Genesis 6:5 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Genesis 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”
This article is about that little form in the back of the Psalter. It is a form which is unlike the Baptism or the Lord’s Supper Forms or really any other form in the Psalter. It is a form that, thanks to God’s grace, is not read as frequently as the others, but serves an equally important role for the Church of Christ. It is a form which, when read, causes a deep, spiritual sadness. Even more sadness than the news a loved one has died. It does so because it is only read when a member of the Church is hardened in his or her sin. The result of this form (or rather, the sin which mandates its reading) is the separation from the life blood of faith not only, but also, to a certain extent, separation of physical relationships. It is the form for Excommunication.
Church discipline is not some man-made procedure in which a church may throw out unwanted men from its pews. It is taught by Christ Himself. In Matthew 18:15-20 we read “And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” Also, in Titus 3:10-11, Paul writes, “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” Lastly, the whole chapter of I Corinthians 5 gives instruction in this truth. From these and many other texts, it is plain that church discipline is entirely based upon Scripture.
Without this authority given to discipline from the very Word of God, the Church could not use, nor would it even have the right to use this Key of the Kingdom. In this connection, it is noteworthy that to the extent that a church acknowledges the infallibility and the authority of the Scriptures, to that same extent discipline will be used in a God fearing and honoring manner.
Churches of the past as well as churches of today have fallen far short of their calling in this regard. The Roman Catholic Church is one example. From one of its most prominent confessions, the Council of Trent, it is obvious how this church selfishly misused discipline. The Council met and made its first canons in 1546 and continued to do so until 1563. Some of these canons illustrate the results of an unloving, hierarchical form of church government of which man, not Christ, is the head. One canon, On The Sacrament of Extreme Unction, reads “If anyone saith that Extreme Unction is not truly and properly a sacrament instituted by Christ, our Lord, and promulgated by the blessed Apostle James; but is only a rite received from the Fathers, or a human figment; let him be anathema.” The meaning of the term “anathema” is to be cursed and excommunicated. It was taken from I Corinthians 16:22.
This type of erroneous discipline had neither the sinner’s repentance, nor the purity of the Church, nor even God’s glory in view. The result of this ungodly view of discipline is plain. The people became intimidated by the church and because of this, they became ignorant of the Word of God. They were so busy kneeling to the whims of an apostatizing church that they did not study the Word of God.
There is also the antithesis of the above-mentioned form of church discipline. It is widely practiced among churches today. What these churches do is put the members who do not attend regularly on an “inactive list.” One can remain on this list for years and nothing will happen. What is the result of this type of thinking? The idea that one really does not have to go to church twice on Sunday. There is no law in the Bible that says this. Besides, it is said, there are other things to be done at night. This is the reason why many churches have two full morning services and only one in the evening. Sometimes these churches can get more people if they have a play or a famous choir or singer come in. These churches can be characterized as being only interested in numbers.
The third type of church is the one that does not follow the command of Christ to purify the church. These churches say that we must love all. They say that we must accept homosexuals into the communion of Christ’s believers. In their defense, they quote John 8:7 “he who is without sin cast the first stone.’ Does the Word of God mean then, that no one may say anything to admonish or discipline a hardened sinner who refuses to repent? No, Jesus spoke those words to the Pharisees who went to Him with a woman, not in order to turn her from her sin, but in their pride, to tempt Christ. Notice also, that the Pharisees, after Jesus spoke these words, turned from Him in pride and guilt. This pictures all those who proudly walk in their own righteousness. It seems that it is always easier for these to turn away from Christ that it is to repent. The woman, however, because of the work of the Holy Spirit, desires repentance. This is evident from the fact that she stays by Jesus. Christ, seeing her heart, forgives her, but also commands her to go her way and sin no more. To use a text such as this for proof that discipline is wrong, escapes one’s mind.
The result of a lack in exercising church discipline is deadening. Sin will gain a greater foothold into the church and the antithesis will fly out the window. If one sees a loved one walking toward a cliff, one will not just stand by and do nothing, but will call to that loved one to keep him or her from falling off. It’s the same when one walks in sin in the Church.
How can church discipline be administered faithfully? The Excommunication Form should be read “to the end that he may hereby be made (if possible) ashamed of his sins and likewise that we may not by this rotten and as yet incurable member, put the whole body of the Church in danger, and that God’s name be not blasphemed.” The main thrust of the matter is the love which the Church has toward the sinner hardened in sin tempered with the love of Christ and His glory.
This calling of the Church to discipline is no doubt the most grievous and solemn. Many pastors and consistory members, and one might add, congregation members, struggle with this because they see and know the result of excommunication. In Matthew 18:18, it says “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on the earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This passage shows the eternal state of an unrepentant sinner. When it comes to the actual exercising of church discipline, the importance of God-fearing pastors and consistory members is unfathomable. It is only because of God’s grace and faithfulness that we have them.
Next, will be a consideration of why Christ teaches us to use this hard way. In the Heidelberg Catechism, (Q&A 54, Lord’s Day 21) the question is asked us what we believe concerning the Church. In the answer, we read that from the creation to the end of the world, Christ “gathers, defends, and preserves to Himself a church chosen to everlasting life.” Since then, one does not defend something which one does not hold dear and want to keep, so Christ, having gathered us out of every tongue, tribe, and nation, even from all our sin and misery, entrusts the Church’s care to no one else but His own divine government. As the Head, He does not stop at gathering His Church, but also continues to defend her from her spiritual enemies. The way in which He does this is by the preaching and sacraments and also by discipline. This is where the faithfulness of Christ shines so clearly. Not only does He give us, His Church, the sound way of discipline, but He also gives us this wisdom and love to carry it out rightly. Without Christ’s preserving power in this area the Church would soon become as unloving as the Roman Hierarchy or as “loving” as churches which do not discipline. We should ever be thankful to God that He is so faithful to us in the exercise of excommunication.
Closer to home, there are ties in the two texts which were quoted at the beginning of the article. In the first, we read of the great wickedness of the human race. It is the human race as it stood corrupted by Adam’s sin. It was a human race which could no longer serve God with its whole heart, mind, and strength. A human race given over to pride, hardness of heart, and abhorrence of God’s ways. A human race guilty of eternal punishment for sin. Then, out of that race, God comes to certain people, His Church, who are no better or more deserving and says, “I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee.” God has seen fit from eternity, through the way of sin and grace, to save all those of His Church from the beginning of time to the end, in Christ.
This form of excommunication ought to make one think. First, about what the great depths of sin are. One can see that in one’s own life, when he or she walks in those secret “little” sins. But now try to imagine what it would be like if we became hardened in these sins, so hardened in fact, that we continued in them and made them open and public, never considering God’s glory and never thinking twice about blaspheming God’s name.
Secondly, how great God’s love to us is. We don’t deserve to be faithful. We do not deserve to be humbled to repentance. Is there one who is a member of the Church? Then there is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Without God’s preserving Hand, there would be none. All would be hardened, all would be “loosed from heaven.” How much more holy and dependent upon God and His Word would we walk if we kept this in mind as we ought. In every area of our lives, thankfulness and praise would shine more brightly. “It is because of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not,” Lamentations 3:22. Maybe one will fall into sin, as did David, but God will always bring him or her out, through repentance and humility of heart. He will grant faith in His promises and grace to persevere so that we can say “I am and forever shall remain a living member therein,” Lord’s Day 21, Q&A 53.
Brett is a member of First Protestant Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan.