Marks of the True Church: Discipline

We've been considering the three “marks of the true church” as outlined in the Belgic Confession, and we've come to the last: “if church discipline is exercised in punishing sin.” There's at least two words in that statement that make modern church ears uncomfortable — discipline and punishing. They sound controlling, legalistic, unloving. Did the author of the confession get it wrong? Is it a product of a sterner time that has little relevance for today? To the contrary, the Confession reflects enduring biblical truth. 

We must be quick to note that the church is full of sinners. That’s who we were before coming to Christ and that’s who we are after coming to Christ. The issue of concern is not the presence of sinners, but the presence of impenitent sinners. When a person comes into the Church through faith in Christ they are entering into a new framework of living. They have a new standard of morality, a new paradigm for understanding the world. To shift one’s thinking (or to use a Biblical description, put on “the new self”) God has put in place a number of devices that facilitate the process. Local church membership and the mutual accountability it entails, biblical preaching and teaching, gathered worship, spiritual “disciplines” such as prayer and fasting, and, if need be, loving admonition and correction, all play an important role in making us who we have been created to be. We need these elements so that we can move on to the maturity that God envisions for us. 

As is evident from the list above, there’s a lot of “discipline” that goes on before a church ever has to “purge the evil person" from among them. (1 Corinthians 5:16), and that’s a good thing. Excommunication is something that should be extremely rare if the folks in a church are intent upon putting on the new self, "created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24) But if there is one in their midst that refuses to heed Christ, unrepentant about their sin, or intent on spreading false doctrine, that one must be treated “as a Gentile and a tax collector,” that is, one out of fellowship with God and his people. (Matthew 18:15-20)

That last point is important to emphasize. As John teaches, the purpose of proclaiming the gospel is to have fellowship with God and his people. (1 John 1:1-3) Sin intrudes on that fellowship, and when it does the necessary thing is to confess it, knowing that God forgives sin (1 John 1:8). If one refuses to acknowledge sin for what it is then that one makes God out to be a liar and demonstrates that the gospel has not been embraced (1 John 1:10). Such a one has no place within the church until he is ready to confess what all true churches confess, that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord.

Marks of the True Church: Pure Administration of the Sacraments

In a previous post we considered the first of three “marks of the true church” as articulated in the Belgic Confession: the pure doctrine of the gospel being preached. The second indication, or mark, that the church is "true" is "if it maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ” (Article 29). 

I suspect that most evangelicals don’t think much about the sacraments (the Reformers saw only two in the Bible: Baptism and the Lord’s Table), at least not with the level of intensity as did the Reformers. For evangelicals, other marks are important: expositional preaching, small groups, “spirit-filled” worship, quiet times, mentoring relationships. While these are not to be despised, and can prove profitable for spiritual growth, they do not rise to a sacramental level. The Lord Jesus ordained two rites, Baptism and Communion, for identifying and strengthening his disciples. Other practices that have grown up in the church, if they are helpful and biblical, can be added to them, but the sacraments are God-given, God-designed, God-ordained rites that ought to be understood and maintained.

The sacraments are spoken of as a “means of grace.” By this is meant not that they are charged with some inherent power that gets transferred in their use, but that God uses the sacraments to promote the spiritual maturity he is looking for in his people. How do they do this? I would argue that they do so primarily as covenantal signs. Paul teaches that when Abraham was commanded to circumcise himself in response to the covenant God had made with him, he “received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith.” This was done, Paul instructs, so that Abraham would be the father of all who are justified by faith, not by the law. This was important for it allowed the “promise [to] rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring.” Paul goes on to say that Abraham “in hope . . . believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations.” After all, he “was as good as dead.” Nevertheless, “no distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4:11- 21)

Consider the important role circumcision played in strengthening Abraham’s faith. He bore the mark in his body that preached to him that God would fulfill what he had promised. Could his circumcision be reversed? It could not. Neither would God’s covenant. In a similar fashion, the sacraments are signs and seals of what God has done for his elect. Was Christ’s atoning sacrifice sufficient? Indeed, it was. This is proclaimed each time a baptism is administered and the bread and cup are distributed. His work was complete. Sin has been covered. Salvation is guaranteed by the covenant ratified in his blood and confirmed to us by the waters of baptism and the elements of the Supper.

Do you doubt God’s love? Do you question your place in the kingdom? Do need assurance that there is an inheritance reserved in heaven for you? In faith, look to your baptism. In faith, receive the cup and bread. God has promised eternal life and given signs and ratifying seals so that you might not waver concerning the promise of God, but grow strong in your faith as you give glory to God, being convinced that he has done, and will do, all that he has promised.

Marks of the True Church: The Pure Doctrine of the Gospel Is Preached

Say you were to move to a different city and wanted to find a church to join, what would you look for? Some folks would look for a church that was large with lots of programs. Others might look for something smaller, anticipating greater intimacy in relationships. Music might be a factor, or the kind of worship the church offers on Sunday morning, with some leaning toward the “traditional” and others toward “contemporary.” Location might also weigh into the decision. For some, the particular theological commitments of the church would be most important. Is it Reformed?  Or decidedly not Reformed? Charismatic? Pentecostal? Do they baptize babies or only adults? Do they allow for female elders or only male?

So many options! Why is this so? It’s one of the by-products of the Reformation. Once the Roman church was no longer the only church, the forces at work spawned multitudinous expressions under the Christian banner. I don’t know if Martin Luther anticipated such a result, but his concern for the true gospel impelled him to nail his ninety-five theses to the door of current orthodoxy and the die was cast.

For the Reformers and their immediate offspring, concern for the “pure gospel” became one of three “marks of the true church” (see Belgic Confession, Art. 29). In part an explanation for their schismatic actions, it remains the primary concern for anyone who claims the label Christian when it comes to evaluating a church. If the gospel is not the foundation then inevitably the house built upon it will not be truly Christian.

This leads to a discussion of how we can know what the gospel is, which, in turn, leads us to consider the authority of the Bible. We can confidently know the gospel because in the Bible we have the authoritative story of Jesus and its authoritative interpretation, recorded for us by men specifically chosen and empowered by him for the task (John 17:6-8; Luke 24:44-49; Ephesians 4:11-14).This is why the reestablishing of the Scriptures as the “supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men and private spirits, are to be examined” (Savoy Declaration of Faith, Ch 1.10) was so necessary for the Reformers. God has spoken, and it is his voice that must be heard if a church is to remain an expression of the “true” church.

Moving soon? If so, consider if what is taught in the church you are evaluating lines up with the biblical witness. Before you go, however, take a few minutes to learn about the other two “marks of the true church.”