Q3. Church Discipline

[nerraw20]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

To make sure the accusations had grounds to stand on and as a warning to others who are involved in sin.

Some elders were wealthy and or had great influence.

Church discipline can be painful for all involved. Some churches sadly are not Biblically sound enough to discern when and how discipline is needed. Also there is this false concept of being overly nice when truth is needed.

[Jewell]

It was necessary to make formal accusations and "try" false preachers in order to make it known that the teachings were false and to take a stand on teaching that which doctrine provides. There were, and are, temptations to compromise because it's difficult to bring charges against a person who is influential or a friend or who could harm us in retribution. It also required that 3 people bring the charge - this prevents one person from standing alone against the accused and helps eliminate the possibility of a personal conflict rather than a spiritual reckoning.

[Mrstoler]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

The reason for formal accusations was to get to the bottom of the accusations truthfully and fairly. There was too much favoritism. The Leaders had too much control. I personally feel the reason why it is so difficult to exercise church discipline today is the fact that favoritism is so strong in the church. People who give the most money get away with whatever they want. There are great family ties in some churches. The Pastor of the church founded the church or a family member started the church.

[prosenstein]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

It was necessary to make formal accusations and try false teachers so that things were done with justice, so that prejudice or malice did not enter into judgments. Temptations to compromise were great because that would have been easier and the course of less resistance. It is difficult to exercise church discipline today because the people in control do not want to give up their power. Instead of acting in the power of Christ, they act under their own power

[emmaus]

Formal accusations should be made so that the situation could be handled justly and tried so that they would be held accountable for their actions. The temptation came from the false teacher being well liked, rich or influential in the church. Churches face the same temptations today, to allow these type of teachers in the church.

[CHRISTinUS]

1 Timothy 5:19-21

* Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers?

Formal accusations to leaders of false teaching are necessary to bring the "sinners" to reform and/or to remove from office in order to keep the message of the Word in Its purity. Each one of us is accountable for our actions and of our honest repentance, if we are to continue to serve God and His Church.

* Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great?

It is difficult to confront individuals on their actions due to the fact we easily take offense. The same applies to well-to-do leaders and/or powerful reputations, that are thought as assets to a church becoming popular because of it, and yet the Truth of our Lord is being compromised.

* Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

Church discipline today requires a great deal of honesty and serious commitment to the Word of God, rather than aiming at popularizing the place of worship in competition with others. These Churches require the ability to keep themselves in constant check with the Word of God, as well as to listen attentively to their congregation.

[Marloes]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

If two leaders do not agree, the Gospel has to be the reference to check who is right.

If the Gospel is not clear about the details, that means that they just do not matter.

It is necessary to make a formal accusation because otherwise, it can be a battle of too big ego's.

Than it is just about who can have the power annd not about Him.

In my country, we have had many church schismas because the leaders can not agree.

For example, if it is alowed to dance!

Church discipline is more difficult nowadays because modern people do not accept authority and want to do as they please.

They want to choose witch law to obey and witch ones not.

For example, many churches accept two married women (with eachother) even though the Bible is very clear about this.

[Commissioned]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

It was necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers so that they would not continue sinning and holding the office as an elder. Also to make public that which is wrong and not covering up a wrong. The temptations to compromise and not go through with making public an elder's error lies in the position or influence the person holds. Today the same is still true, many rebukes are shunned because of the influence of a person or because those who should bring forth the charges are afraid of retribution.

[Peggy Crans]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

It was necessary because they were teaching false doctrine. This had to be stopped. Elders are to be honored and therefore need to cease from what they were teaching. It always seems easier to compromise and sweep wrong doing under the rug, but we are to do what is right even if it is unpopular with some. Those that were hearing the false teachings were being lead down the wrong path and that had to be corrected. We should always be just when confronting someone with wrong doing. It is hard to confront someone today because we are sometimes intimidated by authority, especially in church. If we know something is wrong we should step forward and face the situation. If we don't it will only hurt the church. We certainly have to know the facts before anything is done. That's why it says it should be brought by t wo or three witnesses.

[rambler]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

To expose their actions so that others may take warning that they will be accountable. This is only to be done if the accusations are proven. Many of these elders were very influential which made it hard to go through with.

