GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
Discipline in a New Testament Baptist Church
By Jim Murriner
Mt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
In that there is a need for the church to teach all things which Christ gave us, and commanded us, and in that pastors are to teach the word, and in doing so, he is to reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering, there is then a need that churches are taught to expect a clean life of those who are members of the body.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
As we look at this study, we are to understand that the membership first of all must have a great love for one another.
John 13:34 ; John 15:12 ; John 15;17 ; 1Peter 1:22 ; 1John 3:11
We are to walk in love. This means that our conduct is to be governed by love.
Eph. 5:2
We are to speak truth, but do it in love.
Eph 4:15
What ever we do in His Church we are to do it in love.
Phil 1:23
It is difficult to imagine what it would be like to live in a society where citizens could flaunt the rules and absolutely no consequences would follow – no fines, no imprisonment, etc.?
Can you conceive of a home environment where the children are allowed to do whatever they please with utterly no discipline imposed? Total chaos would reign in either of these instances.
Yet, there are countless churches of the Lord Jesus Christ across our land where little, if any, discipline of the wayward is ever enacted. Is it any wonder that our churches are weaker today than they have ever been?
The scriptures are very clear that The Lord's Church is to keep itself pure.
Mt. 18:15 - 17
This verse also shows us that the church did indeed exist prior to the day of Pentecost.
Too often today our churches are condemning of those without, those in our communities, the lost around us, who have no spiritual life, and therefore cannot do the will of God. We however are not judges of the lost world around us but of the assembly in which the Lord has placed us.
1Cor. 5:12 - 13 Romans 15:14
There are many other scriptures that teach, as Matt. 18:15 -17 that the church is to discipline its membership.
Romans 16:17-18 ; 1Cor. 5:1 -13 2Thess. 3:6 ; Titus 3:8 - 11