feel he has been
discriminated against by other sinners.
This
is not a matter of not knowing what the N.T. teaches on the
subject; i.e., knowing the passages that deal with it. Although
a church which has exercised no discipline in 23 years may need
lessons on such, they need much more. An appreciation for the
meaning and role of a "saint" is needed. Whole-hearted
dedication must be engrained — people taught to love God more
than father, mother, wife and life (Lu. 14:26-f). "The
church" must take on new meaning, and each made to realize
its spiritual mission. "Fellowship" with God, and with
one another, must become a precious thing — and the former
must greatly outweigh the latter.
Of
course I am aware that not all the members of a local church
will have the same level of spiritual understanding or
attainment. Babes can not be expected to have grown so; although
you may find that new converts may "take" to such
teaching far more readily than those who are just longtime
members of the "party." Strong leadership and
uncompromising preaching do much to guide the whole church in
its disciplinary functions.
Sometimes
the church can do little more than recognize the fact that a
sheep is gone. Better that, than to continue to act as though
nothing had happened. But such rear-guard actions (the limit of
most "discipline" today I am sorry to say) are far
from being the loving care, teaching, and correction pictured in
scriptures.
