An Individual’s Responsibility for Disciplining Brethren
By William W. Blue
Delivered Sunday, January 20, 2002
GOALS:
1. To emphasize each Christian’s individual responsibility in the realm of discipline; and
2. To focus our attention on who is our brother.
I. Opening Comments
A. Spring Warrior is a strong and sound congregation. In my opinion, it is as strong now as it has ever been since I have been a member.
B. Credit for the strength of Spring Warrior is due to the fact that Spring Warrior has strong elders.
C. Spring Warrior, however, isn’t perfect. No congregation is perfect.
D. One area where Spring Warrior needs improvement is the members’ over reliance on its elders in matters where individuals have personal responsibility, especially in matters of discipline.
E. Brethren are all too willing to leave all responsibility for enforcing discipline up to the elders.
II. Matthew 18:15-17
A. Although the context is dealing with the relationship between two brothers, and more specifically, where one brother has sinned against another, I submit that whenever discipline is to be enforced, adherence to the pattern set forth by Christ should be the rule and not the exception.
B. We owe it to the “sinning brother,” to verify the facts.
[Possible exceptions to following Matt. 18:15-17 may include: Titus 3:10 (when dealing with a divisive man), or 1 Tim. 519-20 (when dealing with sinning elders). Again, these are possible exceptions that are beyond the scope of our lesson today.]
C. Notice in verse 17, after the sinner refuses to hear the church that “you” are to treat the brother as a Gentile and a tax collector. You, not the church. Christ puts the emphasis on the individual.
D. What did Jesus mean by saying that we should consider the sinning brother a Gentile and a tax collector?
1. Jesus was speaking to the Jews. The Jews despised the Gentiles and tax collectors.
2. Illustration: We should consider sinning brethren today the same as the Jews treated Gentiles and tax collectors. We should not eat with them, keep their company, or otherwise socialize with them.
3. Illustration: In today’s terms, we should lawfully treat sinning brethren in the same way as many people unlawfully (from God’s point of view) treat people of color (blacks).
III. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO WITHDRAW – 2 Thess. 3:6
A. NKJV – “you withdraw from every” sinning brother.
B. KJV & ASV – “ye withdraw yourselves.”
C. Paul’s command is to the individual to withdraw. Hence, we have a personal responsibility to withdraw.
IV. WHAT IS WITHDRAWN?
A. Ourselves, 2 Thess. 3:6.
B. Our company, 2 Thess. 3:14.
C. Avoid (“ourselves again”), Rom. 16:17.
D. Do not eat (“our association”), 1 Cor. 5:11.
E. Consider a Gentile and a tax collector, Matt. 18:17.
[Notice that the Bible does not use the phrases “dis-fellowship,” or “withdraw fellowship.” Although these are Biblical concepts (Eph. 5:11), they are not Bible terms. ]
I believe we should not use these terms and phrases because they cause some to think of discipline in an inaccurate way. Our fellowship with our brethren is in Christ. Fellowship means to share; it is sometimes translated fellowship, and sometimes partner, partake, communion, etc. What do we share? Christ. We cannot withdraw Christ. (Notice that the sinner is still our brother after we withdraw ourselves, 2 Thes. 3:14.) If we could withdraw fellowship in the sense that some brethren think of it, we would be taking away from the church. We do not have the authority to take someone from the church anymore than we have the ability to add to the church.
When we discipline, we are withdrawing ourselves, our social associations. We cannot control whether someone is in fellowship with Christ, and hence, in fellowship with us, but we can control who we associate with.]
V. WHO DO WE WITHDRAW FROM?
A. Every brother, 2 Thess. 3:6.
B. Not the world, 1 Cor. 5:11.
VI. WHAT CONDUCT REQUIRES WITHDRAWAL?
A. Sexual and other forms of immorality, 1 Cor. 5:11.
B. Divisiveness, Rom. 16:17.
C. Any trespass, Gal. 6:1.
D. Wandering from the truth, James 5:19.
E. Sins against brethren, Matt. 18:15.
F. Disorderly conduct, 2 Thess. 3:6.
[I believe that we all understand that sin is sin. No sin is any more or less dangerous than any other sin. However, I believe we understand this better intellectually that we do in application. For example, consider what constituted “disorderly conduct” worthy of withdrawal in 2 Thess. 3:6-14. I submit that many brethren would consider the disorderly conduct in this passage trivial.]
