Shall We Dare to Discipline? (Part One)

by Russell M. Kline

 

For a long time, in the late twentieth century, psychologists told the parents our nation's children that it is wrong to provide them with corrective discipline. At first, "experts" urged parents not to practice corporal punishment with their children, arguing that it is abusive. Then, there arose some doctors who argued that parents ought not to discipline their children at all, because it may be damaging to them, emotionally. Today, however, there are many psychologists who are refuting these points of view, because they have finally learned what the Bible has taught all along: "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Pro. 29:15). People like Dr. James Dobbson are now recognizing the fact that children need structure and discipline in their lives, if they are ever to grow up to be productive, well-adjusted adults, and they are urging parents everywhere to "Dare to Discipline" their children.

 

Within the body of Christ, there are those who assert that the church ought not to discipline its unfaithful members, arguing that such actions do not work. It has been my personal observation that one of the reasons why church discipline is thought to fail is that it is never really given a chance to succeed, in the first place. Many congregations in our brotherhood do not "do" church discipline, because of certain popular misconceptions about it. In this monograph, I shall endeavor to address some of the dubious assertions that often hinder brethren from carrying out the Lord's command to withdraw fellowship from those who are out of line with the teachings of God's holy Word (II The. 3:6).

 

 

Hebrews 12:4-13 is a passage of Scripture, which clearly shows that God can and often does "chastise" His children. Chastisement from our Heavenly Father may come to us in different ways (Heb. 12:5), but the reason why it comes to us at all is because of His great love for us (Heb. 12:6). Those who would charge that church discipline is cruel and unloving do not have a right understanding of its purpose. I Corinthians 5:5 states that the ultimate purpose of refusing to "keep company" with brethren who are steeped in sin is "that the spirit might be saved." The point of the whole process is not to put people out of the church, but to cause them to repent, and return to pursuing the way of righteousness (Mat. 18:12-14). The motivation behind it all is God's great love for us, and our great love for each other (Mat. 22:37-40).

 

 

This is a myth, which the Bible does not substantiate. The only time in which a situation like this may even arise is when mistakes have been made in the implementation of the process of church discipline. Sometimes, brethren "drag their feet," when it comes to the discipline of unfaithful members, until they reach a point at which the one being disciplined is so far removed from the church that it seems pointless to pursue the matter further. Church discipline is to be done in successive steps, without undue delays in between (Mat. 18:15-17). In other cases, there is actually little or no fellowship for brethren to withdraw, in the first place. It is a shame, and a disgrace to the body of Christ, when some members of the church are igno


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