Discipline for Immorality: Useless Bishops and Apostles Today in Title Only!

Immorality in churches is growing the more we change generations, and due to the lack of teaching in the home about what is right, and wrong (evil). 

Would it be wrong to say to your kids what you see around you is not the real way to go? 

Let's look at the war going on in the media versus the Church.  The Church is depicted as the evil power that needs to stay in its place.  In many ways, it is the topic of jokes, and ministers are made to be nothing more than con artists selling a message of tolerance, high living and many sexual activities that occurred in a dysfunctional sitcom. 

In the instance of immorality in the Corinthian Church, there was an open case of incest, and there was no necessity of special discernment such as Peter exercised in the matter of Ananias and Sapphira.  It was in fact a flagrant violation of common decency in which a man was consorting with his father's wife. If this were allowed to go unpunished the example would have encouraged a breakdown of all restraints among the people.  The Corinthian saints perhaps deplored the circumstances, but unfortunately did nothing about it.  Apostle Paul heard about the matter and rebuked them severely, warning that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump."  He implied that if the spread of evil were left unchecked, it would corrupt the whole church.  

But how should this person be disciplined?  Apparently the man was a self-willed individual and not easy to deal with.  At any rate the Corinthian Church had been reluctant to handle the matter. If the man were confronted with his deeds, he might stir up a lot of trouble.  People might take sides in the matter.  Certainly immorality was a very common thing in Corinth. Paul (Apostle) showed them how the case was to be handled.  The man was to be disciplined by supernatural means (I Corinthians 5:2-5).  Here was how the Church was to administer discipline when it could not be done effectively otherwise.  Christ has given the power of binding and loosing to the Church.  This method of divine discipline was to be used when other means did not seem advisable.  If you have an organization full of victims, or co-conspirators you will never do anything about evil on any level.  Notice, however, that the discipline administered was for the man's own good.  Although Paul turned him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, yet it was to the end that his spirit might be saved and the man himself restored to fellowship. 

It was better that he suffer than be lost.  As things turned out, the physical suffering that he experienced taught him that he could not trifle with the ordinance of God.  We understand that the man came to the place of “true repentance.” 

Church trials sometimes are nothing more than a laughing stock to the world.  God has a way to deal with sinners in the church, which will command the respect of the culprit, of the world, and of the whole church.  It is time we used the divine method.  Finally, this method always results in true justice being administered.  Church trials sometimes terminate in a verdict of injustice.  But God is a perfect judge.  If a man is right in God’s sight, then no man can judge him.  Balaam the prophet tried to bring a curse on Israel, but his curse was turned into a blessing (Numbers 24:9-10).  Only when the children of Israel sinned did the curse come upon them. 

Judgment of False Teachers 

The church is sometimes faced with the problem of what to do with those who disturb the unity of the body with false doctrines and issues.  Living in this imperfect age, as we are, there will always be differences of opinions among the most conscientious and sincere believers.  To attempt to secure conformity of belief in every detail of doctrine is impossible.  The Medieval Church tried to do this by means of physical force and even torture, but it failed to accomplish its purpose.  Theological controversy is not God’s plan for His church.  

But God’s way is not man’s way.  It is one thing to pass judgment on heresy, and it’s another thing to halt its spread.  Propagators of heresy, after church trial, often continue to flourish, drawing many disciples after them. 

However, God has a way of handling this problem.  He did not omit anything that was essential to the welfare of the church.  But the church often has had too little faith to employ the divine means placed at its disposal.  The Apostle Paul was not afraid to exercise this power.  He used the binding and loosing of powers that Jesus delivered to the church. 

Let us note how Paul dealt with certain ministers who had brought in teaching that was contrary to that of Christ.  These leaders had denied the truth of the resurrection – claiming that the resurrection was already past.  This of course is a grave and dangerous error, for it violates one of the most important foundational truths of Christianity.  We can look at another error that has spread to weak saints and those lazy in the teaching of the doctrine of Christ.  For instance, “Grace is not a get out of Hell card” that ministers can employ to sanction and promote sexual immorality to infest the church and becomes a lifestyle practiced by pastors, elders, and bishops.   

Like these men, whose names were Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus (I Timothy 1:19,20 & II Timothy 2:16-18) had thereby succeeded in overthrowing the faith of many.  Apparently they allegorized the resurrection, as do some modernists of our day who attempt to do away with the physical resurrection.  One of the men involved in the heresy, Alexander was bold in his opposition.  He is spoken by Paul as having “greatly withstood our words”.  Paul warned Timothy against these men.  Ordinarily, Paul was averse to striving over doctrinal matters, as is seen in his words in II Timothy 2:24-26. 

But in this case, the matter was so serious that Paul felt called upon to take special measures.  He, therefore, used the binding and loosing powers given the church.  Paul (Apostle office), in his epistle, explained what he had done.  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto “Satan,” that they may learn not to blaspheme (I Timothy 1:20).  It is evident from these words that Paul intended that the judgment be disciplinary.  He did not desire these men should lose their souls.  Neither did he want their perverse teachings to result in the loss of other souls.  So he turned them over to Satan as he had done with the evildoer in the Corinthian church.   

Judgment of Opposers 

The above disciplinary judgments relate to offenders within the church.  There were occasions in which judgment was meted out upon religious pretenders who brazenly opposed earnest souls from turning to Christ.  Such was in Acts 13:6-13.  In this instance, Elymas the sorcerer, a professed religionist, who claimed to be a prophet (claimed to be), sought to subvert a certain deputy that had been deeply moved by the preaching of Paul.  The Apostle “filled with Holy Spirit” turned to the sorcerer and pronounced judgment upon him (Acts 13:10-11).  The man was smitten with blindness.  The immediate result of this act was conversion of the deputy.   

What I am pointing out is that men laden with sins have crept into the church at the highest level and lead many away to the defiling of many.  The church really needs to clean up its act and go back to Psalm 23.   

Psalm 23 The Message (MSG)

A David Psalm

^1-3 God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.  True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.

⁴ Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.  Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.

⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.  You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.

⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.  I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life. 

Everything has already been in God’s Decrees.  We just have to walk in the Word of God by Faith trusting God as a man of His word.

Talk to you soon,

Pastor James P. Norman Jr.