VII. WHO IS MY BROTHER?
A. Anyone who is baptized into the body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12:13.
B. This must be the “one baptism” of Eph. 4:5. Thus, the baptism must meet the following requirements:
1. The person being baptized must be a penitent believer, Acts 8:37.
2. The baptism must be one of immersion in water.
3. It must be done for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38.
4. It must be done pursuant to the authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Matt. 28:19.
C. Thus, anyone who has become a member of the body is my brother regardless of whether:
1. They are faithful or not;
2. They have been withdrawn from or not;
3. They meet with my congregation or another congregation, even in another city of country; and
4. Whether I know them personally or not.
[APPLICATION: Obviously, all the brethren at Spring Warrior are my brethren, and I have a responsibility towards each of them. However, assume I move to Tallahassee, place membership with the Centerville Road congregation, continue to socialize with brethren from Spring Warrior, and then begin an immoral lifestyle. Who has a responsibility for disciplining me? Not the Spring Warrior congregation because the elders have no authority beyond their flock, 1 Pet. 5:2. However, those members of Spring Warrior that I continued associations with must discipline me. I cannot be “delivered to Satan” publicly in the Spring Warrior congregation (1 Cor. 5:1, 5 - note “gathered together,” and “among you”), but the brethren can note and withdraw themselves from me, 2 Thess. 3:6.]
VIII. PURPOSE OF DISCIPLINE
A. Shame the sinner, 2 Thess. 3:14.
B. Save the sinner, James 5:19-20.
C. Save the sinner & protect the church, 1 Cor. 5:5-8.
D. Protect yourself, Gal. 6:1.
[My citation to Gal. 6:1 for “protecting yourself” deserves further comment because my use of the Scripture may not be intuitive. When we know a brother is sinning, we are commanded to restore that individual. We should also consider ourselves, lest we are tempted, Gal. 6:1. I submit that part of what Paul is talking about is the possibility that if we will not take up our responsibility to restore our brethren then our lack of concern for our brethren could become a lack of concern for sin in our own lives. Notice that none of the passages cited in this sermon are discretionary; they are all commands. Thus, the failure to restore is a sin. A brother who does not restore someone who has fallen away has himself transgressed God’s law and may be beginning his own journey into apostasy.]
IX. CONCLUDING REMARKS
A. Discipline is hard; it is “advanced Christianity.”
B. Some brethren are unwilling to discipline other brethren because they claim they are concerned about the sinning brother’s feelings.
1. That is lie. They are really concerned about how they will feel if the sinning brother reacts in a negative way.
2. In essence, brethren who refuse to restore sinning brethren are more concerned about self, and their own feelings, than the soul and welfare of their brethren.
C. Discipline only works if it is enforced by all. If the erring brother sees that one of his brethren will not enforce discipline, he will simply gravitate to those brethren and continue his associations there.
D. If we truly love our brethren, church, and family, we will enforce discipline in the manner God prescribed.
By William W. Blue
Delivered Sunday, January 20, 2002
GOALS:
1. To emphasize each Christian’s individual responsibility in the realm of discipline; and
2. To focus our attention on who is our brother.
I. Opening Comments
A. Spring Warrior is a strong and sound congregation. In my opinion, it is as strong now as it has ever been since I have been a member.
B. Credit for the strength of Spring Warrior is due to the fact that Spring Warrior has strong elders.
C. Spring Warrior, however, isn’t perfect. No congregation is perfect.
D. One area where Spring Warrior needs improvement is the members’ over reliance on its elders in matters where individuals have personal responsibility, especially in matters of discipline.
E. Brethren are all too willing to leave all responsibility for enforcing discipline up to the elders.
II. Matthew 18:15-17
A. Although the context is dealing with the relationship between two brothers, and more specifically, where one brother has sinned against another, I submit that whenever discipline is to be enforced, adherence to the pattern set forth by Christ should be the rule and not the exception.
B. We owe it to the “sinning brother,” to verify the facts.
[Possible exceptions to following Matt. 18:15-17 may include: Titus 3:10 (when dealing with a divisive man), or 1 Tim. 519-20 (when dealing with sinning elders). Again, these are possible exceptions that are beyond the scope of our lesson today.]
C. Notice in verse 17, after the sinner refuses to hear the church that “you” are to treat the brother as a Gentile and a tax collector. You, not the church. Christ puts the emphasis on the individual.
D. What did Jesus mean by saying that we should consider the sinning brother a Gentile and a tax collector?
1. Jesus was speaking to the Jews. The Jews despised the Gentiles and tax collectors.
2. Illustration: We should consider sinning brethren today the same as the Jews treated Gentiles and tax collectors. We should not eat with them, keep their company, or otherwise socialize with them.
3. Illustration: In today’s terms, we should lawfully treat sinning brethren in the same way as many people unlawfully (from God’s point of view) treat people of color (blacks).
III. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO WITHDRAW – 2 Thess. 3:6
A. NKJV – “you withdraw from every” sinning brother.
B. KJV & ASV – “ye withdraw yourselves.”
C. Paul’s command is to the individual to withdraw. Hence, we have a personal responsibility to withdraw.
IV. WHAT IS WITHDRAWN?
A. Ourselves, 2 Thess. 3:6.
B. Our company, 2 Thess. 3:14.
C. Avoid (“ourselves again”), Rom. 16:17.
D. Do not eat (“our association”), 1 Cor. 5:11.
E. Consider a Gentile and a tax collector, Matt. 18:17.
[Notice that the Bible does not use the phrases “dis-fellowship,” or “withdraw fellowship.” Although these are Biblical concepts (Eph. 5:11), they are not Bible terms. ]
I believe we should not use these terms and phrases because they cause some to think of discipline in an inaccurate way. Our fellowship with our brethren is in Christ. Fellowship means to share; it is sometimes translated fellowship, and sometimes partner, partake, communion, etc. What do we share? Christ. We cannot withdraw Christ. (Notice that the sinner is still our brother after we withdraw ourselves, 2 Thes. 3:14.) If we could withdraw fellowship in the sense that some brethren think of it, we would be taking away from the church. We do not have the authority to take someone from the church anymore than we have the ability to add to the church.
When we discipline, we are withdrawing ourselves, our social associations. We cannot control whether someone is in fellowship with Christ, and hence, in fellowship with us, but we can control who we associate with.]
V. WHO DO WE WITHDRAW FROM?
A. Every brother, 2 Thess. 3:6.
B. Not the world, 1 Cor. 5:11.
VI. WHAT CONDUCT REQUIRES WITHDRAWAL?
A. Sexual and other forms of immorality, 1 Cor. 5:11.
B. Divisiveness, Rom. 16:17.
C. Any trespass, Gal. 6:1.
D. Wandering from the truth, James 5:19.
E. Sins against brethren, Matt. 18:15.
F. Disorderly conduct, 2 Thess. 3:6.
[I believe that we all understand that sin is sin. No sin is any more or less dangerous than any other sin. However, I believe we understand this better intellectually that we do in application. For example, consider what constituted “disorderly conduct” worthy of withdrawal in 2 Thess. 3:6-14. I submit that many brethren would consider the disorderly conduct in this passage trivial.]
VII. WHO IS MY BROTHER?
A. Anyone who is baptized into the body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12:13.
B. This must be the “one baptism” of Eph. 4:5. Thus, the baptism must meet the following requirements:
1. The person being baptized must be a penitent believer, Acts 8:37.
2. The baptism must be one of immersion in water.
3. It must be done for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38.
4. It must be done pursuant to the authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Matt. 28:19.
C. Thus, anyone who has become a member of the body is my brother regardless of whether:
1. They are faithful or not;
2. They have been withdrawn from or not;
3. They meet with my congregation or another congregation, even in another city of country; and
4. Whether I know them personally or not.
[APPLICATION: Obviously, all the brethren at Spring Warrior are my brethren, and I have a responsibility towards each of them. However, assume I move to Tallahassee, place membership with the Centerville Road congregation, continue to socialize with brethren from Spring Warrior, and then begin an immoral lifestyle. Who has a responsibility for disciplining me? Not the Spring Warrior congregation because the elders have no authority beyond their flock, 1 Pet. 5:2. However, those members of Spring Warrior that I continued associations with must discipline me. I cannot be “delivered to Satan” publicly in the Spring Warrior congregation (1 Cor. 5:1, 5 - note “gathered together,” and “among you”), but the brethren can note and withdraw themselves from me, 2 Thess. 3:6.]
VIII. PURPOSE OF DISCIPLINE
A. Shame the sinner, 2 Thess. 3:14.
B. Save the sinner, James 5:19-20.
C. Save the sinner & protect the church, 1 Cor. 5:5-8.
D. Protect yourself, Gal. 6:1.
[My citation to Gal. 6:1 for “protecting yourself” deserves further comment because my use of the Scripture may not be intuitive. When we know a brother is sinning, we are commanded to restore that individual. We should also consider ourselves, lest we are tempted, Gal. 6:1. I submit that part of what Paul is talking about is the possibility that if we will not take up our responsibility to restore our brethren then our lack of concern for our brethren could become a lack of concern for sin in our own lives. Notice that none of the passages cited in this sermon are discretionary; they are all commands. Thus, the failure to restore is a sin. A brother who does not restore someone who has fallen away has himself transgressed God’s law and may be beginning his own journey into apostasy.]
IX. CONCLUDING REMARKS
A. Discipline is hard; it is “advanced Christianity.”
B. Some brethren are unwilling to discipline other brethren because they claim they are concerned about the sinning brother’s feelings.
1. That is lie. They are really concerned about how they will feel if the sinning brother reacts in a negative way.
2. In essence, brethren who refuse to restore sinning brethren are more concerned about self, and their own feelings, than the soul and welfare of their brethren.
C. Discipline only works if it is enforced by all. If the erring brother sees that one of his brethren will not enforce discipline, he will simply gravitate to those brethren and continue his associations there.
D. If we truly love our brethren, church, and family, we will enforce discipline in the manner God prescribed.
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