Google Definition: Church discipline is the practice of censuring church members when they are perceived to have sinned in hope that the offenders will repent and be reconciled to God and the church. It is also intended to protect other church members from the influence of sin.
Experience:
When i was still a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Religion (Before i withdrew my name from the books of this cult) i had my son out of wedlock. and the religious officials put me on discipline for two years punishing me for my fornication. Life was hard because i knew my eternal life was at stake and if i died on church discipline, i was going to hell since i was taught that what is bound on earth so it is in heaven. I rushed everything, went to my in-laws and paid the dowry just to make sure i put things right with the angry God.
I was officially looked upon as the proclaimed sinner and a patient under the rehab facility of the church. My church leaders told me it was for the good of the church and at the same for my good. I was supposed to learn from my sin and become a better person after all this. I was not allowed to contribute anything in church concerning the Bible, neither was i allowed to vote, all i had to do was to report early to church and keep my mouth shut. It was something i did for two years.
My son was considered, spiritually, a child with disability. He was not appreciated like other babies born in what the church considered to be marriage but rather he was a product of sin. This hurt me most and for that matter i named him DIVINE to rebuke and denounce this demonic religious view on my son. I suffered much stereotype and many spiritual abuses every Saturday i attended worship services. And i know these stories are many today in many cult-like churches. I know of many pastors and ministers who have suffered this thing known as Church Discipline. I also know of many sinners who have become better sinners (good at hiding their sins and sinning) instead of better Christians (repentance). SHAME!!!
THE DANGER
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Heb 9:28 KJV)
These churches that claim that church-discipline is a helpful and useful thing are right in what they propose and wrong in what they do. First of all, the work of disciplining saints should be effected by a sober constant and consistent standard who is none other than JESUS CHRIST who is Omniscient,omnipotent, morally upright and perfect to the dot, not by our fellow fallible sinners who actually reference from their personal vendettas as they penalize other sinners. So before we point at the speck in the eyes of the others, lets first deal with the log in ours. Does this mean we should entertain all sin and let people be and do whatever? No. It actually means we should advise but not discipline.
Secondly, to discipline someone in reference to their salvation or relationship with their God is an offense to the gospel and a very lethal sin theologically. Jesus died and offered himself for the sins of all those who believe him once and for all. No one should give another sacrifice for their sin and sinning. Instead of sacrificing and burning ourselves, we should connect to Jesus the ultimate sacrifice. Instead of fixing your sin, fix your relationship with Jesus Christ. Church discipline is Righteousness by Works disguised. Let me put it like one of my international female professors put it:
Christ’s once-for-all redemption, contrasted with the repeated sacrifices of the old system of atonement, removes the church from the business of mediating between God and humanity. This means that the church is not a system of atonement. A human system of dealing with sin has to be repetitive because, as a mere imitation of divine reality, it cannot have any lasting effects. But since Christ has effected forgiveness once-for-all, such a system is now obsolete, superfluous and misleading.
Every time we — both clergy and laypeople — work off guilt by all that we do for the church, we make it a mechanism for atonement. Such a mechanism can create apparently successful churches. But the side effects can be lethal: a cold shoulder towards newcomers who haven’t “earned their way,” or even the scapegoating and expulsion of some members (including the clergy!).
What a difference it makes to experience the church as a community of forgiven sinners, who don’t need to sacrifice each other, whose consciences are cleansed “from dead works to worship the living God” (9:14). When it comes to Christian community, this is the real deal.
Unfortunately we are too obsessed with DISCIPLINING instead of DISCIPLE-LING. Am not saying disciplining is wrong but as far as am concerned, there are two kinds of Discipline:
1-INSTRUCTIVE: not telling people what to do, but doing what you want them to do.
2-CORRECTIVE: Telling people what to do and punishing them for doing it off the notes.
Our so called spiritual leaders (including myself) are so hyper with the CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINE. We call it ministry when we give to guilty sinners what they DESERVE (PUNISHMENT) and am wondering if God, did the same to ourselves. Friends God should help all of us.
Pr. I.T.WHITE
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 