The Congregation in Action⤒🔗

As we begin to speak about the practice of the administration of discipline, it is of the utmost importance to postulate that the congregation, whose holiness is maintained in and by discipline is not its passive object. The congregation does not have to wait passively to see whether or not disci­pline is exercised. The calling and the right to exercise oversight and discipline has not been given to a "clergy", a hierarchy which floats high above the congregation and which, in fact, is totally removed from it. That Roman – clerical view was opposed in the 16th century Reformation by Calvin in particular, on Scriptural grounds. F.L. Rutgers summarizes the reformational and scriptural view as follows:

Church discipline, which is to be used in the service of the King of the Church, and which is concentrated in the power to excommunicate, rests with the church, i.e. with the believers.¹

That is a reformational principle! But above all, a truth according to the Scriptures and a rule of the Covenant of Grace for the people of the Covenant. The church, each individual in it, is already person­ally admonished by the law of Moses: "Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbour frankly so you will not share in his guilt" (Leviticus 19:17). This commandment of personal love for the neighbour, that is formulated here in the negative "do not hate", is concretely applied in the personal calling to admonish one's neighbour. In it we see at the same time the great distinction between loving one's neighbour as the covenant demands and the weak notion of modern humanistic fellowship. From that fellowship, one can never arrive at the exercise of discipline. Neighbourly love, however, is one of the greatest motives for it. That rule applies even more so in the New Testament, for the Holy Spirit has been poured out over the congregation and every believer shares in the anointing of Christ (1 John 1:27). The word of Christ dwells in the congre­gation and must dwell in it richly "as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom" (Colossian 3:16).

That is why, according to James, mutual over­sight in and of the congregation is the highest wisdom.

My brothers, if one of you should wander from truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

The Bible radically eradicates every root of clericalism, particularly where it concerns the administration of discipline in the congregation, the "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9; c.f. Ex. 19:6). Both in the Old and the New Covenant, the congregation is ad­dressed in terms of her calling to exercise discipline, including excommunication. "Expel the wicked man from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:13; c.f. Dt. 19:19). That is not just a rule for the ecclesiastical elite; nor a secret guideline for a self-contained hierarchy but an open letter to the entire congrega­tion.

It is undoubtedly true that in a congregation every­one has his own responsibility and that the office-bearers have their special place in the administration of discipline. No one may take that away from them by appealing to the responsibility of the congrega­tion in her calling to keep herself holy. The respon­sibility of the congregation does not mean that the church is a democracy. Far from it! The idolatry of people must be removed from the church who knows her King. Her head is Christ and He clearly assigns defined responsibilities in a congregational context.

In honouring these responsibilities and the author­ity which comes with it, we honour the sovereign kingship of Christ. We will deal at length with the particular calling of the office-bearers in matters of discipline in following chapters. Presently we will restrict ourselves to the function of the congregation. Therefore, because it is in the congregation where the Word of Christ dwells, the Church Order begins with the mutual exercise of discipline of members of the congregation:

When someone deviates from the pure doctrine or misbehaves in his life, and it is a secret matter, which does not give public offence, the rule which Christ clearly prescribes in Matthew 18 must be kept.Art. 73

And next:

Secret sins may not be reported to the consistory when the sinner after personal, brotherly admonitions or after admonition in the presence of one or two witnesses comes to repentance.Art. 74, first part

These are particularly remarkable stipulations! This is the only time that the Church Order directly anchors a rule in the Holy Scriptures. It is also the only time that the congregation is enlisted with the express intention of not involving the consistory.

A few remarks are in order here.

In the first place, it is clear that the consistory, as the college of oversight and discipline, can only function powerfully in the Holy Spirit when it does so in the context of a congregation that lives together and looks after each other; in a congregation that lives out of the faithful knowledge that all are members of one body (1 Corinthians 12). In that way we can also see the connection between both keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the preaching and in the entire instruction of the congregation (also the Bible study within the congregation), the congregation must be spiritually mobilized for her primary calling in the administration of Christian discipline. This responsibility of the congregation cannot be dele­gated! The conclusion of Art. 73 emphatically states that the rule "which Christ clearly prescribes" must be followed. If the congregation does not measure up, then the work of the elder in matters of discipline is frustrated and she is responsible for her own decline, which will come as a result of the judgement of the Holy One.

