Today, we see that there exists a real dissonance between the Jesus we worship and the church we experience. It is also important then, to ask and answer the question of what the church should actually be. How do we get to the point where we look at the church and can actually see Jesus?
This is what Paul is trying to achieve here, as he introduces and tackles this not popular topic of church discipline. In doing so, Paul is confronting the church and telling them that they don’t look like Jesus, and this is what they are to do to be like Him.
(A) Formative Discipline: Transformed, submissive, authoritative, and representative churches (2 Cor)
Paul spent the past 12 chapters teaching and instructing the Corinthians about their lives together as a church. What should be the marks of a church?
Transformed
Real transformation is to be expected in the church. In 2 Cor 5:21, we read of how we are new creation and this is only possible because of Christ! What does a transformed heart look like (2 Cor 7:9-11)? Our churches are not meant to be perfect but we have to be clear that as much as Christians still sin, they always stand in the transformed identity of repentant sinners. We don’t come as we are and stay as we are. We need to recognize that sin is sin and there is a penalty for it. Notice how this transformation produces a rightful fear of God and a desire for reconciliation and repentance. This repentance is fleshed out in life!
Submissive
Titus also reported their obedience (2 Cor 7:15). They recognized that their lives were not their own and they live under the Lordship of Christ by obeying His words! A church that does not submit to the word and authority of God is not a church! And this submission is not with gritted teeth but it is with joy! They do so with enlarged hearts because they see that it is good!
Authoritative
Earlier in 2 Corinthians, Paul has written about forgiving the sinner and dealing with the repentant (2 Cor 2:6-11). This is in line with a pattern that Jesus Himself establishes in Matt 18:15-20 on how we ought to call out sin in the community. This unrepentant person is brought before the church (Matt 18:17). When the church acts like the church, there is a special authority there. Jesus Himself is among them, even among 2 or 3, and the church has the authority to bind or loose – to affirm or deny someone’s profession of faith. The church has the authority to declare that the unrepentant brother is not part of the covenant community and this is to be done in Jesus’ name as the church gathers around His Word (Matt 18:17)! Even in this weak and struggling church, they are to represent this Jesus.
Representative
All of this authority comes because they are to represent Jesus to a watching world (2 Cor 1:1b, 6:16). We may think of church as a recreational club, a learning hub, a pit stop or an entertainment center. But the church is an embassy where it represents the interests of the nation, and also showcases the Saviour!
What will it mean if we take these marks seriously? How will we engage with our churches if we show up on Sunday thinking that this is the one place that people can see what Jesus is like? One way is to rethink our interactions and how we spend our time together. It will also mean a zeal for this church!
Why are these marks the necessary focus of church life? Paul, in 2 Cor 12:19, writes of his desire for their upbuilding. He wanted God’s people to look like God’s people. He desired for them to live out God’s design for the Christian’s life as Jesus gave in the Great Commission in Matt 28:18-20. God’s plan for our lives is not career progression or marriage. He means for us to be a part of a church where we can build and disciple each other in order to show the world who He is.
(B) Corrective Discipline: Christ’s power in authoritative judgment (2 Cor 13:1-4)
In 2 Cor 13:1-4, Paul speaks of how he has visited them twice before, and this third visit will bring discipline in the form of a public renouncement of an individual’s faith. This is often referred to as excommunication. Paul is acting on an embassy that is not acting like an embassy. Thus, Paul needed to come to clean it up.
In 2 Cor 13:2-4, we see the different aspects of church discipline. Firstly, in 2 Cor 13:2, we see how Paul is warning the whole church. This sort of judgment is for people within the church (c.f. 1 Cor 5:12-13), and not for Christians to be judging those outside the church.
The reason for this discipline is also given in 2 Cor 12:20-21 (c.f. 2 Cor 11:4). They are tolerating and putting up with false teachers (2 Cor 11:4) and Paul also lists out all their sins in 2 Cor 12:20-21. Though the entire church is being warned, this goes out especially to the unrepentant who don’t want to turn away from sin, and want to still enjoy the “benefits” of the faith. Paul is now telling them to get ready if they are unrepentant.
The Corinthians had doubted that the apostles were legitimate representatives of Christ and and now, Paul is saying, they might experience this power fully (2 Cor 13:3-4). Judgment reveals Christ’s power. Paul references Jesus’ crucifixion and also His resurrection. Christ in His death, displayed His humility, but His resurrection shows that He is being exalted and vindicated (c.f. Phil 2:9-11). The church follows not only a crucified Saviour, but a resurrected one too, who lives in power and rules over His church. Under His rule, there is no place for sin and darkness.
When churches confront sins, we are also proclaiming this powerful, resurrected Christ. Excommunication and discipline for sin is just a fragment and glimpse of the judgment that Christ comes again. When He returns, there is really no room for rebellion. In tolerating sin, they were telling the church that Christ is powerless against sin. Paul wanted them to know that that is false! This text also calls us to think about our own hearts and lives. 2 Cor 12 is also applicable to us. Are we still persisting in and tolerating sin?
(C) Completed Discipline: Christ’s power for repentance and restoration (2 Cor 13:5-10)
Paul also exhorts the church to test themselves for gospel fruit (2 Cor 13:5-6). Paul desires that they will repent, not just to meet the test, but that they may do what is right. What does the phrase “though we may seem to have failed” mean? Paul is willing to submit to their understanding of weakness and strength, if they will turn (c.f. 2 Cor 10:10)! He is willing to give up his power for their repentance. He is willing to lay his power down in order for them to be built up. How quickly are you willing to lay down your power? How much are you willing to bear with in order for someone to turn away from sin?
This is also a picture of godly repentance. The heart behind church discipline is a heart beaming with love, embarking on a rescue mission. It seeks to call people back in order to be reconciled to Christ. In 2 Sam 23:1-4, David wrote these words, and we see how authority is life-giving. Even in the passage on discipline from Matt 18:15-20, the context shows us that such discipline is done out of love and desire for the other person’s good. This passage is preceded by the passage on the parable of the lost sheep (Matt 18:10-14). Love and authority cannot be separated in God’s kingdom.
What is the outcome of authority exercised in church life? It is for building up and not for tearing down (2 Cor 13:10). We recognize the brokenness and problems of the abuse of church authority in our world, but we don’t need less discipline but rather, we need a correct understanding and application of church authority and discipline.
This translates into how we think about church and how we show up in church. These signs of transformation can’t be observed from far away. It can happen in small ways, and only when we are involved in each other’s lives! How can we encourage our church to be clear about the authority it has? The church has been designed to show and represent God’s authority to our world. What is your role in this mission?