His answer: In the narrowest sense, it is the act of excluding someone who professes to be a Christian from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Supper for serious unrepentant sin — sin they refuse to let go of. More broadly, church discipline is the act of excluding an individual who carelessly brings disrepute onto the gospel and shows no commitment to doing otherwise. Discipline helps the church to reflect God’s glorious character faithfully. It helps the church to remain holy.
"Why should we even care, let alone practice church discipline?" he asks.
Schmucker gives five reasons:
- God’s glory.
- The unrepentant sinner.
- The young believer.
- The steadfast Christian.
- The neighbors.
Schmucker summarizes: Sin in the church, left unaddressed, hurts our evangelism, leaves the proud unchecked, confuses young believers, hardens the unrepentant, and, worst of all, brings shame on the name of Christ.
Read the entire article. Better yet, subscribe to Tabletalk or try three months for free.
No comments:
Post a Comment