In the second place, it is clear that discipline is essentially intended to save the sinner by way of repentance. If brotherly admonition results in re­pentance, then the goal of discipline has been reached, even though we are only in the preparatory stage! It doesn't necessarily follow that the discovery of a trespass inevitably results in a procedure. No, also here, we must not loose sight of the proper character of church discipline, as distinct from secular judicial procedures. When a brother has been brought back from the error of his ways, he is saved and his sins are covered (James 5:20). The discontinuance of disci­pline also means that the goal has been reached.

In the third place, the emphatic stipulation that in the repentance of secret sins there should be no consistory involvement, indicates how important it is to localize sins as much as possible. Measures of discipline that go beyond that point in order to bring about repentance also serve the same purpose. More about that later. In mutual discipline it is necessary to maintain the modesty and control demanded of the congregation. For not only is the name of the brother needlessly damaged when his sin is broad­cast about more than is strictly necessary, but also through uncontrolled gossiping, the sin (with which, through God's grace, the sinner has broken) is given an opportunity to re-infect the body of the congrega­tion.

Finally – in the fourth place – a remark about the nature and manner of brotherly admonition. The articles cited above do not speak of it in so many words. In an earlier redaction the following article adds a valuable element to the preparatory stage of church discipline, namely, that the admonition of the "secret sin" must take place "in love." The brother or brothers who admonish the sinning member, may not be ruled by temper or partisan­ship. That belongs to the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19, 20), and thus can never be in the service of the sanctifying work of the Spirit as it applies to a sinner in the congregation. The first fruit of the Spirit which the apostle Paul mentioned contrary to the works of the flesh is love (Galatians 5:22). That is why he urges the Galatian brethren to restore some­one caught in a sin in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1).

In the case of a secret sin, when it is finally reported to the consistory, it is a good rule to ascer­tain whether or not the injunction of Christ in Mat­thew 18 has been followed. I am sure that we are aware of the necessity for this rule but we must be careful that the investigation into and the examina­tion of it, does not become a mere administrative matter. It is not enough to conclude that all formalities have been observed. The office-bearers must see to it that the process of denunciation has been done in an ecclesiastical and Christian way.

On the other hand, it is also possible to stall the continuation of the disciplinary process by finding fault with the brothers who exercised their duty. That does not mean that the consistory first speaks in an admonishing and edifying manner when it ap­pears that, in the denunciation of a sin, there is clear evidence of carnal passion, unspiritual garrulity, lovelessness and cold formalism. Have the brothers, who reported the matter, done their utmost to keep this off the consistory table, or has it been their intention to get the prepatory stage of discipline over and done with as quickly and formally as possible in order to make it a consistory matter? In the latter case the consistory undoubtedly has the authority to send the denunciating brother back to work. They will have to go back to work. For the authority, the exousia, of the members of the congregation for mutual admonition also includes what the apostle says about his authority concerning the congregation: The Lord has given this, "for building you up rather than pulling you down" (2 Corinthians 10:8).

There is still another element in this preparatory stage that needs our attention. That is the distinction the Church Order makes between secret and public sins.

Secret and Public Sins←⤒🔗

The entire first part of the Church Order which deals with Christian discipline, is ruled by the distinction between secret and public sins. Article 73 states that the rule of Matthew 18 must be followed when the sin is "a secret matter which does not give public offence." Those secret sins, according to Article 74, should not be reported to the consistory upon repen­tance. Secret sins, when there is no repentance and public sins, must be reported to the consistory. This distinction is also present in Article 75 when con­cerning repentance it regulates: "when someone repents from a public or a secret sin which had to be reported to the consistory, it shall accept his confes­sion when sufficient signs of repentance are present. The consistory shall judge whether or not the confes­sion shall be made known to the congregation."

We are thus dealing with an important distinc­tion! And the Church Order ties this distinction in with the rule given by Christ in Matthew 18.

