Church discipline has gotten a pretty bad rap in the modern church. If we attempt to exercise it at all, it is supposedly a sign of our lack of love, and we are sternly warned that it will drive people 'out of the church.' But strangely enough, the people of Israel under Joshua are willing to respond directly and do whatever is necessary to either recover their brothers or 'purge out the leaven' from the lump by fighting if necessary when there are rumours that the tribes across the Jordan had turned away from following the Lord and obeying his commands regarding worship.
Is it possible then that church discipline might actually be a good thing? A necessary thing? Even perhaps, a loving thing? Is it also possible that it might really be an indispensible feature of the church without which the preaching of the gospel will be hamstrung?
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I was converted out of paganism and the occult in 1993 and while I was initially Charismatic/Arminian in my theology, I became Reformed and Presbyterian through bible study and the influence of ministries like Ligonier. After teaching in local bible studies, and taking seminary...