[debbiemoore]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

because it may have been that they were teaching false doctrine and trying to hide behind the church so it needed to be exposed and brought out in public so it is justifyed it needed to be stopped and because people were beig decieved and were not following the truth. because people do not tend to find out the facts before they say anything and that is how they put false accucanions out there so people today tend not to say anything because they are intimated by the title of the person in charge

[DrD]

Formal accusations were necessary to "try" the false teachers because of the severity of the consequence if such accusations were proven to be true. Church leaders are held in esteem both by those who follow them as well as those who do not - false accusations can have a negative affect upon the leader(s) as well as the Church /Ministry thus making it extremely important that the accusers make their complaint formal - and that such ccomplaints be properly examined. . .

[Barbara A. Lee]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

It was necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers to show that it would not be tolerated. Some people think that just because they are elders, preachers and such that they can HIDE behind their title.

Because back in their days the church members were able to use harsh punishment.

We live in a society, I hate to say, that condones such actions. People who are rapists, child *********** and such get by with it because we don't have in place the right Judges to judge them. It is a slap on the wrist and "don't do that" or "he/she was such a good person" when deep down they knew they were guilty. Then you have some people that were wronged who give up after the first two or three court cases, because of the stress it puts on them...The churches are so watered down that they simply forget that they are in a House of God. "Noboody will miss this if I take it"... "You won't tell on me because I am a man of God and nobody will believe you"...This is what goes on every day in the big and small churches of today...

[jamjar]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

It was necessary to make a formal complaint with two or three witness because some in leadership will keep on with their false teachings and wrong doings if they are not confronted with what they are doing wrong.

It would be easy to compromise if the person had wealth because you wouldn't want to loose his financial support.

It is difficult to exercise church discipline today because most people wish to do as they please and not what pleases God.

[Old Jerry]

The reason that it is necessary to make formal accusations and

[Eagleswings01]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

It was necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers so that there would be discipline. The temptations to compromise and not go through with it was so great because of the office/capacity in which the person serves and how influential the individual maybe.

It is so difficult to exercise church discipline today because we live in a world today where everyone wants to do what pleases them and they are not willing to take correction or to be disciplined by anyone including God.

[Kent]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

Making a formal accusation was to involve several witnesses, not just one, so that there wouldn't be matters charged just because of one unhappy person. Also when done out in the open everyone else can see what is going on, and why.

It is tempting to compromise when it may involve someone who provides substantial financial backing for the church, etc. That is also partly the reason for an unwillingness to excercise discipline today. We are afraid to hurt others' feelings, or afraid of confronting someone, or something, that is wrong.

[Gerbrand van Schalkwyk]

Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers?

If it were not formal it could be denied later on. False teachers had to be tried to correct the person and improve his teaching and character. It was also a good way to teach other people who might have made the same mistakes

Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great?

Nobody wants a difficult situation, it is far easier to ignore it. It could also lead to infuencial or rich members leaving the church and taking others with them. You have to realize that it is more important to stay pure to God than to chace numbers.

Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

For the same reasons, also, there are many different doctrines today, of which most are good, that it is sometimes difficult to decide what is right or wrong. Exposing yourself to as many different teachings as possible, and then asking the Holy Spirit to lead you, is a good way to distinguise when doctrine is true.

[Craig]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

Formal accusations and a trial are necessary in order to flesh out the truth from heresy and so the church can witness the proceedings. Misconduct must also be brought become the church in order to maintain godliness, standards, and order as set forth in scripture.

In dealing with matters of discipline in the local church, there are two dangers to be avoided. The first is prejudice and the other is partiality. It is easy to be unfavorably prejudiced against a person and thus to prejudice the case. Also, it is all too easy to show partiality toward a person because of their wealth, position in community, or personality. So, Paul solemnly charges Timothy in the sight of God and the Lord Jesus Christ and also in the sight of the elect angels, that he should obey these instructions without judging a matter before all the facts are known or without showing favor toward a person simply because they are a friend or well known.

