​Imagine it had been you. Imagine that you had just finished eating breakfast that had been prepared by Jesus Himself. Words couldn’t even describe the extreme range of emotions you had experienced in the weeks prior to this morning. You had experienced the lowest of lows, after having confidently pledged undying faithfulness to your Rabbi and Messiah, you eat your words by denying Him in His period of greatest vulnerability and watch Him die an excruciating death at the hands of people He loved. This unbearable feeling of agony and emptiness is then all but completely overshadowed by the unspeakable elation of not only hearing that your Savior has been seen alive but you then see Him with your own two eyes.

You’re still processing everything that has happened, what it means for you and what it means for the world. But, in this very moment, everything is as close to perfect as you can imagine it. You’re at the Sea of Galilee with your Redeemer and your long-time fishing buddies. Just like old times but even better.

Then He looks at you and a lump forms in your throat as He calls you by name and asks you a question that makes the whole flood of individual emotions sweep over you again all at the same time. “Do you love Me?”

The question itself strikes a chord connected to your own feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy which is heightened by the fact that He asks you three times…once for each time you had denied Him. However, not doubting the feelings you have for Him, you answer in the affirmative each time.

And His respective replies to each of your responses are…

1. Tend My lambs
2. Shepherd My sheep
3. Tend My sheep

It’s as if you were responding to His question with the love you felt for Him but Jesus’ reply is a description of how to actively love Him in a practical way.

It’s as if you were responding to His question in accordance with love that’s a feeling. But Jesus’ request is that you love Him in action…tangibly.

When Jesus had this dialogue with Peter, what was Jesus asking Peter to do? How was Jesus asking Peter to show his love for Him? What does a shepherd of people look like?

To help answer this question, what better place to start than to examine what a real-life shepherd (David) had to say regarding his Shepherd (the Lord).

A Good Shepherd……Is Attentive To The Needs Of The Sheep
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, when Jesus and His disciples were reuniting with one another after having been disbursed in pairs, they had all just learned of John the Baptist’s beheading. Jesus was attentive to the fact that His men were weary, needed to be with one another, to get some rest and to have a change of scenery, so they all set out on a boat in an effort to find some seclusion.

Upon arriving on the other side of the sea, they encounter a large group of people. Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the crowd, He felt compassion for them and began healing their sick. Jesus, attentive to the needs of the people, ends up enlisting His men to help feed this large group of followers.

It seems that Jesus felt that what His men needed most in their own time of mourning, was to teach them and model for them the compassion of a shepherd. In doing so, He was pouring out compassion on them and meeting His disciples’ needs just as He was pouring compassion on the large group of people and meeting their needs.

The Good Shepherd was always compassionately attentive to the needs of those around Him.

Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”
Matthew 14:14 “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”
Matthew 15:32 “And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, ‘I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.’”

A Good Shepherd……Provides A Refreshing Safe Haven For The Sheep
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.” Psalm 23:2
Throughout scripture Christ is described as One who provides safety, refuge and restoration to His flock.

Isaiah 40:11 “Like a shepherd He will tend his flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

In Matthew 23, Jesus likens how He feels about His people to a hen seeking to gather her chicks under her wings. King David spoke of the Lord with similar language, many times speaking of taking refuge in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7).

A Good Shepherd Both Protects and Disciplines His Sheep
“Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4b
A good shepherd uses his rod and staff to fend off predators and also to guide and correct the sheep when it begins to head in the wrong direction. The correction, protection and discipline are all acts of love and are in the best interest of the sheep.

A Good Shepherd Pursues His Missing Sheep
Jesus Himself said…

Matthew 18:12 “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?”

Poimen (4166)(n) – a shepherd, pastor
Poimano (4165)(v) – to tend as a shepherd

(Sidenote: My NASB Bible only has the word “pastor” one time (in Ephesians 4:11) and the greek word there is poimen. Everywhere else in the New Testament, “poimen” is translated as “shepherd”. A pastor is to be a shepherd.)

Distinguishing Between a True Shepherd and a Hired Hand
Throughout the Old Testament, God, through His prophets, sent scathing messages to shepherds who had abandoned their responsibilities and were allowing the sheep to be scattered (Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34:1-10; Zechariah 11).
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In John 10:12-13, Jesus warned about hired hands who are more interested in self-preservation than they are in caring for sheep. The table below gives differences between true shepherds versus hired hands (worthless shepherds).

us saw the religious leaders of his day as worthless shepherds and hired hands. When He relayed the parable of the good Samaritan, he depicted the Jewish priest and Levite as being the ones who left their own countryman bloody and left for dead on the side of the road.

Peter’s Assignment
So…..what was Jesus asking Peter to do? He was asking Peter to emulate Him as best he could and to care for people as good shepherds care for sheep. Jesus was asking Peter to be attentive to the needs of the flock, to watch out for wolves that pose an immediate threat as well as for worthless shepherds who leave their flocks susceptible to wolves. He was asking Peter to feed His lambs as Jesus would. And this role of shepherding was ultimately to be done out of an act of love for the One who enlisted Peter as a shepherd.

Prayer of Thanksgiving to THE Good Shepherd
My Good Shepherd, who am I that you take thought of me and care for me? Just as You saw Nathaniel under the fig tree, You never cease to meet me in my circumstances. You stick closer than a brother. You are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Your ministry of reconciliation towards me is never ceasing, constantly bringing me back into fellowship as I confess my sin. You never abandon me like a hired hand as You are forever my Good Shepherd. I fear no evil for You are with me. When I seek You, You run directly toward me as a Father through the door. You never come at me sideways like a thief or a robber climbing up some other way. When I am beaten and wounded You never turn a blind eye or pass by a different way. You treat my wounds and provide for my needs. May I never fall for impostors or cheap imitations. With Your rod you both defend and discipline me to keep me recognizing Your voice. With Your staff You guide me and retrieve me from harm.
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I praise You, my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer. May we reflect You as we seek to emulate You by shepherding others.

Not every German was Hitler. Not every German was a die-hard nazi or nazi supporter. They weren’t all gung-ho fans of the gestapo. Sometimes when we look back on events that happened in history, particularly when things in history went wrong (like during the Holocaust), we can have a tendency to quickly lump people into the two categories of victims and perpetrators. We can also falsely make the assumption that everyone in our “perpetrator” category was hard-hearted and motivated by pure evil. In reality, things aren’t necessarily quite as simple as that.

