Humbly Restored to God and His Church

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.
(2 Corinthians 2:5-8 ESV)

Though it may seem a completely unloving thing to put someone out of the fellowship of the church, Jesus commanded us to do this when someone refuses to repent of his or her sin… In reality, since Jesus commanded it, it would be unloving not to do it.

Wayne Mack, To Be or Not To Be a Church Member, Calvary Press, 2004, p. 70.

One of the most difficult realities in the life of the church is to exercise its God-given authority to implement church discipline. Sometimes, it may lead to the complete removal and excommunication of the unrepentant brethren from the membership.

The purposes of church discipline are:

1. To punish sin and stimulate repentance (2 Cor 2:6-7)
2. To warn other members against the sin being disciplined (1 Tim 5:20)
3. To preserve the church’s testimony (1 Cor 5:6)
4. To uphold God’s Name in this world (Ti 2:5-8, Rom 2:23-24)
5. To protect the church (Rev 2:5, 15, 3:7-13)

It is painful and heartbreaking. But the church’s ultimate commitment is to obey her Master’s clear mandate to preserve her purity. Our pastor once said, “An Undisciplined church will not endure the hour of testing.”

“Church discipline restores the honor of God, strengthens the testimony of the church, protects the church from further sin, and reminds the rest of the church of their propensity toward sin and the consequences of such sin. Churchs must also be willing to receive those who repent into the membership of the church. While there may be careful deliberation, the church must recognize the beauty of redemption and the point of discipline and thus receive a repentant person into their midst.”

Jeremy Kimble, 40 Questions ABout Church Membership and Discipline. eBook. Ch. 8

In God’s marvelous ways, our church with the LORD’s guidance has restored two sinners to the membership. It is a beautiful sight to witness God’s gracious work in the lives of our two brethren.

This humbling restoration simply proves that none is beyond the reach of God’s grace through the perfect righteousness and blood of Christ. God works powerfully and He is in the business of calling His people back home.

Our hearts are encouraged, strengthened, and edified. What a joy! What a blessing.

To God be the glory!