The Courage for Church Discipline | 1 Timothy 5:17-25

Paul turns his focus from the women of the charge and now to the Elders (both the spiritual leaders and older men) of the church to give them the command of how to conduct themselves in the church body.   He is going to repeat the teaching given in 1 Timothy 3 where God has taught the church what the qualifications for deacons and elders are—this is how Elders/ Spiritual leaders are to be treated and how they must conduct themselves in the church.

 

Church Discipline:

Proper Church discipline is an essential part of God’s church.  Church discipline is not about control or power.  It is not authoritarian.  It is inclusive (it includes many of the leaders of the church not just one).  Church discipline is not punitive, it is restorative.  It demands repentance, it demands unbiased obedience to God’s word, and proper church discipline will strengthen the holiness in Christ’s church.  It will bring people together and it will cast out those who are unrepentant to the local church community. 

 

1. The Congregation must honor the Spiritual Leaders of God’s Church and the Spiritual Leaders must lead obediently to God’s command.

 

“The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor at preaching the word and teaching.  For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.; Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.’”

--1 Timothy 5:17-19

 

“Elder”

πρεσβύτερος presbýteros, pres-boo'-ter-os; comparative of πρέσβυς présbys (elderly); older; as noun, a senior; specially, an Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively, member of the celestial council) or Christian "presbyter":—elder(-est), old.

 

Paul is stating the honourable nature of the hard-working elders of a church.  Those who teach God’s word well and lead God’s church in a way that is obedient to God deserve to be honoured—those men are worthy of a double honour. Paul goes further to remind the church in how they deserve to be taken care, compensation, for their labor, for their work in the kingdom.

 

“You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing…You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a large and a small.  You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small.  You shall have a full and just weight; you shall have a full and just measure, that your days may be prolonged in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.’”

--Deuteronomy 25:4, 13-15

 

Paul understands that he is speaking to both a Jewish audience and a Gentile audience.  The early church in places like Ephesus were made up of both Jews and Gentiles.  Paul’s first missionary strategy was to first go to the Jewish synagogue of a given city to first preach the gospel to the Jews, then the Gentiles (Acts 13:4-5) which is why he is referring to the old Jewish law—he is reminding them on how to treat elders, how to treat each other, how to honour God in the age relationships of the church.  He is commanding this church to honour their leaders, to come under their authority, 

 

 

“For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing.” Is God merely concerned about oxen?  Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.  If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?  If others share this authority over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this authority, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.’”

--1 Corinthians 9:9-12

 

The first section in Timothy (Vs. 17-18) is focused on the honouring of the elders (presbyters) of the church—Paul shifts his focus onto the conduct of the elders and spiritual leaders.

 

“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.  Those who continue in sin, reprove in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful.  I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His elect angels, to observe these instructions without bias, doing nothing in partiality.  Do not lay hands upon anyone hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself pure.”

--1 Timothy 5:19-22

 

First:

Accusations of sinful activity must be taken through a due process—they must be used wisely and with weight.  We can’t go around accusing church leaders of little things which hold no merit or no proof.  Two or three witnesses is important here—it is a reminder of what Jesus said in Matthew 18:15-20.

 

“Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.  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.  And 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 the Gentile and the tax collector.”

--Matthew 18:15-20

 

Jesus (and Paul) are telling the church to practice church discipline in community, with weights and measures, with conviction and witnesses.  Matters should not be taken lightly, accusers shouldn’t always be believed without due-diligence and those accused should always be believed without due-diligence.  God teaches the church how to operate in due-diligence to make sure relationships stay intact.

 

Second:

Leading within God’s church is a high call!  It is a privilege, not a right.  Nobody is entitled to the office of Pastor, evangelist, teacher within the church, God calls people into positions, God calls men and women to lead in different, essential capacities in His church—the church doesn’t belong to Humans, it belongs to God—we must operate under God’s authority, under God’s word, under God’s law.

 

“Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment.  For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the entire body as well.”

--James 3:1-2

 

Many people think the church belongs to them, to their brand, to their way—many try to make TOO much money through the church, they try to create their own ways and followings instead of trusting in God to build God’s church through the faithful preaching and obedience of The Holy Spirit and the Word.

 

2. The Church is called to Holiness. Holiness is a result of proper Church relationships, discipline and obedience to Christ. 

 

“Those who continue in sin, reprove in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful.  I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His elect angels, to observe these instructions without bias, doing nothing in partiality.”

--1 Timothy 5:20-21

 

“Partiality”

†πρόσκλισις prósklisis, pros'-klis-is; from a compound of G4314 and G2827; a leaning towards, i.e. (figuratively) proclivity (favoritism):—partiality.

 

The Church isn’t a social club, a place to create clans who try to usurp God’s power, a place filled with a bunch of yes men and women in the leadership positions—there is no partiality when dealing with church discipline and when dealing with the leadership of the church.  There is to be no human bias rather God’s will must be done. 

 

“Those who continue to (rebel against God), reprove in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful.”

--1 Timothy 5:20

 

(The Congregation) The Rebellion of Korah:  People going against the authority of God’s leaders.

Korah tried to rebel against God’s authority through Moses.  He though He knew better and thought he was above Moses, he and his followers falsely accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above God. (Numbers 16:1-5).  They revolt against Aaron (Numbers 16:11). 

 

“But if Yahweh creates an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they go down to Sheol alive, then you will know that these men have spurned Yahweh.”  And it happened that as he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.”

--Numbers 16:30-32

 

Furthermore, “fire came out from the LORD” and consumed the other 250 men who were party to Korah’s rebellion. The rest of the Israelites were terrified and fled (Numbers 16:31-35).

 

(The Elders, Pastors, Leaders) God rebuking King Saul because of Saul’s disobedience of a Leader.

 

God (through Samuel) tells Saul to punish and kill Amalek and all of those in his nation, those who follow him, because of the evil he did to God’s people (1 Sam. 15:3). Saul captures Agag, the king, but does not kill him, Saul also spares the lives of some of the animals, women and infants directly disobeying God’s command in 1 Sam. 15:3  (1 Sam. 15:7-9).

 

“Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, ‘I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not established My words.’ And Samuel became angry and cried out to Yahweh all night… Then Samuel turned to go, but Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.  So Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you…So Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul.  And Yahweh regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.”

--1 Samuel 15:10-11, 27-28, 35

 

Sure, Saul is grieved, he laments his disobedience, he is cut off from the worship of God and begs to be allowed back into the Lord’s presence (1 Sam. 15:25-26).

 

The weight of Leadership is important to understand—don’t let someone into ministry hastily.  Prove their character, prove their fruit of Christ, their relationship with God.

 

“Do not lay hands upon anyone hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself pure.  No longer drink water only but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

--1 Timothy 5:22-23

 

3. Prove Each Other to be followers of Christ. Hold each to Christ’s commands, to Christ’s love and joy.

 

“The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.  So also good works are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.”

--1 Timothy 5:24-25

 

Loving and biblical church discipline will make us holier, more obedient to Christ and it will strengthen God’s family.  God brings out the proper fruit in a person which can be seen just as sin can be seen and that sin must be brought to judgement.  Paul ends this chapter emphatically.  Old and young in the church are important, look at the fruit of the widows to know which ones to help, look at the fruits of your leaders to know which ones to follow, which ones God is working through. 

 

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.  Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.  These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

--John 15:5-11