When individuals or groups come to a crossroads in life that involve weighty matters, decisions often come with varying levels of mixed emotions, reluctance and passivity. If we’re not taking our thoughts captive, fear can seep its way into the decision-making process to the point that it trumps what we know is right or successfully deters us from obeying clear commands from God.

In this post, we’re going to look at several biblical examples of people who chose not to do what they knew was right and will analyze (or better…conjecture) as to what may have driven them to choose the path they walked down.

Moses and the Rock, Part 2 (Numbers 20)
In Chapter 20 of Numbers, we see the account of the second time that Moses pleaded with God to provide water for the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness. The first time this happened (in Exodus 17, forty years prior), God said “you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” But this time God tells Moses to “speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water.” Neglecting the fact that the outcome was going to be miraculous, the instructions were quite simple. “Speak to the rock.” To mess that up, you’d think you’d have to be trying to.

However, Moses struck the rock…and water came forth. We’re not told why Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it and, to be fair, we’re also not told that Moses made any excuses. It could seem like a harmless turn of events. All the people, including Moses, got the results they were looking for. Water came forth. The Israelites were happy. God?…not so much. He didn’t get the results He was looking for, namely, obedience from the leader He had chosen.

What was Moses thinking? Why do you think Moses disobeyed? Maybe it was pent-up frustration with his circumstances. Ironically (in Numbers 20:11), Moses addressed the Israelites as “rebels” immediately before striking the rock. Go figure! He accuses the people of being rebels as he himself rebels against God’s clear instruction. Maybe he was stressed out or in mourning. Verse 1 tells us that Moses’ sister Miriam had recently died and been buried in this region. So, Moses could have had what we might mistakenly refer to as extenuating circumstances. The fact is…we don’t know why Moses disobeyed.

But we do know what happened as a result of Moses’ disobedience.

Exodus 20:12 “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’”

Do you think this seems harsh? What do you think Moses was thinking? I guess he could have been thinking, “Are you kidding me? Do You mean to tell me I’ve spent forty years in the wilderness leading these complainers to have You deny my entrance into the Promised Land because I hit a rock instead of speaking to it? What’s the big deal with hitting the rock? That’s what You told me to do last time. Why’s it such a big deal to hit it this time?”

Again, we don’t know if Moses responded this way at all. But he may have. I tend to doubt that Moses woke up that morning premeditating to blatantly disobey God out of a hardened heart and pure evilness.

No matter what reason Moses had or what excuse he may have given, God’s expectation for Moses was that he would obey what God clearly had told him to do. No ifs, ands or buts. It was obviously important to God that Moses learn to obey Him completely despite his own understanding of the circumstances. It was also important to God that Moses esteem Him to the people by following through with His instructions.

Do you think God’s response was unloving?......or loving? (Hint: Hebrews 12:6, 1 John 4:8)

Saul and the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15)
When the Israelites demanded a king, God Himself hand-picked Saul (1 Samuel 9:17). 
In 1 Samuel 15, God gave Saul clear instructions through Samuel.

1 Samuel 15:3 “Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

So, what did God’s anointed king do? He wiped out all the Amalekites except their king (Agag) and kept the best of the livestock.

What was Saul thinking? Why do you think he disobeyed the Lord’s clear instructions? Well, this time we’re given an answer. In 1 Samuel 15:15, if we take Saul at his word, they refrained from killing the best of the livestock so that they could later offer a sacrifice to God.

In other words…they disobeyed God in order to honor Him? Samuel didn’t buy it. Nor did God.

Is it possible that Saul didn’t act out of greed or pride and that he had what he felt were honorable intentions? I suppose. It at least appears as though he had talked himself into believing he had a plan that would bring God more glory and honor than if he had followed God’s clear instructions.

However, if Saul’s stated intentions were indeed legitimate, it seems God placed a much higher value on obedience than He did on Saul’s “good” intentions. Samuel responded by letting Saul know that it is better to obey God than to offer sacrifices. He also let Saul know that God had rejected him as king of Israel. Saul confesses to having sinned (in 1 Samuel 15:24) hoping to dodge the consequences, but God’s decision to reject Saul as king stood.

Do you feel that God was unforgiving in this situation? Do you think it would have been more loving for God to have just let this mistake slide?

Eli and Sons (1 Samuel 2-3)
For the last 40 years of his life, Eli served as both a priest and a judge in Israel. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, also served as priests but scripture doesn’t beat around the bush regarding Hophni and Phinehas.

1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men, they did not know the Lord”

Though they served as priests, Eli’s sons had no regard for God, for Jewish law or for their own role as priests. They broke all sorts of sacrificial laws and slept with the women who served at the door of the tent of meeting. Eli approached his sons about their sin and made them aware of his disapproval. However, his encounter with them lacked any kind of disciplinary follow-through.

As a priest, Eli knew what Jewish law had to say about the actions of his sons. And certainly, being both their father and a judge, he had both the responsibility and authority to institute disciplinary action but failed to do so.

What was Eli thinking? Do you think he didn’t realize the seriousness of the matter?

My personal viewpoint is that Eli likely felt he had trapped himself by establishing a pattern of past gentle parenting mistakes. Maybe he felt like he had set a precedent by letting too many of his sons’ past escapades slip without saying a word…and that taking a strong stance at this point would have been inconsistent. Maybe he felt he was too old to be “interfering” with his sons’ lives. On the one hand, I do think that Eli loved the Lord… in feeling. But, on the other hand, He was not loving the Lord in action through this situation. Again, it’s difficult to say for sure what led Eli to not take action. 

But we know what God had to say about what transpired. In 2:29, God accuses Eli of honoring Hophni and Phinehas above Him. And, in 2:31-34, He curses Eli’s family and lets Eli know that both his sons would die on the same day. In Chapter 3, God tells Samuel why Eli’s family is being cursed.

1 Samuel 3:13 “For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.”

It’s clear that God saw Eli as having a responsibility to appropriately confront his sons for their sin and to hold them accountable. The curse was clearly placed on Eli’s family and not just the families of his sons.

Does it seem unfair to you that God held Eli accountable in this situation?

Not a 2 ½ God (A Contemplative Interlude)
How many times have you heard parents attempt to corral their kids by saying the following?
“If you don’t obey me on the count of three, I’ll [insert threat]! One!.....Two!....Two and a half!...”

The “two and a half” really begins to deplete the credibility of the parent in the eyes of the child because it’s seen as an empty threat that the child doesn’t believe is likely to be backed up when push comes to shove. The “two and a half” can make the parent look weak and really open themselves up to being run over by the child (or others) in the future.

Our God is not a 2 ½ God. (I digress)

A Corinthian Mindset (1 Corinthians 5)
Now let’s talk about Corinth. When Paul wrote his first letter to this church, he was already bewildered and somewhat annoyed by the fact that the believers had not already disciplined one of their fellow believers for having a sexual relationship with his step-mom. Paul made it clear that they were not to be associating with this man in his unrepentant state but were rather to remove him from their midst.

Why do you figure they hadn’t dealt with this problem? Do you think they were all so carnally-minded that they truly took no issue with this man’s behavior? Or maybe they were so worldly that they didn’t even notice that it was happening?

I tend to think that there were probably plenty of people in the Corinthian church who were troubled by the behavior of this man but were almost paralyzed by a mix of different fears, emotions or questions. What if I’m the only person who seeks to do the right thing? What if people label me as “unloving”, “unforgiving” or “divisive” for trying to do the right thing?  They may have been very fond of this man. He could have been very friendly or popular. They may have had skeletons in their own closet that they were fearful would be exposed if they dared approach the subject of this man’s sin. If he was a man of power and influence, they may have been fearful of how confrontation might affect their own personal standing in society. He could have been a wealthy or high-profile person in their church. They may have even been afraid of what people would think of Jesus if non-believers found out that this type of sin existed in the church.

While addressing this issue (in 1 Corinthians 5:6), Paul says something rather interesting to the Corinthian believers. He says, “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”

In what way do you think “boasting” was playing into this situation?  What would there have been for the recipients of his letter to be boasting about?

It would seem as though Paul was implying that the Corinthian believers were actually taking pride in the fact that they hadn’t dealt with the unrepentant man…almost as if they had talked themselves into believing that doing nothing was the godly way to handle unrepentant sin. According to Paul, boasting and not confronting the issue directly was guaranteed to promote more sin just like it.

Undoubtedly there were likely varying perspectives the Corinthian believers had regarding the sin this man was partaking in. Some of them may have had no problem with it at all. Others may have been grieved by it but were reluctant to get involved. And some of them were proud of their non-response.

But Paul was calling people to action and take things seriously.

Conclusion
A lot can be learned from looking at history, especially biblical history. And it can be a good exercise to imagine yourself in the shoes of those who found themselves at a crossroads in the past and learn from what they did, whether right or wrong. As sinners in a fallen world, we can find a million reasons not to do the right thing. Hopefully, we can learn from those who have gone before us and that this will help us be poised to take appropriate action whenever we come to a crossroads in the future.

One thing’s for sure…God is not big on excuses when it comes to following His clear instructions.
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If you’re Hitler, you don’t necessarily need the masses to actively support what you’re doing in order to commit atrocities. You just need an ample amount of people who aren’t going to stand in your way from committing them. If you can manipulate people into a state of indifference or petrification, you’re golden. You’ve now got free reign to wreak havoc in whatever way you feel is necessary to accomplish your purposes.

Let’s cut to the chase…
If we’re going to talk about the who of church discipline, we need to ask two questions:

1. Who is to receive church discipline? And…
2. Who is to administer church discipline?

​WHO is to Receive Church Discipline?
I’ve said it before, but it deserves repeating…… church discipline is reserved for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as the One who has satisfied the sin-debt and provides an unbreakable relationship with God.

1 Corinthians 5:12 “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within (the body of Christ)?”

As believers, we are to hold one another to a standard. When Jesus brought up the four step process in Matthew 18, he was specifically addressing how to approach someone who had indeed sinned as opposed to someone who was suspected of sin. We are not to be in the practice of judging other people’s motives or invoking discipline on the basis of assumption. 1 Corinthians 4:5 tells us that it is God’s job to judge motives….not man’s. This doesn’t mean we can’t ask questions of those within our sphere of influence for the purpose of holding each other accountable. We need people holding us in check. It just means we can’t assume someone’s motives are sinful and worthy of discipline in and of themselves, especially since we can’t observe motives.

Certainly not every sin or suspected sin is meant to invoke church discipline. We all sin everyday in ways that wouldn’t necessarily call for the progression we’ve been talking about. Sometimes we sin almost without thinking about it and then realize it and recognize it as sin as soon as it happens.

The practice of church discipline isn’t meant to turn us all into over-zealous hall monitors, pointing out every offense that we see. It’s primarily about bringing to light damaging patterns of sin that are being left unchecked or unacknowledged for the sake of promoting health.

OSU
There is an acronym that has been used as a helpful tool for how to know when the progression of church discipline is warranted. O.S.U. which stands for Outward, Serious (or Significant) and Unrepentant sin. Since I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma, which is the home of Oklahoma State University, this acronym is easy to remember.

“Outward” means the sin must be something that can be observed (either seen or heard). For instance, people aren’t to be taken through church discipline for their thought lives. We can’t see or hear people’s thoughts just like we can’t observe someone’s motives. The sin needs to be actions that were witnessed or words that were heard. Galatians 6:1 makes reference to someone who is “caught” in a trespass as opposed to being “suspected” of a trespass. In the book of 3 John, the apostle John says that he is going to call attention to the “deeds” of Diotrephes. These deeds had, evidently, been witnessed.

“Serious” (or “Significant”) sin is a term that could seem to be rather subjective and open to interpretation. But, for the sake of an example…….you probably wouldn’t invoke church discipline on a pastor for a one-time exaggeration of the number of baptisms that have been performed in the last year. That may not classify as a “serious” or “significant” sin. God’s word gives us some insight to things that would be considered sins worthy of church discipline which we will look at in a minute. But if I was forced to give a general rule for sins that are worthy of invoking church discipline, I would probably say they are sins that cause harm to others either directly or by influence or are part of a harmful pattern on the part of the one committing the sin that has effects on their fellowship with Christ.

“Unrepentant” sin…repentance is a widely misunderstood and debated topic (which is worthy of its own blog post). When talking about church discipline, what is generally meant by “Unrepentant” sin is that the sin is unconfessed and/or unforsaken. It is referring to a believer who commits a sin but is unwilling to recognize it as sin or take efforts to address the root issue.

As believers, we are ambassadors for Christ. As such, when we as Christ’s ambassadors exhibit outward, serious and unrepentant sin toward others or in view of others, we have the power to taint how bystanders (whether believers or unbelievers) view Jesus.

