The theme of 1 Corinthians 5 is that of church discipline. This is a hard subject for churches to face, and it is a hard subject to put into practice. Yet, one of the effects of systematic teaching through books of the Bible is that we do eventually come to such passages and, therefore, need to deal with them. Certainly, we need God’s wisdom in each case of discipline that comes along. What can sometimes make discipline cases even harder than they already are is when the person believes that their moral or ethical misbehavior is a private thing, and is really none of the church’s business. If we are inclined to think that way, we need to study this chapter because Paul says quite the opposite. It is the business of the church and, moreover, it reflects more on the church than it does on the individual if the church fails to deal with the sin.
We are faced with two problems in this matter of church discipline in our time. One is the disposition to take it too lightly. Perhaps the elders are finding it difficult to get an accurate account of what actually happened, and so they are unsure of how to go forward. Or maybe they are afraid of what might happen to the church when something that was not known by most people in the church now becomes public. They might also fear that exposure will make the person leave the church, which might make any further progress in the matter impossible.
The other problem is the disposition to overdo it, which unfortunately is also true in some Christian circles. What often happens in certain settings is that the leadership of the church takes on a great deal of involvement in the particular affairs of the members and sometimes exercises what I would regard as an unbiblical oversight over the membership. It has happened already where a board of elders wanted someone in the church to do certain things that was not the wisest course of action. And when others involved felt the same, the person in question was disciplined for not doing what the elders directed. In one particular case, after the person did leave that church, the elders even contacted the person’s new church and asked them to honor the discipline they had imposed. I think that is utterly out of hand. That sort of thing just should not be done. The way to deal with these kinds of church problems is to search out the principles that we have in Scripture, some of which Paul articulates in 1 Corinthians.
This is an important chapter because it is the only significant and clear example of a case of church discipline in the New Testament. Now I want to acknowledge that there are other passages in the New Testament that deal with discipline. One of the key texts is Matthew 18, in which the Lord Jesus Christ gives the procedure to be followed in the company of His people if a brother commits a wrong. If a brother has done something wrong, the proper thing to do is to go to him and admonish him. If the person will not acknowledge the offense, repent of it, and seek reconciliation, then one is to take two or three witnesses and go and confront him with the events in order that, as the Old Testament lays out, every word might be established. But if even that kind of a confrontation does not correct the situation, then the problem is to be told to the church. And, finally, if there is still no repentance at that point, the offending one is to be treated as an outsider.
