The message of God’s grace does not benefit those who are not “united by faith with those who listened” (v. 2). This is a clear message that there is no such thing as a Christian apart from God’s church, apart from the body of Christ, the corporate body of Christians. This is not simply a message about the importance of coming to church, or of belonging to a church, or being a member of a local church. Salvation is not a matter of simply coming to church, or belonging to a church, or being on the roles of church membership, because it is still possible to not be “united by faith with those who listened.”
The issue here is not a matter of church administration, not a matter of official church records. It’s not a worldly concern of church forms, or church policy, or the records in the church office. This is a spiritual concern that pertains to the reality and conviction of hearts and minds.
It is possible to be a spiritually dead church member. And it is also possible to be a spiritually alive and faithful member of Christ’s body without being an official church member. However, in both cases there is a problem. …
And this brings up the issue of church discipline. Exactly what is church discipline? And how is it to be exercised? The purpose of church discipline is the renewal or revitalization of faithfulness. The issue of church discipline is vitally important because without it the faithfulness of the church will deteriorate.
There are two kinds of discipline: self-discipline and imposed discipline. The only difference between personal spiritual discipline and church discipline is the involvement of others. …
Faithfulness is not a static thing, faith is dynamic. Faithfulness grows. There are seasons of faithfulness that flower and then produce spiritual fruit. Spiritual fruit is important. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), are necessary for faithfulness. There are more spiritual fruits, but this is a good place to concentrates one’s effort. The practice of the fruits of the spirit will produce the rest and refreshment that God promised to the ancient Israelites.
And here’s the thing: the fruits of the spirit absolutely involve other people. …
