No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11
God has ordained authority in the church, and He has commanded churches to exercise discipline. He does this because He loves us, and He understands the far-reaching consequences of sin. We must not let sin cloud and interfere with our relationship with our loving heavenly Father. The reason God hates sin is because God loves people. Sin destroys. God is kind, not cruel, when he allows us to suffer in order to bring us to repentance.
Ruth Graham tells a story that illustrates the need to sometimes speak sternly to someone we love. When the Graham’s home was being built in Montreat, Ruth was on the construction site speaking with one of the carpenters. Engrossed in conversation, she leaned against a piece of equipment. Another carpenter looked over and shouted harshly at her. She instantly recoiled. He immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Graham, but you were about to lose your fingers.”
Ruth had been leaning next to a moving saw blade. She wisely observed, “I will always be grateful to that man for yelling at me.”
Sometimes God has to yell at us to get our attention. C.S. Lewis referred to human suffering as God’s megaphone. Sometimes God has to do something dramatic to get our attention. We need to hear Him as He clearly says, “Don’t do that anymore.” God loves us.
The prayer of faith, whether for physical healing or something else, involves our need to have a healthy relationship with God. Inevitably, a right relationship with our heavenly Father involves intentionally turning away from sin, a lifestyle of repentance.
Church leaders should take their roles as God’s representatives very seriously. The church should be governed in a way that motivates people to turn away from sin. Authentic Christian community is not an environment in which we commiserate and make each other feel better by suggesting, “We all sin thousands of times a day.”
Often, when we become aware that a fellow member is plainly sinning, our response is to think, “Who am I to judge?” If we want to think biblically, we must understand that biblical accountability is not vengeful judgment; biblical accountability is not condemning. Biblical accountability involves endeavoring to turn someone around who has wandered from the truth and lovingly bringing him back into a right relationship with God. Sin is deadly. Those who love as Christ loves are grieved when a beloved brother or sister is ensnared in sin.
Sadly, many who profess to be followers of Christ indulge in gossip and slander about their brothers and sisters without ever confronting them personally. If you hear of sin in a brother or sister’s life from another source, the person who is sharing the information should be asked if they have spoken with the person they are accusing of sin. If not, they are sinning themselves and should be confronted.
If we really love our brothers and sisters the way God says we are supposed to love them, we will go to them, risking the social embarrassment of upsetting them, and honestly say, “I care about you. What you’re doing is not right. I’m not saying I’m better than you. I have struggles too, but I can see right now that you’re headed in the wrong direction. I love you too much to just watch it happen. I’ve got to call you back.” This is the context of Christian community and biblical authority desperately needed if we are to experience the healing God longs to send.
When Jesus confronted the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
If wholeness occurs in the context of intimate community, submission to authority, and a repentant quest for holiness, then the question is real. How about it – do you want to get well?
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