Matthew18:15-18 If your brother sins against you, go and
tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have
gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along
with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three
witnesses. 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 a Gentile and a tax
collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
As king and head of
his church, the Lord Jesus has directed the establishment of church government,
separate from civil authority, which is to be administered by officers of the church.
.
To these officers are
committed the keys of the kingdom of heaven, which empower them to free people
from the guilt of sin or to bind them to it; to close the kingdom of heaven to
the unrepentant by the Word and condemnation; and to open the kingdom to
repentant sinners by the ministry of the gospel and by withdrawing condemnation
as the occasion demands.
Condemnation by the
church is necessary in order to reclaim and regain spiritual brothers who have
committed some serious offense; to deter others from committing similar
offenses; to purge that leaven which might contaminate the whole lump; to
vindicate the honor of Christ and the holy profession of the gospel; and to
avoid the wrath of God, which might justly fall on the church, should it allow
his covenant and the sacraments to be profaned by notorious and obstinate
offenders.
The best way to accomplish these purposes is for the
officers of the church to act in accordance with the severity of the offense
and the guilt of the offender by warning the offender, excluding him from the
sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for a time, or excommunicating him from the
church.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith
