The Nine Marks: 5. Church Discipline

About this sermon

What is it? Church discipline is the work of correcting sin in the life of the body. This can be done privately and informally. On rare occasion, it can also include a final step of excluding a professing Christian from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Supper because of serious unrepentant sin (see Matt. 18:15-20, 1 Cor. 5:1-13). Where is it in the Bible? The New Testament commands corrective discipline in passages like Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 2:6, and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15. The New Testament also details formative discipline (our efforts to grow in holiness together) in countless passages which speak of pursuing holiness and building one another up in the faith, such as Ephesians 4:11-32 and Philippians 2:1-18. Why is it important? Discipline is like the stake that helps a tree grow upright, the extra set of wheels on the bicycle, or the musician’s endless hours of practice. Without discipline, we won’t grow as God wants us to. With discipline, we will, by God’s grace, bear peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:5-11). Learn more: www.9Marks.org/about Join the 9Marks community: WEBSITE: https://www.9marks.org TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/9Marks FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/9Marks INSTAGRAM: https://www.instragram.com/9Marks BOOKSTORE: https://www.9marks.org/bookstore

Topics

• Church & Fellowship
• Self-Control
• The Church