Discipline is applied by the Father for the purpose of sanctifying (or purifying) the sons of God, with a view to having sons share the holiness of God in the image of the firstborn Son. In other words, the discipline of the Father seeks to produce in His sons the godliness of Christ that holds the promise for the present life and for the life to come.
With this intent, the discipline of the Father is certainly the mercy and love of God towards His sons for the good of His sons, even though it may seem harsh and sorrowful on those who refuse such discipline, that is, those who prefer to be illegitimate children rather than legitimate sons.
Click on the link to read more about What Holds the Promise for the Present Life and the Life to Come.
Malachi 3:2-4
“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.”
The discipline of the Father is synonymous with the Refiner’s fire and Fuller’s soap, as they seek to refine the purity of gold and remove the dross of silver. Indeed, God is intent on removing all the impurities of sin in the flesh of His sons through discipline, and refine them by fiery proving until they reflect the image of His holy face without spot or blemish, just like the image of His firstborn Son.
In other words, God is disciplining the incarnational body of Christ, which is the church, until it shares the holy image and likeness of the incarnate body of Christ, so that we “may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness”, spotless and blameless, for only then will the offerings of our lives be pleasing unto the LORD.
If discipline that “yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” – such that we can have true reconciliation, peace, and rest in the house of God as legitimate sons – is not the mercy and good pleasure of the LORD towards us, then what is?
As we can see by now, discipline is the quintessential disciple-making process that every church must adopt so that every member is a true disciple of Christ embodying the image of Christ for the building up of the body of Christ.
A church without discipline is a social club, performance auditorium, or servicing centre, not a house of God, body of Christ, and temple of the Holy Spirit.
Proverb 19:27
Cease listening, my son, to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
2 Chronicles 15:3
For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.
For many years, the “ekklesia” called Israel was without discipline. When there was no teaching priest teaching and judging by the laws and commandments of God like Moses, the people strayed from true faith and true knowledge to believe and practice whatever were right in their own sight. Being lawless and individualistic, they were a law to themselves. Hence, even though they labelled themselves as Israel of YHVH by name, and thought YHVH was pleased with them since they were Abraham’s descendants, the Spirit testified that they were actually without the true God who is YHVH, thus making them other god’s people in reality.
2 Chronicles 15:8-15
Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD which was in front of the porch of the LORD. He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. They sacrificed to the LORD that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and soul; and whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. Moreover, they made an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns. All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.
When King Asa heard the words of the Spirit which Azariah spoke, he “took courage” (great courage indeed) to institute great reforms and implement strict discipline across the whole land of Judah and Benjamin (that’s how ‘mega’ his “southern church” was). Instead of losing members to the “northern church”, his “southern church” gained members from them because “they saw that YHVH his God was with him”. So, through the reforms and discipline, “YHVH gave them rest on every side”.
Reformation begins with discipline, be it in the church, society, or nation.
Ephesians 4:11-13
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Galatians 1:8-9
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
A church without practicing the discipline of the Father will not be able to build up the body of Christ because members, being mostly individualistic, will be unrestrained to believe in gospels and practice lifestyles that are contrary to the true faith and true knowledge of the Son of God, thus resulting in the lack of true unity and maturity among members, which in turn hinder the body of Christ from attaining to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Church discipline unites the practice of faith in the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God, and harnesses the synergy of diversity in the one body, to express the unity that exists between the Father and the Son (c.f. John 17:11-21).
Whether it was through the Father’s discipline delegated to Paul or Moses, Peter or Asa, God is always in the business of restoring the image of God in man, that is, the image of man when Adam was created in the image of God (c.f. Genesis 1:26-28), so that man can represent God and His Son to rule and subdue the earth according to the Edenic mandate.
Is the inability of the church to “attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” an act of the mercy of God?
If our answer is “no”, then church discipline, that is, teaching and training people to obey all the commandments of Christ, live by all the truths of the Spirit, and work for all the good pleasures of God, using chastisement if necessary, is the required act in the life and processes of the church.
Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
Only discipline – the rod of discipline if necessary – can remove the foolishness that is bound up in the hearts and minds of immature or carnal persons, and bring lasting transformation in their lives.
Only true church discipline has what it takes to set and guide everyone from the broad way that leads to destruction, to the narrow way that leads to life, for there are few who find it (c.f. Matthew 7:13-14).
Love and mercy without judgment and discipline are not true love and true mercy because they short-change us of the designs of God and intents of the Father for the house of God and body of His Son.
So, church discipline is a lot more than the work of a discipline-master; it is the work of a “wise master builder” (1 Corinthians 3:10) who oversees and builds up the church.
Vindication of Church Discipline
2 Corinthians 10:5-6
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
Deuteronomy 28:13-14
The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe [Lit. keep and do] them carefully, and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
When a church diligently applies the maturation process of discipline into its life and culture, the end product will be complete, or perfect, obedience towards God in all its keeping and doing, both individually and collectively. Whenever that happens, this church will be ready to punish all disobedience in the world.
Thus, this church will be the head and not the tail, and it will only be above and not underneath, across the mountains of the nations of the world. Surely, this church will be an instrument of great tribulation against Satan and the works of his hosts of darkness on earth, especially in the last days!
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
Most assuredly, this holy vindication of our complete obedience, wrought by the process of discipline, is the true mercy and grace of God upon our lives.
