The Function of the Church is to Dispense Hope
In classic Reformed Theology, there are three marks of a true church. 1) Preaching the Word, 2) Right use of the Sacraments, and 3) Church Discipline.
Counterintuitively, we dispense hope when we uphold the practice of church discipline.
Many people think of discipline in terms of an angry parent or harsh teacher wielding a yardstick, ready to strike out over any infraction. That isn’t the image of discipline shown in the Bible. Rather, we see loving accountability.
Discipline shouldn’t be harsh. Accountability doesn’t have to rip out your heart. If discipline is done properly, it can be a powerful tool in guarding our hearts.
I remember when I was young my family went to Yellowstone. I was excited to see Old Faithful, Yogi Bear, and roaming buffalo. The day we arrived, my dad took me by the arm, looked directly into my eyes, and said, “Timothy, there are scalding pools of water here. If you walk off the path and fall in, they will kill you. There is a large lake filled with freezing water. If you jump into it, you will die of hypothermia in a few minutes. There are wild animals here. They can kill you if you don’t respect them. Stay by my side. Listen to me … and everything will be okay.”
Is this harsh or loving?
Honestly, it was a little bit of both. He was harsh enough to communicate to an undeveloped brain that there were real dangers in the park. My dad knew me well enough to know that I was the sort of kid who loved to explore, ignore, and follow my curious brain wherever it wanted to go.
This clear communication was pure love.
My Dad didn’t want to see his son hurt. He warned me so that all the hopes and dreams I had for life could be realized. A little discipline back then helped keep me safe to become the man I am today
This reminds me of Hebrews 6 where the preacher gives sharp reproach and big hope:
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. ” — Hebrews 6:1–12, ESV
With You;
Pastor Tim
