Strategies in Church Discipline from 1 Corinthians
A Chinese Perspective
by
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A BRIEF HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE HISTORY OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
Church Discipline in the Apostolic Church
Ever since the birth of the Church, ecclesiastical discipline was a prominent concern from the apostolic times. Many of the New Testament letters were borne out of disciplinary issues. The Apostle Paul wrote many of his letters to address the problems that arose in the communities that he had established in which he felt compelled to address as an apostle appointed by Christ. Essentially, the thrust of church discipline in the Apostolic Church was for the formation of Christian character according to the Word of God, worked out in the process of discipleship through teaching, edification, admonition as well as removing evil from the community.
The fundamental motivation for church discipline in the apostolic period was the holiness of God. The apostles had with them the Old Testament from which they deliberated and drew out principles to guide the Christians how to live their lives in a way that honored the Lord. The apostles saw in the Law given to Israel the prominence of the holiness of God and the calling to be a people of God that was distinct from the people of the world of their time. So they called the people of the New Covenant into a relationship with God that was similar to the call in the Old Testament, that is, to be holy unto the Lord. It was in this Law that impressed upon Israel the holiness of God and urged upon the people the necessity of leading a holy life. The Law, and especially the book of Leviticus, was “designed to instruct the covenant community in holy worship and holy living so that they might enjoy the presence and blessing of God”. The Law was meant to transform these former slaves into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:9-10; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).
In looking at the theme of holiness from the Law, especially the Book of Leviticus, there are two main things to consider: First, there is the concept of ethical holiness as separation from sin, and second there is the concept of ritual holiness as separation from various defilements. God’s holiness involved both the ethical and the ritual, worship and conduct were to be an integrated whole. This demand of holiness upon the worship and conduct of the Israelites was their special identity as the elect and called of God, marked by their uniqueness and separateness. As they held fast to the given ethical principals and to live in obedience to them, it was also a visible demonstration to the surrounding nations and cultures of what it truly meant to be the image of God. Therefore, the call to holiness in the book of Leviticus involved regulations concerning the sanctity of blood (Lev. 17); prohibition of incest (18:1-18) and other sexual perversions (Lev. 18:19-23); the keeping of the Decalogue (19:1-18) and related laws (Lev. 19:19-20:27); and proper behavior of the priests in private and public life (Lev. 21-22).
God’s call to ethical holiness was further seen in the formula, ‘I am the LORD your God’ in the Holiness Code. It is found over thirty times in the Holiness Code. This formula was a reminder to the Israelites that the Holiness Code have their setting in the covenant at Mount Sinai and they were obligated to observe these laws because of the holy character of the God that they worshipped. This formula has three connotations to ancient Israel. First, it was a reminder of what the Lord has done for Israel and how He had chosen to make them His people. Second, they were expected to imitate the Lord by being holy. Third, they were to obey His law, not merely as a duty but as a loving response to His redemption.
This is the clear indication that the Holiness Code transcended mere ritual purity. The covenant that was made on Mt Sinai involved a life of obedience in which God’s holy character was to be reflected. The result of obedience was the experiencing of God’s blessings, in particular, to enjoy a living and personal relationship with Him. The Holiness code reminded the Israelites of their covenant with God and charted for them the path of obedience in which they should take. Holiness was expressed as living the covenant life in separation from the surrounding cultures. They were not to follow the practices of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. God’s holiness demanded the people of God to separate themselves both ritually and ethically from their neighbors. They were to be holy as their God is holy. Just as the people of God in the Old Testament were a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6), so now, in the apostolic church, the new people of God is called, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession ...” (1 Pet. 2:9). Just as the call in Leviticus 11:44 for His people to “be holy, for I am holy” so in the apostolic church, the called for the new people is “... as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written: ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Pet. 1:15-16). The principle of church discipline in the apostolic church lies in the holiness of God and the believers are to walk in the way of holiness.
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About the Book
This book seeks to recover the New Testament ideal of church discipline and to construct a holistic model for the Church in Asia. The Church has wrestled with the issue of discipline ever since her inception. Many of Paul’s letters addressed the problems that had arisen in the communities that he had established. The thrust of church discipline in the New Testament was the formation of Christian character through the Word of God worked out in the process of discipleship through teaching, edification, admonition as well as banishing serious sin from the community. The ideal of church discipline in the New Testament is both Preventive Discipline and Punitive Discipline. As the Church became more institutionalized, there was a paradigm shift in the process of discipline. The New Testament ideal of discipline as a character formation was shifted to regulatory ordinances. This led to the development of a strict and regimented Christianity. Since then, church discipline had taken on a penitential and punitive direction. The book seeks to study Paul’s management of the disciplinary problems in 1 Corinthians and then to construct a holistic model of church discipline for an Asian context.
About the Author
Timothy Chong is the Anglican Dean of Indonesia and a clergy of the Diocese of Singapore. He supervises the Anglican Church in Indonesia, in planting churches, schools and community development projects. Timothy holds a Doctor of Theology degree in Biblical Studies from the Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary.