Matthew 18 1-5 has Jesus being questioned by the disciples. They want to know who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. There happened to be a small child nearby, and Jesus called the child to Him. Jesus then told those listening, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus went on to say, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.” In Matthew 18: 6-10, Jesus has a severe warning to all present. Jesus tells people to be careful and not be overly judgmental of those who sin. Jesus wants everyone to know that He values everyone equally and loves us all. He compares us to sheep and says that He will leave those who are not in trouble to look for the one who is lost (in sin). Jesus wants us to be sin-free, and He celebrates every time one of us (His Sheep) is restored to believing in Him. Jesus wants us to have the same feelings and joy when we return someone to the faith.
The disciples then question what they should do about other people’s sins. We can imagine that they are all looking at each other and wondering how this conversation is going to end. In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus gives instructions on how this should be handled. Jesus says the first thing for the wronged person is to visit the sinful person and try to resolve the problem in a quiet and respectful way. Jesus then tells them about what should be done if the problem cannot be resolved privately. The wronged person should then find witnesses to the sinful person’s actions, visit the guilty party, and show proof. As we all know, many folks simply refuse to be shown their transgressions and will refuse to change their sinful ways. At this point in the days of Jesus, the immoral person would be carried in front of the church or local assembly. Suppose the perpetrator continued to deny guilt and was found guilty, and that person would be removed from the church and the community and treated as an outcast. At this point, we need to remember that God/Jesus wants us to forgive others their sins against us. This is another contradiction we find. Even if a person has sinned and been found guilty we should forgive that person in our heart. Their punishment should not be considered in our forgiveness. Jesus warns that God will do the same to those who do not forgive. John 14:15 tells us that those who do not forgive probably do not have a forgiven relationship with Christ.
Jesus is trying to show the importance and seriousness of leading a person into sin. He warns them not to despise or disrespect other believers, even those who are sinful. God promises that the believers in Jesus will not perish and will spend eternity with Him. God is the only one that can judge. We should not judge but attempt to bring those in sin back to being faithful and following Jesus.
We live in a time that is much different from the days of Jesus, but we have the same problems as they did. Arguably, we have more problems and more complicated situations to contend with. We have twenty-four-hour, seven-day-a-week news coverage on television and radio. It is hard to ignore and hide from the negative impact the constant bombardment causes. The people attending church are no exception, and many times, they allow the negative influences they experience in their everyday lives to interfere with their time at church. Today’s church is in the crosshairs of many organizations, cultural depravities, and evil intent. Unfortunately, many people would rather ignore problems in an attempt to keep the piece than try to face an issue. This, looking the other way, allows the problem to fester and worsen. “In the past, Baptists exercised strong patterns of discipline in church life; today, that is virtually non-existent. Therefore, when churches take less interest in the accountability side of church membership, individual church members must become more responsible for their own patterns of conduct and behavior.” (Deweese, n.d.) Most church members want to come to church, hear the message, visit with people of similar interests, go to lunch, and go home. These same people do not want to be concerned about negative issues that may affect the church but do not interfere with their personal lives. We must remember that church discipline is not an idea made up by man but an order from God. When Jesus tells us not to judge in Matthew, he doesn’t mean to rule out the correction of evil in the church. In First Corinthians 5:4, Paul was very serious with the Corinthian church when it instructed them to practice the teachings of Jesus. In the next verse 5:5, Paul could not be more straightforward: “You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” A Baptist theologian by the name of John L. Dagg once said, “When discipline leaves a church, Christ goes with it.” Dagg was born in the late 1700s and spent his entire life preaching, teaching, and studying the Baptist church. He retired as the President of Mercer University.
“A shepherd that won’t fend off the wolves will soon find his sheep consumed. Everything in our culture rages against any idea of correction or exclusion because it feels intolerant. But Christ means for his churches to be trained, exercised, and disciplined so that they will share in his holiness.” (Leeman, 2022) Every article on church discipline advises the church to use wisdom and care but address problems quickly and move slowly. We would not employ a schoolteacher who does not correct student errors; why would we allow our church to be consumed by not taking care of problems? Churches that do not practice discipleship will find themselves in turmoil.
Deweese, C. W. (n.d.). SPECIAL SERIES: BAPTIST HERITAGE AND THE 21ST CENTURY. Retrieved from Mercer University, The Center for Baptist Studies: http://www.centerforbaptiststudies.org/resources/heritageseries/bigissues.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20past%2C%20Baptists%20exercised%20strong%20patterns%20of,for%20their%20own%20patterns%20of%20conduct%20and%20behavior.
Leeman, J. (2022, 10 12). 10 Things You Should Know about Church Discipline. Retrieved from Crossway: https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-church-discipline/