Healthy Church: Biblical Church Discipline
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Church discipline. Hearing those words can make some Christians uncomfortable. For many, the idea brings to mind harsh confrontations, embarrassing public announcements, or people being kicked out of church. But is that really what Jesus intended? What if biblical church discipline is actually an expression of Christian love and essential to a healthy church?
In this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted, Josiah Walker and Bryan Catherman continue our Healthy Church series with the fifth of Mark Dever's Nine Marks of a Healthy Church: biblical church discipline. They spend much of the conversation working through Matthew 18, looking at the larger context of Jesus' teaching. Before Jesus gives instructions about confronting a brother in sin, he talks about humility, the seriousness of sin, and the shepherd who goes after a wandering sheep. And after those instructions, he teaches about forgiveness. That context matters.
Church discipline is about much more than removing someone from church membership. Christians should help one another recognize sin, repent, and grow in holiness at all times. That's part of discipleship. Sometimes that means having difficult conversations. Sometimes it means confronting persistent, unrepentant sin. But the goal should always be repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. A healthy church takes sin seriously because God takes sin seriously. And a healthy church loves people enough to help them fight against it.
Why is biblical church discipline so difficult for many churches? What does Matthew 18 actually teach, and how should Christians respond when someone confronts them about sin? Join us as we discuss biblical church discipline and the healthy church on Salty Believer Unscripted. Listen wherever you get podcasts or listen here:
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