More than 150 years ago, Baptist pastor John Dagg wrote, “When discipline leaves a church, Christ goes with it.” Dagg recognized that neglecting discipline undermines the credibility of a church’s witness. When unrepentant sin festers among those who profess Christ’s name, the church begins to misrepresent the gospel.
Scripture, therefore, calls churches to exercise discipline (e.g. Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5). Discipline safeguards the integrity of their gospel testimony and the purity of their membership.
However, the practice of discipline is fraught with challenges. It involves a significant investment of pastoral time and energy. It can be difficult, messy, upsetting, and potentially divisive. For this reason, churches may be inclined to shy away.
But practicing church discipline isn’t optional. Why? Well, first of all, because Scripture commands it. But there’s another reason I want to focus on in this article. We practice church discipline because it’s a necessary implication of the biblical doctrine of sanctification.
In fact, church discipline is a God-given means of growing his people in holiness. It seeks the good of the sinner, the building up of the church, and the glory of God. Understanding how the doctrine of sanctification underpins church discipline can encourage us toward
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