THE BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH
– A Commentary – By Dr. Chuck Baynard
The Belgic Confession of Faith,
Article XXXII
The Order and Discipline of the
Church
In the meantime we believe, though it is useful and beneficial that those
who are rulers of the Church institute and establish certain ordinances among
themselves for maintaining the body of the Church, yet that they ought
studiously to take care that they do not depart from those things which Christ,
our only Master, has instituted. And therefore we reject all human inventions,
and all laws which man would introduce into the worship of God, thereby to bind
and compel the conscience in any manner whatever. Therefore we admit only of
that which tends to nourish and preserve concord and unity, and to keep all men
in obedience to God. For this purpose, excommunication or church discipline is
requisite, with all that pertains to it, according to the Word of God.
Discipline is the third mark of the true church. It may be the most
neglected and misunderstood doctrine of the church. Worship is only as God
commanded and the officers of the church are commanded to maintain the peace,
unity, and order of the church. This order cannot be obtained without rules or
orders within the church which of necessity come from the pens of man. These
rules of man cannot bind the conscience of any, only God’s revealed word may
do that. Nonetheless the authority to make rules is passed to the church by the
word of Christ who said to you I give the power to bind and loose. Binding and
losing is a legal term and has to do with what rules are binding upon the
people. In other words Christ gave to the church this specific authority to make
the rules of worship and order in the church.
If and only if all of the churches would continue in the fellowship of
Christ and recognize each other can or will proper Christian discipline be
effective. By nature the rebellion that lives within the flesh and ego of man
will not bow to rules, even God’s word willingly.
Among men there will be strife from time to time and the issue of sin
must be dealt with constantly. If the relationship of the church to the
individual member is of no value to that person they will not hear admonishment
and move to another church and begin again sowing division and strife wherever
they go. Because the churches do not recognize the authority of each other the
new church welcomes the unrepentant sinner and adds evil to the holiness that
existed prior to the arrival of this fugitive from God’s discipline.
The church that consistently practices Christian discipline is not the
largest church in the community. Here then is the rub so to speak, the friction
between the order of discipline and the rolls of the church. The church will not
have peace, unity, and prosperity apart from discipline but in blindness the
church sees discipline as that which stunts church growth and mission.
The real issue here is that without discipline there is no unity of
spirit nor will God bless the church. Peace
with God comes from obedience to God.
All discipline is intended to reclaim that which is lost and the
restoration of a sinner to the family of God. Even excommunication is to work
repentance and reconciliation. This does not happen when the church on the other
corner doesn’t recognize the discipline of her next-door sister church. Even
within reformed churches the cross-denominational aspect of church discipline
fails miserably to the detriment of the church of God on earth.
