Carol Swenson
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The Handbook of Bible Application
DISCIPLINE (Correction, Practice, Training)
SELF-DISCIPLINE
How does God help us with self-discipline?
BIBLE READING: Hebrews 12:1-13
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? (Hebrews 12:7, niv)
God allows some things to happen to us in order to train us. Who loves his child more—the father who allows the child to do what will harm him, or the one who corrects, trains, and even punishes the child to help him learn what is right? It’s never pleasant to be corrected and disciplined by God, but his discipline is a sign of his deep love for us. When God corrects you, see it as proof of his love and ask him what he is trying to teach you.
Our response to discipline will determine how much we benefit from it. We may respond to discipline in several ways: (1) we can accept it with resignation; (2) we can accept it with self-pity, thinking we really don’t deserve it; (3) we can be angry and resent God for it; or (4) we can accept it gratefully as the appropriate response toward a loving Father.
God is more loving and demanding than any parent. God is not only a disciplining parent but also a demanding coach who pushes us to our limits and requires our life to be disciplined. Although we may not feel strong enough to push on to victory, we will be able to obtain it as we follow Christ and draw upon his strength. Then we can use our growing strength to help those around us who are weak and struggling.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE
How does the Bible describe the use of discipline in the church?
BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
KEY BIBLE VERSE: What a terrible thing it is that you are boasting about your purity and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don’t you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be affected? (1 Corinthians 5:6, tlb)
The Bible gives directions for caring discipline within the church. The church must discipline flagrant sin among its members—such actions, left unchecked, can polarize and paralyze a church. The correction, however, should never be vengeful. Instead, it should be given to help bring about a cure. There was a specific sin in the church, but the Corinthian believers had refused to deal with it. In this case, a man was having an affair with his mother (or stepmother), and the church members were trying to ignore the situation. Paul was telling the church that it had a responsibility to maintain the standards of morality found in God’s Word. God tells us not to judge others. But he also tells us not to tolerate flagrant sin because it is a dangerous influence on other believers (5:6).
Discipline may involve shunning a person until there is repentance. To “cast” this man “into Satan’s hands” means to exclude him from the fellowship of believers. Without the spiritual support of Christians, this man would be left alone with his sin and Satan, and perhaps this emptiness would drive him to repentance. Putting someone out of the church should be a last resort in disciplinary action. It should not be done out of vengeance but out of love, just as parents punish children to correct them. The church’s role should be to help, not hurt, the offender, motivating him to repent of his sins and to return to the fellowship of the church.
BIBLE READING: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so bitter and discouraged that he won’t be able to recover. Please show him now that you still do love him very much. (2 Corinthians 2:7-8, tlb)
Church discipline must include the opportunity for confession and restoration. Paul explained that it was time to forgive the man who had been punished by the church and had subsequently repented. He needed friendship and comfort. Satan would gain an advantage if they permanently separated this man from the congregation rather than forgiving and restoring him. This may be the man who had required the disciplinary action described in 1 Corinthians 5 or the chief opponent of Paul who had caused him the anguish described in this passage. The sorrowful letter taken by Titus had finally brought about the repentance of the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 7:8-14), and their discipline of the man had led to his repentance. Church discipline should seek restoration. Two mistakes in church discipline should be avoided—being too lenient and not correcting mistakes, or being too harsh and not forgiving. There is a time to confront and a time to comfort.
Church discipline requires humility. We use church discipline to help keep the church pure and to help wayward people repent. But Satan tries to harm the church by tempting it to use discipline in an unforgiving way. This causes those exercising discipline to become proud of their purity, and it causes the person who is being disciplined to become bitter and perhaps leave the church entirely. We must remember that our purpose in discipline is to restore a person to the fellowship, not to destroy him or her. We must be cautious that personal anger is not vented under the guise of church discipline.
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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