“Serious” Examples
Sexual sin is probably the first sin people think of when the topic of church discipline is approached. And, these days, that’s somewhat understandable. For one, in recent years, there’s been a lot of light shed on sexually abusive priests that had been covered up for years by the Catholic church. Secondly, we’ve probably all heard stories of church leaders who have been asked to step down because of adultery. And, of course, in 1 Corinthians 5 Paul specifically is reprimanding the Corinthian church for not having exercised discipline on one of the believers who was sleeping with his stepmom.

Clearly, sexual sin falls into the category of “serious” sin when applying the OSU acronym. However, Paul doesn’t reserve church discipline merely for sexual sin.

1 Corinthians 5:11 “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one.”

Here Paul adds to the list of “serious” sins that he was demanding the church apply discipline to. By no means do I believe this list was meant to be exhaustive. But within this short list, Paul mentions “revilers”. This might be the term in the list that we’re least familiar with and the one we might most question as to why it’s in the list. We may easily understand why it’s a serious sin to worship idols or to swindle people but why is reviling a serious sin? Getting a grasp on what a reviler is might help us have an understanding of what constitutes a serious sin. A reviler is a person who speaks to or about another person abusively, slanderously or with contempt. Why would Paul consider this a serious sin? Because it’s a sin that damages another human being who has been created in God’s image.

Sidenote: Some of the most dangerous words that can be whispered are, “I’m going to tell you something about someone, but don’t tell anyone else.” Abusers and revilers can use this phrase to spread slanderous reports about other people and the listener who accepts these terms then has trapped themselves from being able to verify truth or cross-examine the one being reported on for fear that this would be an act of betrayal or disloyalty to the whisperer. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” The whisperer/slanderer/abuser wants to get their narrative out first because they know the first to plead their case seems right, but they definitely don’t want anyone to be cross-examining their narrative. They may act like you’re the only one they’re making privy to their narrative. They may even act like the reason it should stay hush hush is to protect the reputation of the person the narrative is about. In actuality, they likely want the narrative to spread and they want it to be unquestioned. Winston Churchill once said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.”

God takes reviling and slander seriously because of the damaging effect it can have on people created in His image. Reviling might not seem that serious to the bystander but to the one being reviled, it’s a massive deal. And God cares deeply about it. Proverbs 6 give us a list of things the Lord hates and finds abominable. Check it out.

Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him; Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”

It’s probably safe to say that anything in the Lord’s top seven list would probably be included in the list of “serious” sins that Paul would have found worthy of church discipline. Especially, if those sins were also both outward and unrepentant. And interestingly enough, three of the seven of them are pretty closely tied to reviling…four if done with wicked intent…five if done at the drop of a hat. So, it would appear that a list of “serious” sins would include sins that have relational impacts on others.

Sources of Leaven
Believers who commit observable (Outward) sins that affect their own fellowship with God or have the potential to affect how others view God or the body of Christ (Serious) need to be confronted. If they are unwilling to talk about it or listen to you, and then confess it as sin and forsake it (Unrepentant) then, in Paul’s words, you are “not to associate” with that person…and…”not even to eat with such a one.”

If leaven is not removed, it WILL leaven the whole lump of dough (1 Cor 5:6). Plain and simple…if believers with outward, serious and unrepentant sin are not dealt with in line with God’s word, they WILL continue to have an increasing adverse impact in the local body.  THIS IS NOT A STATEMENT OF PROBABILITY. THIS IS A STATEMENT OF PROMISE AND CERTAINTY.

Here are a few more warnings against associating with people who have outward, serious and unrepentant sin.

Proverbs 22:24-25 “Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself.”

Proverbs 20:19 “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.”

2 Timothy 3:2-5 “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

Hopefully, these passages have provided some level of clarity to who should receive church discipline.

Which brings us to the next part of the Who…

Who is to Administer Church Discipline?
Be careful! This question has the potential to hit you square between the eyes.

While church discipline can have a progression to it, it generally begins with a one-on-one encounter. The Bible does not zero in on any particular person or someone holding a particular office to make this first encounter. It really could be any believer. However, knowing that church discipline is ultimately an act of love for the purpose of restoration, it needs to be a person who is capable of approaching the situation in this manner and prayerfully. This doesn’t necessarily mean that emotions won’t rise or that either party is going to approach the situation perfectly but the confrontation needs to be done by someone with the capacity to love in this way.

Similarly, if the situation progresses to a point where two or three are doing the confronting, hearts need to be humble and in check. Matthew 7:5 says “…first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Keep in mind that Jesus Christ goes with those who address sin in this manner. When He said (in Matthew 18:20), “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am in their midst”, He was talking specifically about administering church discipline.

Some people are of the mindset that only church elders or pastors are to be involved in church discipline. But the Bible doesn’t say that. When Paul rebuked the church at Corinth for not addressing sin, his rebuke was indeed to the church…not necessarily just to the elders. Similarly, when Jesus instructed John to write the letters to the seven churches (in Revelation 1:11), these were indeed letters to the churches and not just to the church leadership. So, when Jesus issued His rebuke for the things that were going on in the church of Thyatira without being addressed, He was rebuking the church as a body rather than singling out particular individuals.

Granted, certainly by the time you progress to step 3 (“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church”, Matthew 18:17a), it would be a good idea to have elders involved. But, as members of the body of Christ, we aren’t supposed to expect that every step of church discipline is solely the responsibility of church elders.

That said…be praying for your elders because their task is not an easy one. They do indeed have a responsibility to uphold discipline and they will certainly be held responsible if they don’t uphold church discipline when it is called for biblically.

Read Paul’s words which were in the context of elders disciplining a fellow elder…

1 Timothy 5:19-21 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.” 

Let that last part sink in for a minute. Paul gives a solemn charge…without bias…and without partiality. This means it didn’t matter how long they had known this elder. It didn’t matter how close they were to his family. It didn’t matter how great a teacher this person was or how many verses he’d memorized. It didn’t matter if he had officiated your daughter’s wedding or baptized your son. If two or three witnesses brought forth a legitimate charge, the church leadership were to investigate it and address the sin. To not do so is to prove that you are not fit to be a shepherd.

Hear me on this, though. The solemn charge that Paul gave the elders isn’t just to those who hold the office of elder or shepherd. The charge to be sure church discipline is taking place is issued to the church…not just to church leadership.