Church discipline is unpleasant so it is easy to avoid it. It is heavy and serious, therefore most in the church don't want to participate so it is ignored even to the point of divided, ineffective churches. In fact, most church members don't follow Jesus Christ, so they don't want to try or judge these matters because they walk in darkness rather than light. They have a form of Godliness, but not authority or power. In fact people cannot exercise what they don't have so church discipline is avoided because righteousness and godliness is getting rarer in the church. Godliness and standards are being replaced with the standards of the world.

[wifee]

3a)Paul had to address problem that some of elders had been teaching false doctrine.Justice is impt to God& to be seen to be done in the church.Accusations need to be supported by 2 witnesses before being considered(Deuteronomy 19:15)to protect elders from maliciousness,but if proved,should be corrected openly,not in private, if person doesn’t repent when challenged,so that justice can be brought into church can become right in time,.
b)Temptations to not discipline,but compromise going with flow,come through focusing on person,their good standing,&fear of opposing -ve reaction of some in church who don;t accept accusations causing church upset,rather than trusting God to provide,&let justice be served.It’s easier to avoid,than deal with some aspects,
c)Today people tolerate sinful behaviours too often as “part of life” for same reasons.Not realising that when a sinner repents when brought to justice,they are on path to restoration.

[Jonathan Edwards]

Very important to have such inquests due to the fact that people are not perfect and have forgotten that they "clay feet".   Too many cases that sincere people have had grandiose visions, locutions, and to make matters worse---they are not diligent Bible students.  Lack of daily Bible study and earnest prayer time have been the causes for serious doctrinal errors.

Doctrines of devils--explains why such temptations to coverup such false teachings, and not due to diligence in stopping heterodox doctrines.  The devil is a liar, and is responsible for deluding many people over the centuries.  Sadly many churches have "gave up the ghost" years ago.   They ended up in a state of inertia, a state of not doing anything or just doing the bare minimum to anathematize heresies.

[Krissi]

MY hunch is that very few churches existed in that area and at that time, so the early Christian converts couldn't "vote with their feet" and leave the church to find another. They had no choice but to stay within that particular church, so they had to purge the church of sin rather than purge themselves of sinners.

Today, church discipline is rarely done for several reasons:

1. IN the West, society is mired in lawsuits. If you accuse someone of something they feel they didn't do, they'll sue you for defamation. So the church rightly makes a risk-reward calculus.
2. There are very few "pure plays" in life. Most of the time we live in the grey area, doing things that are not-so-good and not-so-bad but don't quite rise to the level of needing discipline. This would be equivalent to a church with an elder who is not spiritually or socially mature.
3. It's troubling to point fingers at elders when deep inside, you know your own heart is sinful, even if only in thought. Thus, the "Who am I to accuse you?" problem arises in church discipline. It is simply a fact that we are sinful and fall short. But there seems to be a cut-off line where sinful tendencies and behavior rise to the level of church discipline. Where is that point?
4. There's also a problem of knowing which behaviors merit discipline. Stealing from the offering plate seems obvious, but what about easily triggered anger? Adultery seems obvious, but what about authoritarian treatment of children? Why this sin and not that one?

So today, rather than deal with the problem of corruption in the church, members simply walk away quietly and join another church. It's safer and easier, quite frankly. I've done it myself. 

From the standpoint of the church, as membership keeps dropping the church is forced into soul-searching to figure out what has gone wrong. Sometimes churches die because of circumstance -- rural areas of the country have depopulated, for example. But in a suburb with church "competition," Christians have a choice. If the number of people in a church keeps dropping, Christians must feel more fed more deeply elsewhere. The old canard that Christians seek the church that doesn't challenge them doesn't seem to be true, as I see it. I have seen Christians leaving churches and attending new ones precisely because the church or it's congregants are shallow theologically.

I'm sure many will disagree with this, but I think Covid was one of the best things that has happened to the American church scene. It exposed weak churches and championed strong ones. Churches more susceptible to the Covid hysteria and afraid of governmental edicts have, for the most part, lost members to those who put fellowship and obedience to God before obedience to Caesar. This is at the level of church, not physically weak individual Christians for whom it may makes sense to be cautious. Covid also exposed the churches that were most nimble at meeting the fellowship needs of their congregants: some were quick to go online -- others, like my church, took more than a year to reopen their doors and feed their flocks. 

