Church Discipline

by Wayne Yancey

May 15, 2005

Discipline:  Failure to follow rules

• Lowering our standards results in discipline problems
• Discipline stops damaging behavior

Trends leading to lack of discipline:

• Open-mindedness leads to there being no absolute truth.
• Total acceptance leads to tolerance of sin.
• Privacy leads to a permissive attitude toward sin.

In the church, Corinth needed to discipline a brother.  They did so and were commended.

Christ's plan for discipline has two purposes: remove sin from the church and to restore an erring brother or sister.

The plan is:

• Go to the brother privately to restore, not to condemn.
• Go to the brother with two or three others.
• Make the matter known to the church.
• Restore the soul or
• Withdraw.