The Church Order states in Article 73 that Christ gives a clear rule but when we look up Matthew 18, it may seem that it is not all that clear. This also concerns the words which Christ addresses to His disciples at the conclusion of the parable of the lost sheep: "In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost" (Matthew 18:14). Then follows, in verse 15: "If your brother sins..." When we compare it with another translation there is an important difference. There we read: "But if your brother has sinned against you". Some of these differences, even though they are important, we can ignore but we must pay some attention to the main difference.²

The opinion appears to be that the words "against you" were included incorrectly. The most frequently used Greek New Testament (Nestle-Aland) gives these words a secondary place by noting that some manuscripts do not have "against you". It must, however, be said that most manuscripts include these words. Lately the witness of these manuscripts appears to be too overwhelming for the publishers and although these words were left out in the past, they are once again allowed to stand. We are convin­ced that this is proper.

That, however, does not diminish the difficul­ties. As a matter of fact they are increased. Without the words "against you", Christ's sayings could be applied to all secret sins and 1 Timothy 5:20: "Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that others may take warning" as a rule indicate public sins.³ The latter is undoubtedly true. However, is the category of secret sins not severely limited by the "against you"?

From the exegesis of these words throughout history it appears that this matter has always been considered a problem. Therefore, Calvin writes that, "against you" does not point out the injustice which has been done to someone, but that here a distinction is made between secret and public sins. The "against you" then is explained in the direction of "with your knowledge." That idea, however, does not hold true.

The sinning "against" someone is too frequently mentioned in the Scriptures in the sense of "directed against" and "at the expense of", for us to weaken or abandon that meaning. We can find this expression in its strict and proper meaning in the parable of the prodigal son: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you" (Luke 15:21). Paul uses it the same way in 1 Corinthians 6:18: "he who sins sexually sins against his own body" and in 1 Corinthians 8:12: "When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ." We also encounter the same meaning in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. After the eighth plague, the Pharaoh says: "I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you" (Exodus 10:16).The most important indication of it we find in Mat­thew 18:21, almost immediately after Christ's rule for discipline. There Peter reacts with the following question: "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?" We find a parallel passage in Luke 17:4 where Christ says: "If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent', forgive him."

We conclude that Christ here speaks to his dis­ciples about the situation as it applies to their circle, the future church of the New Testament. Someone with his sin hurts, harms or wrongs his brother. Then you do not seek revenge; you do not push the sinning brother away nor do you write him off. No, even if you are the one who has been wronged, precisely then, in the community of brothers, you keep the Father in mind: He "is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost"! We are dealing here with an extension of the rule: "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16) as long as we maintain that in this holiness of God the redemption of sinners is included.⁴ We see here in a beautiful way that discipline is a remedy even in its preparatory stages.

Does this then mean that the Church Order incorrectly refers to Matthew 18 concerning the complete area of secret sins, which is much broader than sinning against a certain brother? That ques­tion becomes more pressing when we remember that the Church Order was, in all probability, com­posed with Calvin's exegesis in mind. Does that do away with the reasons for connecting Article 73 with Matthew 18?

This question is pertinent. This question is also of extreme importance for the whole of church law and for the legitimate, correct use of Scripture in church law. By addressing the disciples in a situation where one of their circle sins against them personally, the Lord mobilizes the circle of the disciples as a covenant community, wherein the law of love for one's neighbour dominates over the relationship with that neighbour, also in the most difficult and most fragile situations. Christ does not establish a community rule in abstracto. Neither does He make a theoretical distinction between "public" and "secret" sins, nor does He make two lists of sins under those headings. He addresses the matter concretely and practically. It is, therefore, incorrect to stretch out the words in order to make them usable for our judicial cases.

On the other hand, it may be emphatically stated that, based on this clear word of Christ for our community life, we also learn to know His will concerning those cases wherein sin, even though it is not directed against us personally, injures us as well as when we see a sin committed in a small circle and in a limited area. Then, too, as we can learn from Matthew 18, it concerns saving the brother as the Father in heaven is intent on saving the sinner.

