The Jews, The Greeks, And The Church Of God

by W. H. STEWART | Category: The Jews, The Greeks, And The Church Of God | Mar 1956

DISCIPLINE IN A CHURCH OF GOD.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, but this must not be interpreted as lawlessness. "God is not a God of confusion, but of peace; as in all the churches of the saints." There is law and order in all God's Universe, in all His works; and there is law and order in a church of God.

After God had shown in vision the form and details of His house to Ezekiel the prophet, He said to him, "Thou, son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, make known unto them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof, and write

it in their sight: that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof and do them. This is the law of the house:

upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold this is the law of the house" (Ezekiel 43.10-12). Such words as these make it abundantly plain that men must behave themselves in the house of God and conform to the laws of Him who dwells therein (1 Timothy 3.15).

THE CASE OF AN UNRULY MAN IN AN ASSEMBLY.

Suppose there is an unruly man in the assembly, a vain talker who persists in abusing the privilege and liberty of the Holy Spirit in ministry on the Lord's Day morning in unprofitable and vain talk, his mouth must be stopped. "Let the others discern" says the scripture. He should be told definitely that he cannot take part in ministry to the saints. That is the law of the house (Titus 1.10, 11). The character of the meeting must not be changed because some abuse the privilege and thus the many be brought into bondage because of one vain talker. Of course the discipline of the church can be relaxed on true repentance. But if the unruly man continues to flout the judgement of the church, then that man becomes one who is to be treated as a disorderly person.

THE CASE OF ONE WHO IS WALKING DISORDERLY.

A disorderly man is one who is not keeping in step with God's Word and therefore is not keeping in rank with his brethren. It is the duty of overseers to admonish-to put in mind; to reprove gently, such a person (1 Thessalonians 5.12-14). How thankful we should be for such godly reproof! and how sad to be in the position of the man of Psalm 142.4, "No man careth for my soul"! If the brother takes heed and mends his ways all is well. But if he continues in his waywardness then the assembly is told and they are commanded in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ to withdraw themselves from the brother that walketh disorderly. They have not to keep company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. This is internal discipline. At this stage he is not to be treated as an enemy or as an excommunicated one but is to be made to feel the wrong of his

disorderliness. (See 2 Thessalonians 3.6, 7, 14, 15). If after this he does not repent he may have to be brought under more severe condemnation.

THE CASE OF ONE WHO CAUSES DIVISIONS.

Scripture gives clear guidance as to this. "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them" (Romans 16.17). We are to have nothing to do with such or their company. They draw away the disciples after themselves They are not serving the Lord Christ. Their speech may be smooth and fair, and their arguments specious, but it is their own thoughts they propound: it is not God's Word. They are grievous wolves whose place is the wilderness.

THE CASE OF ONE OVERTAKEN IN A TRESPASS.

This brother has done wrong, not of the nature of those sins enumerated in 1 Corinthians 5.11. The sin has not been premeditated. In an unguarded moment the wrong caught up with him and overcame him and he fell. "Ye which are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness" (Galatians 6.1). Prayerful, sympathetic handling by one brother or two will restore such a case. It need not be brought before the church.

THE CASE OF ESTRANGEMENT BETWEEN TWO BRETHREN.

It is of the utmost importance with regard to blessing that estrangement is not allowed to continue between two persons in a church of God. According to Matthew 5.23-24; 18.15-17, whether you have sinned or supposed to have done so, or have been sinned against, the onus is upon you by God to go and get the matter put right with your brother. If such will not listen then take one or two witnesses and if he will not hear them, then tell it to the church. This last act can only be done in an orderly way through those who have been given the responsibility of rule in the assembly. If he will not hear the church then he is to be excommunicated. If a brother or sister will not be reconciled, then there is no place for such in a church of God.

EXCOMMUNICATION.

It is very solemn when the church is called upon to put away from among themselves a wicked person. This may be for moral sin or doctrinal sin, or for disorderliness in extreme form. As to moral sins these are enumerated in 1 Corinthians 5.11. "But now I write unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat." If Acts 10.28 be linked with Acts 11. 28 it will be seen that to eat with one is to join with him in fellowship. This is forbidden.

There is one aspect of this scripture that might be enlarged upon and that is the question of covetousness. Covetousness is to long after something which does not belong to you. If it is God's will, He will give it to you in His time, but to run before the Lord and covet, is sin, and this applies to many things.

God's word says that marriage has to be "only in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7.39). Now from 1 Thessalonians 5.12 it is evident that this expression "in the Lord" denotes a sphere in which there are overseers and refers to those gathered together in churches of God, owning Christ as Lord. If a person disobeys the injunction of marrying only in the Lord, then such an one has to be dealt with and put away from a church of God. The principle of separation as to marriage is not new to God's together people in the New Testament, but was enjoined upon His people in the old dispensation as well (Deuteronomy 7.8; 1 Kings 11.1, 2; Ezra 10. 1o~, 11).

As to doctrinal sin we have the case of men who made shipwreck concerning the faith, "Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom," says Paul, "I delivered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme" (1 Timothy 1.20). This scripture is similar to 1 Corinthians 5 8, where the apostle, in the Spirit, brought the sin to the notice of the church, which put away such a person from its midst.

Where mercy can be shown, mercy should be shown in matters of judgement, but never at the expense of truth.

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil" (Proverbs 16.6).

W. H. STEWART | Mar 1956
The Jews, The Greeks, And The Church Of God