Starting Point of Church Discipline
Now that we have understood the purpose and potential of church discipline as designed and delegated by God, and how the apostles had exercised such discipline as acts of the mercy of the Father towards His legitimate sons, let us now return to where we left off earlier.
As we have mentioned earlier, in this reformation of the church that is at hand, God is about to restore the apostolic authority and heavenly covering over the church that will distinctly separate the church from the world, to the end that the church will display the holiness, sanctification, and mercy of God towards His own, in the last days.
The starting point of this reformation is church discipline.
Yet, as we have read in Malachi 3 earlier, church discipline must begin with “sons of Levi”, that is, governing elders and ministry leaders of the church, before church discipline can be truly and accurately implemented to the rest of “Judah and Jerusalem”, that is, the members of the church. In fact, almost the entire prophetic message of Malachi was dedicated to rebuking the priests among His people. This is the ordained order of God for His household to endure the fiery days of the Refiner’s fire leading to “the day of His coming”.
As church discipline must be exercised through Christ-imaging overseers bearing the Father’s heart with proven accuracy in the Spirit of truth and Word of truth, the coming reformation of the church must begin with the discipline of governing elders, including senior pastors, and ministry leaders who oversee and lead the people, else church discipline would become carnal and unjust, and thus bring disrepute to the delegated authority of the Father.
In other words, the disciple-making process of the church must begin with the disciple-making of the disciple-makers. Anybody can preach, facilitate a small group, or do ministry work, but it takes a true disciple of Christ to make a disciple of Christ. It takes someone with Christ formed in them to form Christ in others (c.f. Galatians 4:19).
So, where does the church start? This is where Paul’s letters to Timothy will enlighten us.
Since it is impossible to cover everything here, I will just present the principal starting point.
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
“In the beginning was the Word“. The Word of God is the beginning of all reformation, and the reference for all discipline. Apart from the Word, nothing can come into being.
The starting point of the incarnation of the “second Adam”, the Christus Victor who would come to bring definitive and universal reformation to the “first Adam” humankind, was the Word.
Even the Protestant Reformation began with Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-Five Theses (limited as they might be) on the door of the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) in Wittenberg, Germany.
Therefore, apart from the authority of the Word of truth and truth of the Spirit, no true reformation can be birthed, no true discipline can be implemented, and no true chastisement can be executed.
2 Timothy 2:15, 19
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth… the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain [“aphistēmi” or to lead away, to depart] from wickedness [“adikia” or unrighteousness, injustice, wrongdoing].”
So, this reformation of church discipline starts with the foundational requirement that every governing elder and ministry leader must handle the word of truth accurately, and depart from wickedness, unrighteousness, injustice, or wrongdoing actively in the sight of God and His people, so that God can approve them as workmen who do not need to be ashamed before Him and before His people.
They must be “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), and keep “increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” (Luke 2:52), just like Jesus in the days of His flesh.
They must be “men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3), proven to bear the mind of Christ, know the heart and thoughts of God, appraise all things with divine wisdom, and speak spiritual thoughts with spiritual words taught by the Spirit, in their ministrations (c.f. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16).
When we restore the discipline of the Father and chastisement of the Refiner’s fire into the life and processes of the church, starting with governing elders and ministry leaders, we will restore the fear of the Lord in the house of God, the respectability and proper functioning of leadership in the body of Christ, and the sanctification of godliness among the people in the temple of the Holy Spirit.
This list of attainments for leadership development and discipline in the church goes on, but one thing is clear: God must approve the discipline of His “priesthood” before God will delegate the discipline of the Father over His people to them.
However, I am not saying that we must have perfect governing elders and ministry leaders before we can exercise church discipline. As long as they are mature, respectable, quick to repent, not self-seeking, and proven sons of the house operating within a multitude of counsel, they can be released to exercise discipline accountably within their areas of ministration. Simply put: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and we must know whom the Lord knows as His legitimate and mature sons through their fruits.
Much more can be said, but let us conclude here.
Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
Church discipline is critical and profitable for us to accomplish all that the Father has designed for us according to the merciful and kind intention of His will which He purposed in Christ Jesus.
As such, it is inaccurate to think that my journey in the faith is solely between me and God, and the Spirit and me, without the need for local church, church leaders, and church discipline telling me what to do or constraining my freedom in the Spirit. Much can be discussed in this area with due consideration to their root causes, but based on biblical order and Paul’s pattern in appointing elders for the disciples in every church (c.f. Acts 14:23), it suffices for now to point out this inaccurate conviction.
Therefore, let us embrace the discipline of the Father, even the discipline of those whom the Father has delegated as our overseers, so that all of God’s merciful intents will come to pass in our generation, and our churches will be transformed from glory to glory, just like the glorious measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ’s body on earth, to the praise of the glory of His grace in the last days.
Post-Script
Church discipline is for all the reasons as stated above, and more that may not have been stated here, but none of these reasons shall include self-seeking agenda, heretic propagation, religious megalomania, and political control that hold captive God’s people within the organisation through undue fear arising from threats of divine punishment or curse (i.e. lack of blessings) if the people deviate from its code of behaviour. Such is not the discipline of the Father’s heart in the Spirit of truth. Flee from such a false church, and then let God plant you in a true house of God.
Please read the following posts in this prophetic series for the church:
What Holds the Promise for the Present Life and the Life to Come
Tribulation, Rapture, and the Enduring Triumph of the Church
It is Finished, and It is Finishing!
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