Westminster XXX: Of Church Censures

Posted on by Douglas Wilson
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1. The Lord Jesus, as King and Head of His Church, hath therein appointed a government, in the hand of Church officers, distinct from the civil magistrate (Isa. 9:6–7; 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Thess. 5:12; Acts 20:17–18; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24; 1 Cor. 12:28; Matt. 28:18–20).

The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, and the only Head of the Church. As the Head, He has appointed a government in his Church, in the hand of certain officers of the Church. This government is distinct from that of the civil magistrate, and is in no way dependent upon it. We have here a doctrine of sphere sovereignty, and we also see that this means that no earthly form of government is absolute. We see a different kind of check and balance.

2. To these officers the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed; by virtue whereof, they have power, respectively, to retain, and remit sins; to shut that kingdom against the impenitent, both by the Word, and censures; and to open it unto penitent sinners, by the ministry of the Gospel; and by absolution from censures, as occasion shall require (Matt. 16:19; 18:17–18; John 20:21–23; 2 Cor. 2:6–8).

The keys of the kingdom are bestowed upon these officers; in this respect, they are successors of the apostles. What does it mean to have the keys of the kingdom? This is the power to retain and remit sins, and to exclude the unrepentant from the kingdom. This is done both by Word and censure, Word and discipline, administered to those who are within the kingdom, and through the authoritative preaching of the Gospel to repentant sinners who have not yet been brought into the kingdom. The third means is the revocation of an applied censure when the circumstances may warrant.

The ministry of the Word of course includes admonition and rebuke, but must include positive, preventative doctrine as well.

3. Church censures are necessary, for the reclaiming and gaining of offending brethren, for deterring of others from the like offenses, for purging out of that leaven which might infect the whole lump, for vindicating the honor of Christ, and the holy profession of the Gospel, and for preventing the wrath of God, which might justly fall upon the Church, if they should suffer His covenant, and the seals thereof, to be profaned by notorious and obstinate offenders (1 Cor. 5; 1 Tim. 5:20; Matt. 7:6; 1 Tim. 1:20; 1 Cor. 11:27–34; Jude 23).

Church censure, or what we call church discipline, is necessary in order to accomplish particular ends. The purposes given are not listed in the order of importance. The point of discipline, first, is to reclaim the erring brother. The second point is so that others will stand in fear, thinking twice before they run off with someone else’s wife. Third, the sin if tolerated would threaten to spread and bring the whole church into moral danger. Fourth, Christ is insulted publicly when His people sin, and discipline vindicates His honor. Fifth, the Gospel is insulted when the Church allows members to declare that it does not transform lives. Sixth, the Church acts in self-interest whenever it distances itself from those who are inviting the wrath of God upon them. If the Church permits the covenant and its seals to be profaned by notorious and obstinate offenders, the Church runs a grave risk.

4. For the better attaining of these ends, the officers of the Church are to proceed by admonition, suspension from the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for a season; and by excommunication from the Church, according to the nature of the crime, and demerit of the person (1 Thess. 5:12; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14–15; 1 Cor. 5:4–5, 13; Matt. 18:17; Tit. 3:10).

The Confession acknowledges three levels of formal censure. The first is admonition, or particular warning. The second is suspension from the Lord’s Supper for a period of time, and the last is excommunication. The elders of the Church make the determination on which to apply according to the nature of the crime, and the fault of the individual involved.

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