Ezekiel 34 and Jeremiah 23 both make it clear that God will handle shepherds who neglect their duty. But a cursory review of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation will also show…Jesus is not against removing lampstands (churches). So, if you see leaven, don’t stick your head in the sand and don’t spend too much time looking around hoping someone else will handle it.
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In the question of Who…He may be looking at you.

Have you ever been at the brink of an important decision and prayed that the Lord would just drop the “correct” decision in your lap? Or have you ever encountered a daunting circumstance and wished that God would give you step-by-step instructions on how to handle it? I know I’ve run into trials at work multiple times that practically had me in a state of paralysis to know what to do. As a parent, have you and your spouse ever found yourselves amongst those who wish that kids came with an instruction manual for every possible awkward scenario? God’s word is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16) but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it breaks everything down into step-by-step instructions for everything you encounter.

However, when it comes to the topic of church discipline and confronting sin in the body of Christ, God’s word gets somewhat specific.

In the last blog post, we talked about the What and Why of church discipline. And I had planned on this post tackling both the How and the Who. However, I’ve realized that I have a tendency to get a bit long-winded so this post will tackle the How while the Who will be forthcoming. Please forgive me for over-selling and under-delivering.

The HOW of Church Discipline
Last time I briefly brought up the fact that the first mention of the process we refer to as “church discipline” predates the establishment of “the church”. While the Church Age didn’t officially begin until Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first came to indwell believers, one of Jesus’ first recorded uses of the word “ekklesia” (translated “church”) is used in Matthew 18:15-17 when He is giving general instruction on how to confront sin in a fellow brother. The word “ekklesia” can be translated as an assembly or a congregation of people.

The General Progression
In general, here is the four step process as a reminder.
Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins…..

1)go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

2)But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.

3)If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;

4)and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

In general, the process starts out as personal as is practical, not involving more people than is necessary for the situation at this stage. Approaching the situation without hostility is important so the one being confronted doesn’t automatically put their guard up.

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

Galatians 6:1 says “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”

Since church discipline is to be an act of love and one of the primary goals is restoration to fellowship, there is not necessarily a reason to come out guns blazing.  We are to seek to restore in a spirit of gentleness. This certainly would mean that the situation should be approached prayerfully and with self-examination so that pride in the one doing the confronting doesn’t become a barrier.

If, as the confronter, you think you’re going to enjoy the confrontation or you’re looking forward to the process, then you likely have the wrong mindset. This is not a process that is to be borne out of vengeance or an unwillingness to forgive.

Matthew 7:5 exhorts the confronter to make sure to take the log out of their own eye “so that you can see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye”.

Throughout the process it is important that we are cautiously examining ourselves, so that we will not be tempted to sin. If, when the sinning brother is confronted, he doesn’t acknowledge, confess and forsake his sin, then Jesus said to take one or two others with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. This is the second step in the general progression. And if he still won’t listen, the third step in the progression is to “tell it to the church”.

The Potential for Special Circumstances
Another primary purpose for church discipline is to maintain health in the body of Christ. This includes protecting others in the flock from being damaged by the sin of the wayward brother and also to keep others from following suit. As such, there can be circumstances when it is warranted and prudent to skip a step or two. Let me explain.

In the second chapter of Galatians, Paul recounts a time when he and Peter were both in Antioch and Peter began….holding himself aloof and, in essence, snubbing the gentile believers for fear of what his fellow Jews might think. Paul took it upon himself to rebuke Peter “to his face” (2:11) and “in the presence of all” (2:14). We see no sign in scripture that Paul first pulled Peter aside one-on-one nor do we hear of Paul taking a couple of people with him to admonish Peter in a smaller group. Paul seems to jump straight to a public rebuke. It would seem that Paul felt Peter’s actions were blatant and potentially damaging enough to those present that it warranted an immediate and public rebuke. Peter was a person of influence who had walked closely with Jesus Himself. So, his actions had the potential to damage people’s view of Jesus and the gospel and also had the potential to drag other people into similar hypocrisy.

Here we see an example of an important truth. Spiritual leaders are not to be given more leeway than the average believer. If anything, they are to be allotted less wiggle room. They are doubly accountable.

James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

Another thing we see in this account from Galatians is that, while Jesus gave step by step instructions for the general church discipline scenario, this doesn’t mean that every step is required or called for in every situation.

Another example is if you have the case of an abuser and an abuse victim. For instance, you shouldn’t expect that a rape victim should need to confront their abuser to point out their sin as the first step in a discipline process. Matthew 18 has been inappropriately used to call for such things and this is a misuse of that passage that can be quite damaging.

But, generally, the progression Jesus outlines in Matthew 18 is a wonderful guideline for how to confront sin in a fellow believer. Each step in the progression is meant to add more weight to the seriousness of the situation in an effort to bring the offender to a point of contrition and forsaking of the sin. Ideally, things get worked out after a one-on-one confrontation. If not, then hopefully with a small group of individuals. But, if that doesn’t evoke brokenness and a change, then it is to be made known to the church. And if there is still no remorse and reversal, then Step 4 is to remove the person from fellowship in hopes that the removal will spur them to contrition. If it gets to Step 4, God’s expectation is for the whole church to cooperate in the removing of this person from fellowship.

A Call to Action
Check out the action verbs of these verses as you consider the how.

• Restore (Galatians 6:1)
• Rebuke (1 Timothy 5:19-21)
• Admonish (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15)
• Turn him back (James 5:19)
• Call attention to his deeds (3 John 1:9-10)
• Expose them (Ephesians 5:11)
• Deliver such a person over to Satan (1 Corinthians 5:5)
• Reject (Titus 3:10-11)
• Do not associate (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
• Remove (1 Corinthians 5:13)

These actions can sound hard core. But we must remember that all of this is meant to be an act of love and correction that is ultimately meant to restore fellowship and bring health. Reconciliation is what we’re shooting for with all of this. And these action verbs are God’s commands to us for how to deal with the sin in our midst. Commands…….not just rights.

A Solemn Charge
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul gives instructions to Timothy (for Timothy to pass on) for how to handle an accusation brought against an elder.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

If we line this passage up next to the four steps outlined in Matthew 18:15-17, it appears Paul is addressing a situation that is progressing from Step 2 (“take one or two more with you”), by mentioning two or three witnesses, to Step 3 (“tell it to the church”) by commanding that he be rebuked in the presence of all if he continues in sin (“he refuses to listen”). Paul, doesn’t specifically say it here, but I think it’s safe to assume (especially because Paul does address something similar in 1 Corinthians 5) that if the person continued in sin after this public rebuke, Paul’s intent was that the elder be removed from fellowship. Not because he’s an elder but because this is Step 4 for any unrepentant believer in church discipline…….especially an elder. Paul goes on to give a “solemn charge” that we should not take lightly…..

