Matthew 18:17 ~ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
I believe one of the distinguishing marks of the church lost to contemporary culture is church discipline. I believe church discipline plays a vital role in the church. More than having a crucial role, it is one of the true marks of the church. Wilhelmus À Brakel, commenting on the fourth distinguishing mark of the church to be the use of the keys of God’s Kingdom, states, “These keys must not be used independently, however, but in conjunction with all the other distinguishing marks; their correct use must be determined by the Word of God. If those who err in doctrine and lead offensive lives are excluded, while those who are orthodox in doctrine and godly in their walk are included, the keys are used correctly; and by this one will be able to identify the true church.”[1] I contend that church discipline is a ministry of the church and, as such, should reflect the same proper standard as the other means of grace. Suppose the pastor and elders of the church do not use this necessary means of grace and allow consistent or gross sin to fester in a covenant child’s life without any rebuke or correction. In that case, they do more harm to the church member than good and are not equipping the sheep thoroughly (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Obviously, in the counseling/confrontation sessions, the pastor should repeatedly confront the church member about their sin. However, when the covenant child continues to sin, Jesus admonishes us to tell it to the church (Matt. 18:17; Heb. 13:17). John MacArthur and Wayne Mack put it plainly concerning biblical counseling, “This is an important reason why biblical counseling is best done in the context of the local church (or at least in cooperation with it). Counseling outside of that lacks a certain measure of authority that resides in the leadership of the church.”[2] It is in the local church that individuals are to be publicly rebuked (2 Thess. 3;14, 1 Tim. 5:20), and the local church body should be exhorted to withhold fellowship from that person (2 Thess. 3:15).[3]
This process may seem harsh to some people. However, we must remember that discipline is never fun or enjoyable. Yet, the goal of church discipline is beautiful. The objective of the pastor and elders are first to foster restoration and reconciliation between the individual and God, and then between the individual and another person if needed. Again, Brakel reminds us, “The first option is the duty of the church. And everyone is obligated to do his utmost in this respect by approaching such a person in order to convict, rebuke, and warn in such a fashion, so as not to merely satisfy himself in having done his duty, but to bring the person who gives offense to repentance and cause him to forsake his offensive behavior” (emphasis mine).[4]
Some people may wonder why the pastor (or biblical counselor), who is obligated to keep pastor-parishioner discussions privileged information, needs to make certain sins public. There are two reasons. First, the Bible gives the protocol for handling sin among one another. Jesus teaches explicitly that we go to the individual in person (this is what the pastor/biblical counselor does in confrontation/sessions). If the covenant child refuses to repent then he is to “take another witness or two with you” (this is when the pastor/biblical counselor takes the person and their sin before the leadership of the church). And when those two steps fail to lead the counselee to repentance/restoration, the leadership is to tell the offense/transgression to the whole church (Matt. 18:15-20). Therefore, the pastor’s (or biblical counselor’s) first obligation is obedience to his Lord, Jesus Christ. The pastor must obey God first, even if that means breaking counselor-counselee privilege.
The second reason a counselee may need to be brought before the church for disciplinary measures involves the community life the counselee shares with their church. Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley note, “Perseverance is not an individual effort, but a community project. The epistle to Hebrews appeals to tempted believers to stand together against the forces that would draw them away from Christ. The church must exercise brotherly accountability and admonition” (Heb. 3:12-13).[5] Here is the beauty of church discipline, it allows the community of the bride of Christ to show her love for each other to the world (John 13:34-35). When church discipline is done lovingly, and I emphasize lovingly, it honors God’s name, assures the church’s purity, and reclaims and reconciles the offender. In essence, the pastor’s decision to get involved in church discipline tells the counselee, “I love you enough not to continue the sessions allowing you to continue in sin. And the church loves you enough to reclaim and keep you in the community. And Jesus loves you so much that he set this process in place for your benefit and sanctification. And I want to be a part of your restoration process.”
In conclusion, it should be noted that church discipline completed in the way described in this post provides hope to the counselee. Jay Adams wrote, “Because God has indicated that He does not want any loose ends in the church…. Every problem can be solved God’s way.”[6] Therefore because church discipline is a part of the church community as a means of grace, the pastor or biblical counselor uses church discipline as a tool in two ways. First, as a dynamic to get involved in the process of reconciliation. And secondly, as one tool or means that the Holy Spirit uses to bring about heart change in the sheep under his care.
[1] Wilhelmus À Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service in which Divine Truths concerning the Covenant of Grace are Expounded, Defended against Opposing Parties, and their Practice Advocated as well as The Administration of this Covenant in the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 1993), 36.
[2] John F. MacArthur, Jr. and Wayne A. Mack, Introduction to Biblical Counseling: A Basic Guide to the Principles and Practice of Counseling, (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 1994), 182, footnote 14.
[3] Ibid.
[4]Brakel, 79.
[5] Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology: Spirit and Salvation, v.3 (Wheaton: Crossway, 2021), 737
[6] Jay Adams, The Christian Counselor’s Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), 55.
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