My church, for example, split into three churches over it's tepid and weak response to Covid.

This is "Creative Destruction," as Schumpeter once said in an economic context ...

[Katy]

Q3. Paul felt it necessary to call a halt to wrong behavior within the church, even if it was among the leadership of the church. Paul had laid down criteria for doing this: an accusation had to be well supported before it was even considered. No favouritism was to be shown to anyone, no matter how hard it was. It was to be done in public as a warning to others that bad behaviour/wrong teachings were noted and would not be tolerated in the Church.

The temptation to ignore it and not go through with it can be very strong and can cause damage within the church. Some will not accept that certain people can be wrong. They in turn start to complain about the person trying to deal with the whole situation. It can split a church and do damage. The most important thing is to have everything covered in prayer. It does not guarantee smooth sailing but God will lead and guide the church and even if there is trouble God will be faithful if we obey and seek His face daily.

Today it is difficult to exercise Church Discipline because everything in this world is now more casual and acceptable. This is present to a lesser degree within the church but still present to an extent. I don’t think all Christian’s are prepared to accept the authority of the Bible when the circumstances affect them. We do not grasp the Holiness of God and His loathing of sin. Some don’t accept there is such a thing as sin. It is hard to follow through on a set course that you know has the potential to disrupt the peace of the church body.

[t-c]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and "try" the false teachers? Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great? Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

So that the others would be fearful of failing into sin, knowing that it would be a shameful experience to be rebuked before the church for their actions.

Well, it speaks of not showing any partiality or bias in verse 21. Which indicates that it is difficult thing to bring accusations against a fellow member of the church. Two or three witnesses were needed and this person would be well known by everyone and possibly, generally well received.

Church discipline is tough today because of the same reasons it was tough back then. Fear is one reason; of how the rest of the congregation would react to this person’s discipline. Money; losing the tithes of those who leave in support of them. And it’s a tough thing to do, a tough decision and it probably doesn’t feel good. Unless it is really blatant. And of course  partiality and bias comes into play also.

[Niyonka16]

Q3. (1 Timothy 5:19-21) Why was it necessary to make formal accusations and “try” the false teachers?

ANSWER: Churches are commanded by God to exercise discipline toward erring members. This discipline has a two-fold purpose of bringing the sinning member to repentance and keeping the church body pure so it can be both salt and light in this world. Any church pastor who refuses to lead their church in the exercise of discipline are in open rebellion against God and are assisting in the creation of an immoral climate that thrives in our civilization today and are essentially fulfilling 2 Timothy 4:3-4. It is a very sad situation when professing Christians are allowed to misbehave (act any old way) in the House of The Lord and are never disciplined by the Church.

Why were the temptations to compromise and not go through with it so great?

ANSWER: Church discipline can be done badly, even abusively. This occurs when churches require what Scripture doesn’t require, and when they don’t exercise case-by-case pastoral sensitivity. Abusive church discipline is a great evil to be guarded against. Discipline should always be done for the sake of love: “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves.” To forsake discipline when it’s warranted is not to show love but hate. The goal of discipline is always redemption, protecting other sheep, and honoring the name of Christ.

Why is it so difficult to exercise church discipline today?

ANSWER: In today’s society, it is difficult to exercise church discipline because some churches don't practice discipline, they're unaware of the biblical mandate or unsure how to start the process. Others, however, have concerns about the potential consequences of such a practice. There are other reasons/objections the churches reject the practice of church discipline.

#1: Discipline is unloving. (Many look at any form of discipline as arrogant, cruel, and unloving.)

#2: The church is filled with sinners. (The argument here is that discipline is hypocritical since no one is guiltless; we’re all marred by sin. The church is certainly not to condemn others unjustly.)

#3: The church can be wrong. (Church discipline, therefore, is a “warning,” not a binding “pronouncement.” The church recognizes God as the ultimate judge of all things. So, even though discipline connotes a proper tone of serious admonition, a warning of “potential” judgment, it doesn’t become unerringly certain because the church is filled with fallible sinners. It should, however, be taken with all seriousness.)

#4: Discipline is overly invasive. (Discipline seems to be too far-reaching because it “invades” the privacy of people’s lives and turns often private sin into a public spectacle.)