God is holy. He really is. Jesus gave instructions for putting people out of the church (Matt. 18:15–18). He really did.

The early church followed those instructions (1 Cor. 5:1–13; 2 Cor. 2:6–7; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Thess. 3:6–15; Titus 3:10–11; 2 John 1:7–10; 3 John 1:9–12).

They obeyed Jesus and enacted God’s holiness. Corrective church discipline is enacted against unrepentant people because people who have been born again repent of their sin. Those who refuse to repent show that they have never been born again.

Only those who have been born again are united to Christ by faith and truly members of his body, the church; so when it becomes evident that someone has not been born again (by their refusal to repent), they are to be removed from church membership. This action is for the salvation of those who are expelled from the church (cf. 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:20).

The church is telling the unrepentant that they need the gospel; they need to believe in Jesus. The church is hoping that they will trust in Christ, repent of their sin, and be reconciled to God. Churches full of people who do not understand the center of biblical theology will not practice corrective church discipline. They will not understand how the church is to apply God’s holiness to their lives.

They will be impure churches, and their membership will include unbelievers. Those unbelievers will be surprised to hear Jesus tell them he never knew them (Matt. 7:21–23). Those churches will have blood on their hands (Ezek. 3:18, 20), and their pastors will give an account (Heb. 13:17).

Churches full of people who understand and embrace the glory of God in salvation through judgment will want to see God’s holiness displayed in their congregation so that God’s mercy will have meaning. Members of such churches will take God and his holiness more seriously when they see his holiness applied to the unrepentant.

They will live in fear of God and in gratitude for his mercy, and they will press on to holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).  God is glorified in salvation through judgment in individual lives in evangelism and discipleship, and he is glorified in salvation through judgment in the lives of churches that obey Jesus and practice church discipline.[1]

Dr. James Hamilton

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Endnotes:

[1] James M. Hamilton Jr.,  (2010-11-30). God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Kindle Locations 13463-13473). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

See also:

CHRISTIANITY 21 TO ATTACK CHRISTIAN SEXUALITY

THE NEW CHRISTIANS WITH CHRISTIANITY WORTH BELIEVING—NO SOLA SCRIPTURA: YES, WOMEN PASTORS AND QUEER CHRISTIANS

FOR EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY OUT GOES THE BIBLE AND IN COMES “QUEER CHRISTIANS”