The Wisdom of Church Discipline

Warm Up

All of us have been the recipient of discipline, or correction, at some point in our lives. Is there a particular instance in your life that immediately comes to mind?

What is the most beneficial discipline, or correction, that you have ever received?

Exploring 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

The sexual sin the Corinthians are permitting in their church, which was not even allowed by the Romans, was unacceptable to Paul. Why do you think the church had not dealt with this sin appropriately?

How do you think something like this could happen? Had sin become so prevalent in Corinth that they were indifferent and unconcerned?

According to verse 2, what element is missing in their response to this sin? Does prevalent sin in the body of Christ cause you to mourn?

Read verses 6-8. How does prevalent sin affect the health of the church? Should sin be dealt with or ignored, hoping it will somehow go away? Do we really love someone if we aren’t willing to confront their sin and help restore them?

How does Jesus instruct believers to deal with sin between brothers and sisters in Christ in Matthew 18:15-18?

The Scriptures are clear that repentance is the pathway to restoration with God and health within the church. However, if someone is persistent in willful disobedience to God, how should the church respond? Consider Galatians 6:1-6.

Application

In Matthew 7, Jesus reminds us to remove the log from our own eye before trying to remove the splinter from someone else’s eye. Are there “logs” that you need to remove from your life?

Prayer

Pray for someone this week who is struggling in their walk with God.

List one or two prayer concerns to share with your group.