1 Timothy 5:21 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.” 

In other words….this requires follow-through. It doesn’t matter how much you love this person, how close you are to them or what their track record is. It doesn’t matter how great of a teacher they might be, what position they hold, or how well-liked they are. Following through with church discipline is vitally important.
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Summary
In review, HOW are we to perform church discipline?

• As an act of love for the purpose of restoration and health
• Prayerfully, humbly and cautiously
• Firmly yet in a spirit of gentleness
• According to the guidelines of Scripture (in general, there’s a progression)
• Without bias and without a spirit of partiality

Next up will be the Who.

​“11:00 pm”. I was 17 and a junior in high school and this was my weekend curfew. It was a bit more strict than most of my other friends yet I did have one friend whose curfew was 10:30 so it wasn’t too bad in my mind. Sometimes I would get some light teasing for it when I’d have to bow out earlier than others from the occasional game night. But that teasing was generally playful. I made sure I was home by 11:00, though, because my parents were consistent in upholding rules and that included curfews. At one particular game night, as we were playing games, someone started asking everyone what time everyone’s parents said they needed to be home. An assortment of times were thrown out from 10:30 to 12:30. Then someone asked, “Karen, what time is your curfew?” Karen responded, “My parents don’t care when I come home.” Most people didn’t think a thing of it while one or two mentioned that Karen’s parents must be pretty “cool”. People’s focus shifted back to the game at hand, but I noticed that Karen’s countenance dropped with her response. It seemed clear to me that the words that rang most clear to Karen (in her response) were “My parents don’t care…”. Her response went deeper than a curfew.

Did you know that research shows there is greater stability and security in families (parents and children) when boundaries, parameters and expectations are both established and upheld? That may or may not be a surprise to you. Children feel a greater sense of safety and security when there is consistent follow-through with discipline in their home. The consistency in upholding established parameters makes the child feel more cared for and shepherded.
The same concept is true with church discipline.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of church discipline, you’re not alone. Many people have never heard the topic of church discipline taught or discussed, much less seen it practiced or applied. There are probably several reasons for that. First, it’s not necessarily a pleasant topic to talk about and teach…….or apply…..especially in our culture. Plus, church discipline is a process that involves steps and the initial steps are not meant to induce group involvement. So, if you’ve never seen church discipline play out through every step, that could be a good sign or a bad sign. It could mean that the problem was effectively taken care of before the later and more public steps were reached. However, it could also mean that church discipline isn’t being carried out and the problem is being allowed to fester. Regardless of how difficult the subject may be to approach, it is vitally important for us to understand what God’s word has to say about church discipline and why it’s important.

This two-part blog post will attempt to explain the who, what, why and how of church discipline from a biblical perspective.

While you will not find the term “church discipline” in the Bible, it is a term coined by Christians to describe something the Bible talks about multiple times throughout the New Testament. Below are a few of the passages that help describe the concept of church discipline. We will use this grouping of passages as we work our way through examining the who, what, why and how.

Church Discipline Passages
Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 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.”

1 Corinthians 5:1-7 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a person over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” (See also the rest of 1 Corinthians 5)

Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”

Ephesians 5:11 “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;”

2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.”

1 Timothy 1:20 “Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

1 Timothy 5:19-21 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.” 

Titus 3:10-11 “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.”

James 5:19 “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

3 John 1:9-10 “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.”

Revelation 2-3 (The letters to the 7 churches)

WHAT is Church Discipline?

Church discipline - The process of confronting and addressing sin amongst believers for the purpose of unity and purity in the body of Christ and for (hopefully) restoration to fellowship of the offender.

Interestingly enough, the process that we call “church discipline” actually predates the establishment of “the church”. While the Church Age didn’t begin until after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension when the Holy Spirit first indwelled believers, Jesus introduced the process we call “church discipline” well before going to the cross. We can see the general 4-step process outlined in Matthew 18:15-17.

Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins…..
1)go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
2)But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.
3)If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;
4)and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

The first thing to know about church discipline is that the discipline is meant to both come from and be applied to people who have believed in Jesus as their Savior.  This is why Jesus referred to the offender as “your brother” in verse 15. Church discipline is not meant to be applied to unbelievers. In 1 Corinthians 5:12 Paul says, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within (the body of Christ)?”

A second thing to know about church discipline is that it is to be an act of love. Just as the Lord disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6), our motivation for discipline is to be an act of love for all parties involved (whether the offended, the offender or those affected indirectly) just as it is to be an act of obedience to God. It is not loving to allow a fellow believer to remain in a state of unconfessed and unforsaken sin which is why Paul calls for restoring in a spirit of gentleness (Gal 6:1) and admonishing as a brother rather than regarding him as an enemy (2 Thess 3:15).
As evidenced by Matthew 18:15-17, there can be a progression to church discipline depending on the response of the one being disciplined. The key here is humility and a contrite heart. Ideally, the sin problem gets addressed early on in the process and there is not a need to draw more people into the situation. However, if the offender is not receptive, bringing other people into the process is meant to both reinforce the importance of having resolution to the issue as well as to apply positive peer pressure toward contrition.

WHY Are We To Perform Church Discipline?
If church discipline isn’t easy to do, then why do it? Let’s allow scripture to be our guide to answering that question.

• (Matthew 18:15) To win your brother. Ultimately this means restoration of the offender to fellowship with the one applying the discipline, with the Lord and also with fellow believers.
• (1 Cor 5:5) So that his spirit may be saved. Since this man was a believer, this likely is referring to saving him from further uselessness and shame when Christ returns to reward believers for their deeds in the flesh.
• (1 Cor 5:6-7) To be a new lump. Neglected unconfessed and unforsaken sin in the body of Christ (the church) is likened to leaven in bread that only grows and infects the longer it is undealt with…not only in the life of the individual believer but in the lives of those connected to it. The effects of the sin (left unchecked) permeate the body, breaking down parameters and affecting the stability and the culture of the church.
• (2 Thess 3:14) So that he will be put to shame. The discipline is meant to spur contrition/remorse.
• (1 Tim 1:20) To be taught. The context is specifically to be taught not to blaspheme but the discipline is meant to result in learning or being taught a lesson.
• (1 Tim 5:20) So that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. Public church discipline is, among other things, to serve as a deterrent to sin for the entire body. In a way, it’s setting a precedent for others to remember.
• (James 5:19) Save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Since a believer (brother) is in view, the correction is meant to save him from a possible early physical death.

Church discipline shouldn’t be seen as punishment for past wrong-doing, but rather to provide correction for health moving forward. To call for or follow through with discipline is not unloving or the product of unforgiveness. A person can genuinely cancel the debt of an offender (even when the offender doesn’t confess their sin) and still call for discipline. Jesus nailed the certificate of debt to the cross for all mankind (believers and unbelievers) not counting our trespasses against us (John 1:29; Col 2:14; 2 Cor 5:19). Yet the Lord still disciplines those He loves. Why? He doesn’t discipline us in spite of His love. He disciplines us as part of His love. He wants things to be healthy moving forward. Remember, He is the Good Shepherd.
When we confront unconfessed sin, we are shedding light on things done in the darkness. Ephesians 5:13 says “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” Romans 13:12 says, “The night is gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
We are to walk as children of light (Eph 5:8).

Ultimately, the goal of church discipline is restoration to fellowship. But restoration to fellowship involves the offender being able to confess (to those they sinned against) and forsake their sin. The Greek word for confess is homologeo (“homou” means “same” or “together” and “logos” means “word”) which means to say something in unison. Essentially, to confess your sin means to say the same thing that God would say about your sin. It means to agree with God that your sin is indeed sin.

Granted, invoking church discipline is not a pleasant process. It’s a difficult thing to do. But it must be done if there is to be true health in the local body. Some will appeal to the idea that they don’t want to address undealt-with sin because they think the discipline will cause division. But there is healthy unity and unhealthy unity just as there is healthy division and unhealthy division. When church discipline is neglected, unhealthy divisions will occur. The “unity” that comes from neglecting church discipline is not healthy unity. Factions will spring up within the body along with resentments and there will be hesitancy to have true biblical fellowship because people feel unsafe. This was happening to the church in Corinth. And it was going to continue to happen more and more until it was confronted head-on. Proper church discipline does not promote unhealthy division. It promotes healthy unity. But the leaven must be removed either by addressing the sin or removing the sinner from fellowship. So, if the source of the leaven (sin) is a hardened heart, bringing healthy unity may very well require that someone get cut off.

Even Jesus came bearing a sword (Matthew 10:34 & Luke 12:51, figuratively). The “unity” that is promoted by neglecting church discipline is not a healthy unity. Faithfully applying church discipline when the parameters of God’s word are blatantly violated is key to the safety and security of the flock.

The leaven must be removed and this is the “Why” of church discipline.
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In the upcoming Part 2, we will look at the How and the Who.

​There is a term in the world of structural engineering and bridge inspection that has often been misunderstood, especially when reported on by the media. That term is “fracture critical”. The former Oklahoma City Crosstown bridge that was taken out of service in 2012 had roughly 260 “fracture critical” members on it. The main reason the term “fracture critical” was widely so misunderstood was that people assumed it meant that the condition of the member had become compromised over time as if maybe years of being exposed to the elements had made that member become fracture critical. And while it certainly is true that bridge members can break down over time by exposure to things like freeze/thaw cycles, moisture and corrosion, the term “fracture critical” is not meant to shed light on the physical condition of a bridge member to such factors. Rather, it is a term that is meant to highlight the likely catastrophic outcome of the entire structure failing if that particular member were to fail. A fracture critical bridge member is a steel member, like a beam, that is in tension (normally by design) but it is non-redundant, meaning it doesn’t have any supplemental systems of support. In short, it means that if this member were to fail, the structure would fail because, in essence, nothing else is backing it up. That’s what makes it “fracture critical”. In the case of the Crosstown bridge, its fracture critical members were pier beams (or cross-girders). These were large beams that ran transverse (perpendicular) to traffic and sat on top of tall concrete columns, and all (7) of the beams that ran longitudinally (parallel to traffic) connected to a single pier beam at the end of each span. It was not as if the Crosstown bridge became fracture critical over time. It was designed as fracture critical and had been that way ever since it was constructed back in 1966.
 
Bridge inspectors are trained to get a much closer look at fracture critical members, not because those members are in worse condition than any other member of the bridge but because, due to their non-redundancy, the failure of the one member can have widespread catastrophic consequences and can occur with little notice ahead of time. Therefore, closer scrutiny is important. It is worth pointing out that the engineering world has largely moved away from designing fracture critical bridges. For, while the fracture critical member typically gets the job done, it is not worth the risk of catastrophic failure to not have redundancy built into the system especially when the structure is going to be exposed to the elements for decades on end. Redundancy is important.
 
An Analogy About Redundancy
Did you know the Bible talks about the importance of redundancy? For instance, Solomon talks about it in Ecclesiastes.
 
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”
 
A cord of multiple strands is an example of redundancy being built into a system. When pulled in tension, the chances of multiple strands severing at the same time becomes less and less with the more strands that are interwoven together. Of course, Solomon isn’t mainly talking about rope or cables. He’s talking about people. He’s talking about accountability, safety and peace of mind in numbers. If you wait long enough, one thing you can always count on a person to do……is fail. And, oftentimes, you don’t have to wait all that long to see it happen.
 
1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
 
This is why we need others who know us and will be truthful with us. People who can hold us in check.
 
A Warning Against Non-Redundancy
 
Are you aware of the first and only thing God said was “not good” when He was creating the world? Five times in the first chapter of Genesis it says that God looked at His creation and He “saw that it was good”. But then, the first thing He said after creating man was “it is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18a). Now, of course, obviously in the context of the passage, God is getting ready to create a wife for Adam so the thing we see most directly is that God is the One who instituted marriage, a relationship of redundancy.
 
However, meditate on that declaration for a moment………that it is “not good for man to be alone”. This statement was made before sin had entered the world. Adam was going to have the opportunity to walk with God (his Creator) in unbroken fellowship in a beautiful garden without hardship. And even then, God said it was not good for man to be alone. Ultimately, God did not think it was good for Adam (man) to walk through life without another human being who was walking in similar shoes. To resolve this…..issue, God gave Adam a wife.
 
When it comes to accountability and the sharpening that sanctification demands in the Christian life, God’s plan is for others to be involved. Having someone else walking with you helps to provide an additional perspective. Even for people who never end up finding a spouse. Because “it is not good for man to be alone”. That other person can point out things in your blind spot that you tend to be oblivious to. We need accountability. We need redundancy.
 
