discipline, traditions, forgiveness, and truth

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The areas of discipline, traditions, forgiveness, and truth are, in my opinion, some of the most important Christian concepts, and so many people struggle with them throughout their entire lives. In the following paragraphs we will look at each of these areas. We will look at why they were chosen, what is the significance, and how they can be applied.

Matthew 18:15-17 contains teaching on how we should apply discipline and settle disputes within the body of believers.

15"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

16"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.

17"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. (Matthew 18:15-17 NASB)

In a relativistic society, like the one in which we live, holding people accountable for their actions is not very popular. As a minister, I deal with this problem daily. Gossip and rumors, malicious or not, are congregational killers. Misunderstandings can destroy unity within the church. This teaching is a very unpopular idea most believers tend to avoid.

This teaching is significant because not having a proper understanding of discipline is so often a point of distress among Christians. For me, trying to communicate to the entire congregation without their embellishing what they have heard, good or bad, is a very arduous task. Confusion often exists between what was said and what was heard. Part of my role is to help clarify misunderstandings between believers, and help teach them the correct way to resolve conflict.

For me to help others my walk must match my talk. I cannot expect others to do what I will not. Therefore, I need to make a concerted effort each day to deal with others in a Biblical manner by taking my concerns about others directly to them, and not let them fester and become sources of infection that grow into non-Christ-like attitudes and practices. Matthew 18 gives me a Biblical basis, or outline, for handling problems, and forces me to meet the issue head on.

Speaking of problems, in Mark 7 we see a battle that continues to rage on today. For many churches tradition has come between people and the message of the Bible. Traditions are often built on legalistic thinking. Some try to take what the Bible says about doing things in the church decently and orderly to extremes never mentioned in scripture. Basically we can see in this passage how people tend to superimpose extra biblical ideas in order to get what they want in spite of what the Word of God actually says.

1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders;

4and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)

5The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?"

6And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
7'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'

8"Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."

9He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.

10"For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH';

11but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),'

12you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother;

13thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that." (Mark 7:1-13 NASB)

Does the New Testament command that a church have an organ and stained glass? Some people do. Does the New Testament say that only King James will be the preserver of the Word of God? Some people do. Today there are so many man dictated rules that have become so overreaching, I am afraid we are bringing about our own demise as a church by holding onto outdated customs. Until the Christian can separate form and function we will continue down this path.

The biggest challenge for me is to not let my preferences keep me from jettisoning outdated methods, rituals, and material items not required by scripture that are culturally biased, and that are causing others to turn away from God and the church. I prefer to worship and minister within the framework of my particular denomination, but I need to remember that it is also man-made. I need to keep in mind the words Paul spoke to the Philippian jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”(Acts 16:31 NASB) This is the criteria for citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven, and not where you went to church, or if they used hymns or contemporary music. This passage leads right into my next favorite teaching.

I call Luke 17:1-4 the two for one, or the Lord stepping on both feet at once passage. When dealing with one another, second only to love is forgiveness, and then living out our beliefs.

1He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2"It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3"Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4"And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him." (Luke 17:1-4 NASB)

This passage reminds me how my behavior can adversely affect others. The Bible makes it very clear that we are to forgive others. As a matter of fact Jesus makes forgiveness a pivotal issue for the Christian when he says, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15 NASB) What a dangerous thing it is for me, as a Christian to not forgive others!

To not be a stumbling block I must live out the teachings of Jesus. If I profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ I should, as one author said, show some evidence I believe his teaching. To cause someone to walk away from Jesus because of my actions not being Christ-like although I claim to be a Christian, in my opinion, is worse than if I never believed at all. Never believing ends up being an eternally wrong decision, but professing belief and not living it is a definite way to ensure others might choose the wrong decision without all the facts.

Facts are facts. Truth is an endangered species. In John 18:33-38 Pilate stares truth in the face and does not see it.

33Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" 34Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" 35Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?"

36Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." 37Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 38Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" (John 18:33-38a NASB)

Most people say they want the truth, but often when they are face to face with it, they will not acknowledge it. Such was Pilate. My passion is apologetics, and truth is its greatest weapon. Relativism is the most prevalent form of thought most people use today. That includes large numbers of people within the church. The truth of the resurrection is the catalyst that moved me to faith. Understanding truth is why I do what I do.

When in doubt we can seek answers in God’s Word. To combat the false ideas that are all around us we need truth. Only by knowing the truth are we then able to discern falsity.