For that reason we may broaden and expand church law so that it includes all secret sins, because the will of God in Christ Jesus is one and the same in all situations. Therefore, we are in full agreement with the "classic" text of Article 73 of the Church Order, even though we do not share Calvin's exege­sis on this point.⁵

Generally speaking there is no satisfactory con­clusive answer to the question: What is a secret sin? There are clear cases in either direction. A sin committed in private is a "hidden" sin. A sin, which has been committed in public and is known to the whole congregation and offends in the Scriptural sense of the Word (i.e. gives umbrage, a temptation to sin) can never be considered a secret sin. In such cases it is not necessary nor is it permitted to follow the way of Matthew 18 before the congregation, through her leaders, takes action in order to avert the evil and to protect herself. Between the two ex­tremes, however, lie a broad range of possibilities in which the question of "secret" or "public" cannot be answered apart from the concrete situation. In a large congregation sin can often be treated as a secret sin, if few people know about it. There is, so to speak, no source of contamination for the congregation as a whole. The situation changes when it concerns a small congregation and the sin is known to a number of brothers. Mathematically that numbers may be the same as the few in a larger congregation but here mathematics are not the criteria. The congregation, as congregation of Christ, can come under the threat of sin. The believing reaction to this lunge of Satan for the jugular must then be adapted. For "saving of the sinner" is the goal of discipline, also in the brotherly admonition.

It is, however, not the only goal, not the absolute objective. That first objective may not frustrate the other, namely "the preservation of the congregation in the fear of the Lord." Both objectives concern themselves with the holiness of God and of the congregation in which He wishes to dwell with His Spirit.

That which is theoretically difficult to summa­rize in an all-inclusive definition can definitely be discerned and distinguished in practice, by faith. It is also difficult to get a theoretical grip on the power of sin as it winds its way through the multiplicity of life. Fortunately we are never without the good norm of God's Word which shows its strength ac­cording to God's pleasure when we make ourselves willingly available for His service and do not run away from difficult situations. No doubt the de­serter will quickly make use of the theoretical dodge but "the good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:3), knows from practical experience which weap­ons to use in the battle of the Lord.

The Intensification of Brotherly Admonition←⤒🔗

There is still another aspect in the preparatory stage of discipline before the sin is reported to the consis­tory namely, the matter of the witness.

Already under the Old Covenant protection for the proper course of justice and against all violation of justice and too much haste, was emphatically or­dered:

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offence he may have com­mitted. A matter must be established by the testi­mony of two or three witnesses.Deuteronomy 17:16 and Numbers 25:30

Christ simply continues this train of thought when He speaks about "witnesses" in the circle of His disciples:

But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.Matthew 18:16

Article 74 of the Church Order echoes this by stating that "secret sins may not be reported to the consistory if the sinner after personal brotherly admonition or, after admonition with one or two witnesses, repents." While the second part of this article regulates that if the sinner does not repent according to the rule of Matthew 18, it must be reported to the consistory.

The witnesses are referred to as such because they play a role in a law procedure. The case must be established. If the case against the brother proceeds, the witnesses are not asked to give their opinion of the brother. That is not within the jurisdiction of the witnesses. It is not a matter of a subjective judgement. They must corroborate the facts. They must give witness to the fact that a brother has spoken to a fellow brother about his sins and that this brother refuses to break with his sins. Those are the facts they have to deal with. That testimony forms the basis for further procedure by the consistory.⁶ There is more to be said about this as well as about the function of this witness. The brother who admonished the sinning brother in private, becomes a witness for the consistory. The admonisher be­comes a witness.

The opposite is true of the brother or brothers who were called in. The one or two individuals concerned are not only witnesses but, when there is persistence in sin, they participate in the admoni­tion. The witnesses also admonish. The admonition is intensified! In this way the Holy Spirit works even more powerfully in order that the sin may be con­quered and the sinner saved. If the intensified admonition is to no avail, the witnesses report the following to the consistory:

• the sin, which they ascertained;
• the admonition concerning the sin;
• the persistence in sin;
• the intensification of the admonition;
• the refusal to break with the sin, in spite of the efforts made.

It is clear from the words of Christ that this is the course of justice in the prepatory stages of church discipline. The one or two brothers in Matthew 18:16 are called witnesses. They are initially called in to verify the situation. Only when the sinner does not heed them (plural), is the matter to be told to the church (verse 17). The plurality implies that the brothers are to play an active role in the continuing admonition.

The Church Order summarizes this in Article 74 by referring to "the rule of Matthew 18". Fortunately the hints of obscurity present in the older version of Article 73 have been removed. There we read about an alternation between "by" and "before": the sin­ner is "admonished by one in particular, or before two or three witnesses." D. Deddens, however, has pointed out in his "Kerkenordening van De Gere­formeerde Kerken"⁷ that this is incorrect "as it ap­pears from the Latin editions of the Church Order."⁸

The misunderstanding is that the first brother, who has done his admonition, calls in one or two brothers, who only have to testify to the fact that this admonition has been done and who, therefore, can verify it eventually. Such a misunderstanding has to be rooted out!

