In the matter of church discipline, which of the above two options apply? Some of us might think that the first should apply. Every member of the CPBPC should be considered innocent until proven guilty. If this is true, then the church should have a ministry of "private investigators" or "church policemen" whose duties would include some detective work to catch "sinners." Where would the "prison" be located to house these sinners? What about placing "prisoners" in the basement located under the fellowship hall stage?
But the church is not a nation. There are no policemen to incarcerate anyone who is found guilty. The biblical aims and purposes of the church will help members of CPBPC realize and understand that in the discipline of the members, it is "guilty until proven innocent"! [See Article 8.3 of our Constitution - note the phrase is in the past tense: "If any member shall be found by the BOE to have acted in a manner unbecoming of a member . . . the Board of Elders shall call upon him to appear before the Board."]
1. It is sin, not a crime - If the sin is a crime, the pastor or counselor has no choice, under the law of Singapore, but to report the sinner/criminal to the police. But if it is a sin, then the matter will be dealt with within the church. Remember that there are some sins that are not criminal in nature. For example, it is not a crime in Singapore for two consenting adults to live together like husband and wife; but it is a sin in the eyes of God according to Scriptures. When a confirmed sin has been brought before the Board of Elders (BOE) and when the errant member is unrepentant, then and only then would the errant member appear before the BOE for church discipline. If there is the slightest doubt about the sinner's guilt, the BOE will not act because it realizes the gravity of being called before the Board for church discipline.
2. It is sanctification, not incarceration - The purpose of imprisonment is punishment for crime committed. The purpose of church discipline is sanctification. The BOE's duty is to help the errant member deal with his sin and get right with God. This is the God ordained duty of leaders in the church. If the sinner lives in open sin and is not disciplined by the BOE, then the BOE would be charged with dereliction of duty. The serious consequence of an unrepentant sinner is that even his prayers will not be heard by God. Psalm 66:18 , "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Therefore it is out of love and care for the spiritual state of the unrepentant sinner that the BOE exercises church discipline.
3. It is discipline, not punishment - Only an errant member who has committed a serious sin and refuse to repent is called before the BOE. If there is repentance, the matter stops there and remains confidential. In some cases, a period of observation is necessary to ensure that the repentance of the sinner is genuine. If it is genuine, there will be fruits of repentance. If the errant member refuses to repent of his sin, then he will be disciplined which is for the purpose of restoration such that he will repent of his sin and return back to God and the church. In the case of an elder, his sin will be regarded more seriously and stringently. Even after the elder has repented, his sin will have to be made public so that the congregation may fear God and refrain from sinning. 1 Timothy 5:19-20 , "Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear."
4. It is a church, not a nation - The church is not a nation. Sinners are not imprisoned. Therefore the entire approach in dealing with the sins of unrepentant sinners is very different. The church does not engage private detectives to "investigate the sin." Very often the sins are reported by fellow church members, who should genuinely care for the errant member, most probably after they have tried to help but to no avail. A nation punishes to keep law and order. The BOE exercises church discipline to maintain sanctification and holiness in the lives of members. It is not perfection that is expected of every believer but sanctification. Sanctification means that sins have to be dealt with. Therefore, unrepentant errant members have to be disciplined by the BOE.
Procedure before discipline - The procedure before church discipline is found in Matthew 18:15-17 , "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." From this passage, one can see that the first step before church discipline is a one to one confrontation. The sinner has to be confronted with his sin. If he refuses to repent, then the second step is to bring one or two witnesses before the sinner. If he still refuses to repent, then the BOE will have to step in and deal with the sin.
There are five levels of church discipline. They are: admonish, rebuke, suspend, depose or ex-communicate (see Articles 8.3.1). The pastors and elders of the church are given administrative powers to carry out levels one and two, i.e. to admonish and rebuke, without the entire BOE. For example, if a member makes a nuisance of himself in the church premises, the pastor or elder can rebuke the member and ask him to behave. The last three levels of church discipline belong to the jurisdiction of the BOE only.
If a member commits adultery, privately his family or friends who know about it will counsel him to repent and to stop sinning. If he repents and stops his sin, then the matter rests. If he refuses and denies that he has committed adultery, one or two witness who witnessed his sin will be brought to confront him. If he still denies it, then the BOE will be informed. Those who inform the BOE must show evidence beyond a doubt before the BOE will take any disciplinary action. The BOE will not take action if it is only hearsay evidence which is secondary in nature and not eye-witness accounts. Once that has been established and the BOE is convinced that an act of adultery has been committed, the errant member will be counseled by the pastor or an elder. The pastor or elder will try to restore the errant member's broken relationship with his wife, family and God. If after many sessions of counseling and the errant member refuses to repent and still indulges in his sin of adultery, then the BOE will have to step in. The errant member will be required to show cause why he should not be disciplined by the BOE. The BOE might impose a suspension of membership. This is done with the hope of helping the errant member "see the light" and repent. A suspension of membership will include a removal of any office or service in church and being banned from partaking of the Lord's Supper. During this period of suspension, restorative counseling will follow. If the period of suspension brings no fruits of repentance, the next step would be deposition or ex-communication.
In the case of a public sin whereby the sin committed is known to the whole church, the pastor or elder will first write to or call the sinner to repent and make a public confession. If the sinner refuses, then the BOE will deal with the person directly. The errant member cannot say that the BOE cannot sit in judgement of him as this is against the law of natural justice. Based upon the above 4 reasons and the fact that the church is like a family where the parents are to discipline their own children, the BOE has every right to call the member to give reasons why he should not be disciplined since his sin has already been made public. The errant member has sinned and based upon the membership oath which includes submitting to the leaders of the church, he will have to subject himself to the discipline of the BOE. This is biblical and is also in accordance with the law of natural justice.
Bear in mind that this disciplinary process is based upon the membership vow taken by the member to submit himself to the leadership of the church. If he resigns from membership, the entire matter stops immediately and the BOE has no choice but to leave the sinner alone. The message from such a sinner is that he wishes to remain in his sin and his resignation means that he wants the BOE to leave him alone. Such a sinner will remain under the wrath of God, until his sin is repented of and washed by the blood of Christ. That would be a sad state to be in! May God cause all His children to repent of their sins for Jesus' sake. AMEN.