The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Matthew 18: 15-17 ESV

When faced with an issue of immorality in the church, an issue that is commonly referred to under the umbrella of “church discipline”, the Bible is quite clear on how those issues ought to be handled. There are some areas in the Bible, even in ecclesiology, where there is room for differing interpretations (i.e. singular versus plural elders). But confronting sin issues in the church body is not one of those areas, in fact one would be hard pressed to find a topic in the New Testament that is as clearly addressed as church discipline. The pattern is clear. When faced with a sin issue, there are four steps as I read it:

• Speak one on one regarding the sin
• If that fails, take two or three witnesses and speak to the person again
• If that fails, take the matter before the church
• If that fails, the individual is to be shunned and treated as an unbeliever before the church

It would seem to make sense that the appropriate witnesses would be those in leadership in the local church body...

The issue at hand is NOT whether or not the actions of the individual accused are proper or improper. The issue is one of fidelity to Biblical teachings on church discipline and respect and submission to Biblically ordered church authority. The existence of sin in the church body is a reality and absolutely MUST be dealt with emphatically and properly, but the hint or even the fact of sin does not give a green light to pick up the phone and start making calls all over town.

By gossiping or at least bypassing Biblical authority, one puts the recipient of the rumors in a horrible position. Do they then go to the person themselves, based on hearsay? Do they sit on the information but look askance at the person in question, letting the issue fester? Do they then go to the proper church authority?

Talking to your wife or talking to a friend at church (no matter how close a friend or mature a Christian they may be) does not qualify as addressing the issue in a Biblical manner. The rules for church discipline are not optional, they are not guidelines. Unfortunately far too many Christians fall into the trap of gossip, even gossip where the heart is in the right place. We are admonished to be watchful, to be diligent but it can be an easy trap to cross over diligence and begin to ignore the mandate of church discipline in an attempt to “do the right thing”. The Bible is clear on the manner of church discipline and condemnation of gossiping or rumors. You are not being a "good Christian" by pointing out the speck in your brother's eye, while ignoring the plank of gossip in your own.