It is completely contrary to the clear rule given in Matthew 18. This also means that the verification, as a matter of course, is not limited to an admonition as such. That, too, is contrary to the text on which these articles of the Church Order are based.

The witnesses function in a procedure which is to serve the continuation and dominion of the Word. When they are called in, they are not only to make an objective observation that the brother has been admonished but they are also to join in the admoni­tion when it indeed appears that the admonition, according to the Word, is being ignored. It is obvious that the witnesses at first listen. Through listening they come to grips with the situation by hearing it from both sides. When they were initially asked to come along to visit a sinning brother, they only heard about it from one side. Now they can hear both sides. If the procedure is correct in this prepa­tory stage and the first brother is not a "false wit­ness" then the information given to them is verified. If the situation of the sinner remains unchanged, they too are under obligation to join in the admoni­tion. Can one leave a sinner without warning him? The given rule is not a mere formality. The Christian community is mobilized by it.

This also sheds light on the riches of the work of the Holy Spirit in the administration of the second key of the Kingdom of Heaven although we are still only dealing with the preliminary stages of church discipline. For when the admonition of the one is supported by the other, then, as it were, the Word of God comes from two different directions to the fortress of the heart of the brother who persists in sin. The Lord gives to everyone in the congregation his own gift. That also becomes apparent in this work.

Therefore, it is not an unimportant or indifferent matter as to who is asked to be a witness. That choice as well must be made by the first brother prayerfully and with wisdom. Even the number here is not an indifferent matter: "one or two others" (Matthew 18:16). When he realizes that he has to continue in the way he has started, it is within the freedom of the brother whether or not he shall ask one or two others along. It is his freedom. It is the freedom of one who must serve in love. It may well be that he chooses one brother in order to keep the circle in which the sin is known as small as possible or it may be that he is very restricted in the choices he has. It is also well possible that for certain cases he wishes to take along two witnesses. The character of the sin or the sinner may require that. The combination of Scriptural insight and the power of reasoning according to the Scrip­tures, play a role in the choice of those who are to join, with God's blessing, in the assault on the hard­ened heart of the sinner.

If the number of brothers asked as witnesses is not an indifferent matter, the question which brother or brothers is naturally not either. Anyone asked to admonish will do so in his own way. Everything, however, must serve the work of the Spirit to save the sinner. What the one does not know is supplied by the other. One individual will bring out of the Word one thing and another something else.

This work appears to be simple in the eyes of the world. This work, if it is successful, is not even reported to the consistory, let alone to the wider circle outside of that body. It does not go further than the small circle of two or three brothers. They and they alone are witnesses to the repentance. The sin is covered by love (1 Corinthians 13:7; James 5:20). But according to Christ's own words "there is rejoic­ing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10)  of those angels who "always see the face of the Father" (Matthew 18:10) who "sees what is done in secret" (Matthew 6:6, 18) and who does not "take any pleasure in the death of the wicked" but wants them to "turn from their ways and live" (Ezekiel 18:23). For that reason He sent His Son "to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:11, cf. Matthew 18:11).

That is why this Son introduced the element of intensification into the administration of discipline by mobilizing the brotherhood in the prepatory stages of discipline in the Church of the New Covenant. Discipline is the administration of justice in the Kingdom of Heaven and under the rule of the Word of Grace. "Through admonitions" (these admoni­tions as well!) "mercy is handed-out" (Canons of Dort). That is why discipline is correctly called a remedy, a medicine. The sinner is certainly not just a passive patient; a poor thing. He is responsible and he is guilty. The remedy is, therefore, an admoni­tion, with an appeal to faith and repentance. In the intensification of this remedy, it is the Spirit of the Lord who has said: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:12).

Blessed is the church who does not forget her discipline for in her dwells the Holy Spirit.

We have given broad attention to this matter because in each successive stage of discipline this moment of intensification should be observed. The style of Christian discipline, which Christ revealed with authority, dominates the whole procedure. It is even visible when it reaches its conclusion. Perhaps there it is even the clearest.