Redundancy and Community Modeled in the Godhead
 
Ponder this truth momentarily as well. Our God has always existed in three persons. From eternity past, our God has been Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Community and fellowship are tied up in the very essence of who God is. There is internal redundancy within the trinity. Please don’t misread me. I’m not saying that God has “need” of accountability. God alone is perfectly righteous in both position and practice. I’m just pointing out that God created us to be in community. The thumbprint of God Himself is on His creation. We are to seek community just as there is community and fellowship in the Godhead.
 
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before Jesus died, He prayed to the Father, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;” (John 17:20-22). God’s design was for believers to be close-knit and involved in the process of one another being conformed to the image of Christ.
 
Prior to creation, we see community, unity, and intimacy modeled in the fellowship of the Trinity. And prior to the fall of creation, God Himself spoke of the importance of mankind having community. Both these things happened prior to sin entering into the world.
 
In enters sin……..and we have plenty of biblical backing for the idea that it is not good for man to be left to himself without the accountability, support and protection that comes from having the redundancy of one another because mankind now comes into this world sinful and prone to stray.
 
Romans 3:10 “as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one.’”
 
Case Studies
 
Can you think of any examples from the Bible where consolidation of power to one person took place and things turned out well as a result? I can’t.
 
The nation of Israel had a system of judges in place, but they demanded a king (1 Samuel 8). They were warned what would happen if they consolidated power to a single individual (who was not the coming Messiah) but this didn’t calm their desire for a king. So, even though they had been warned of what would happen, they demanded a king and their demand was granted. And the system didn’t pan out.
 
One of the best examples of a king was David who was called “a man after God’s own heart” and was a man who modeled humility and an ability to admit when he was wrong and oftentimes exemplified a healthy dependence upon God. And, yet, even he abused his power and used it to murder and commit adultery. Again, he was one of the best (if not the best) king Israel ever had.
 
King Saul started well but finished very poorly. He became fixated on his own reputation and would become wildly envious of anyone who “stole” glory from him even if that person was doing things that helped protect and advance his kingdom. People became afraid to approach him because he would view as an enemy anyone who might seek to confront him, even if they were well-meaning. Even his own daughter was afraid to speak truth to him for fear that he would take her life.
 
Out Of Sight, Out of Mind
 
Here’s a deep thought for you. Have you ever thought about the fact that you have never seen the back of your own head……with your own eyes? Of course, there have been times when you’ve seen it in a reflection or in a photo, but you’ve never actually looked at the back of your own head with your own eyes in real life.
 
In the summer of ‘97, one week prior to moving to Stillwater for my freshmen year at Oklahoma State, I got, evidently, one of the worst haircuts I’ve ever had……or so I’ve been told. But I had no clue until I got home from the barber and heard my mom gasp. There was a massive gouge that had been somewhat shaved into the back of my head. My mom was bothered by the fact that I’d be starting college with the back of my head looking….hideous. It was easy for me to forget about it because it was out of my sight. I expressed to my mom that I wasn’t really bothered by the bad haircut. Since I couldn’t see it, I was kind of able to just put it out of my mind and not think about it. When I expressed this to my mom, her reply was, “But what about the rest of us? We’re the ones who have to look at it.” Ha! If you’re familiar with my mom’s sense of humor, you can hear her saying this.
 
My point is that sometimes we have blind spots in our lives and we need those who love us to point them out to us as an act of love, even when it’s awkward. At times we can be oblivious to the ways that we are offensive to others or to God. In Psalm 139:23-24 David prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Oftentimes in David’s life, God used other people (such as Nathan, Abigail and Joab) to point his offensive ways out to him. David needed trustworthy people in his life who were not afraid to speak the truth to him, even though it could be a scary proposition to rebuke someone with such power and influence.
 
As fallen creatures, we desperately need checks and balances…….as individuals, within our families, in our governments and in our churches.
 
Redundancy From The Founding Fathers
 
Forgive the political sidenote, but do you know why the United States of America has three branches of government? Primarily because our founding fathers, though imperfect and fallen like the rest of us, understood the sin situation and had honed in on the following two verses:
 
Isaiah 33:22 “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king: He will save us –“ (Judicial, Legislative, Executive)
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
 
Collectively, these men knew that Jesus Christ was the only One fit to wear the hats of all those offices. And, if they were going to make an attempt at instituting a similar system with human beings, they were going to need to separate those powers among many people. This is an example of safety through redundancy. Don’t get me wrong…..it’s not like a system of judges can’t become corrupted. We live in a fallen world as individuals with fallen natures. Corruption can sneak into any man-made system. This is why “we the people” need to hold our politicians and representatives in check.
 
Redundancy In Church Government
 
The Bible speaks about the importance of having a plurality of elders to govern the local church. This is another system of accountability through redundancy. However, similar to our representatives in government, church elders can become complacent, complicit, fearful, and hesitant to stand for truth. This is why it is important that we pray earnestly for our elders and ask questions……even tough questions. We need to come alongside them to encourage them in the things they are doing well. And we need to come alongside them to exhort them and challenge them to do what is right when they are failing to do so. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are both very well-known passages that list the qualifications of elders (characteristics elders must have or ways elders must be). However, I personally think that Proverbs oftentimes gets overlooked as a good resource when talking about the accountability we must seek both in our own lives as individuals as well as the accountability that our church leaders should highly value. Consider the following passages:
 
Proverbs 1:5 “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.”
Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”
Proverbs 13:10 “Through insolence comes nothing but strife, but wisdom is with those who receive counsel.”
Proverbs 15:22 “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”
Proverbs 19:20 “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.”
Proverbs 24:6 “For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
 
From Paul’s New Testament letters and also from Solomon’s wisdom literature we see that God’s word has a great deal to say about the value of accountability, especially in having redundancy in church leadership.
 
Conclusion
 
We need redundancy in our systems of accountability because it is not good for man to be alone. Each of us has blind spots and God has given us one another to serve as iron to sharpen our dull spots in the lifelong journey of becoming conformed to the image of Christ. We need to be able to provide needed reproof, seek out Godly counsel, and accept Godly rebuke. Left to ourselves things can get dicey. We need others speaking truth into our lives, encouraging us, correcting us and pointing out things that are in our blind spots, so that we don’t fail miserably, but rather press on to maturity as we are being conformed to the image of Christ.