Article 28

About the discipline of the Christian Church and the separation of offending members. About this we confess: that, as a house or a city cannot be kept up without doors, gates and walls, by which evil men may be driven out, shut out and kept out, and the good and pious be taken in and protected; so Christ, for the preservation of His church, gave her the key of heaven, which is His Word, so that by it and according to it she should judge and reprove, according to truth, and for their reformation, all those in her communion who are found to offend in doctrine and in conduct, that is, to act contrary to any commandment or ordinance which God has given to His church; and so to separate the disobedient from her communion, so that the church may not be leavened and stained by their false doctrine and impure walk, and become a partaker of other men’s sins; and so that the pious may be brought to fear by it, and hold themselves back from committing similar offenses.

And, as God through Moses commanded this punishment of transgressors to be inflicted according to the greatness of the offense, so that those who through ignorance, weakness, or otherwise offended by minor sins against any of the commandments of the Lord were reconciled to God by various offerings and the intercessions of the priests, but the open, great transgressors of the law could not be reconciled by such offerings, and had to die without mercy under two or three witnesses; so Christ in the New Testament also taught that Christian punishment is to be inflicted according to the greatness of the offense, not to a man’s destruction, as in the punishment of Israel, which was death, by which the transgressor was cut off from repentance and reformation; but Christ, having come to save men’s souls, instituted this punishment for the reformation of sinners, and ordained that if anyone sees his brother commit a transgression which is obviously a sin, but not so great as to have brought forth death in him, he shall, out of Christian love for his soul, speak to him privately, with the Word of God, and reprove him of his sin and admonish him. If he accepts this Christian admonition, he has gained his brother, and shall, out of fervent love, conceal and cover his sin. First Peter 4, verse 8. But if he does not listen to him, he shall take one or two more with him, so that in the mouth of these witnesses every word may be established. But if he neglects to hear them, then the matter must be brought before the church; and if he neglects to hear the church, all the members of which are judges, he shall be excluded from the brotherhood.

But if anyone falls into open works of the flesh, from which the church sees that through these sins he has separated himself from his God and incurred the divine wrath, the church shall, without any of the admonitions and words mentioned above, as in the case of the offending sinner, exclude such a one from the brotherhood on account of his sins, and point him to repentance and reformation, by which he may again find grace with God, even as he has become separated from God through the evil works of the flesh. [n553-1] So the church shall knowingly keep no one in her communion who is separated from God through his sins; nor separate any from her communion except those who have already, through their sins, become separated from God; nor receive any again, and promise life and peace to them, except those who through faith and true repentance have first been received into grace with God.

This true repentance has the following properties: 1. That we have a sincere sorrow before Almighty God for all the sins we have committed; 2. that we confess our sins from the heart, before God and men; 3. that we leave off sin and do not continue in it any longer, and, as far as we are able, seek to make amends for the evil we have done, by doing good. This repentance and reformation opens again the entrance to the kingdom of God, which before was closed to us on account of our sins. So that the church of God, by this separation and reception of hers, may, according to His Word, follow the separation and reception already made by God in heaven, of which the action of the church is only a proof and a proclamation.

And since with God there is no respect of persons, the church of God shall use this key of the Word of God rightly, and in punishing shall spare no one, whether he be a minister or a brother, a man or a woman, but shall judge the small as well as the great by one rule and measure of the divine word, according to the truth. And, as all disobedient sinners are excluded from the brotherhood by the consent of the church, with sorrow and sadness of heart, and referred to repentance and reformation; so also shall all obedient, penitent sinners, with the consent and concurrence of the church, be received by the bishop of the church. And, as men usually rejoice over the finding of a lost sheep, a piece of silver, or a son, so shall believers rejoice with all the angels of God over the repentance and return of their erring brother or sister.

How the minor sins, whether caused by weakness or by ignorance, were reconciled by the priest with various offerings, read: Leviticus 4, verse 27; Leviticus 5; Numbers 5, verse 6; Numbers 15, verse 22.

But the open transgressors of the law were put to death without mercy under two or three witnesses. About this, read: Numbers 15, verse 30; Leviticus 24, verse 14; Deuteronomy 17, verse 12; Deuteronomy 19, verse 15; Hebrews 10, verse 28.

In connection with this read also the words of the high priest Eli: “If one man sins against another, the judge shall judge him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?” First Samuel 2, verse 25.

How Christ commanded that small offenses between brother and brother should be punished, read: “If your brother trespasses against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: if he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he neglects to hear them, tell it to the church: but if he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen man and a publican. Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18, verses 15 to 18; Luke 17, verse 3; Galatians 6, verse 1; James 5, verse 19.

“If any man sees his brother sin a sin which does not lead to death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for those whose sin does not lead to death.” First John 5, verse 16.

But open offending members Christ commanded to cut off and cast away, without exercising admonition, intercession, or forgiveness toward them before the separation. Read: Matthew 18, verse 8; Mark 9, verse 42.

So the apostles also, according to the doctrine of Christ, denied eternal life to all the known works of the flesh, condemning them to death, and in their assembly delivered the Corinthian fornicator to Satan, with the word and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, without using the admonition mentioned above with regard to him. First Corinthians 5, verse 3. Read also: First Timothy 1, verse 20; First Timothy 5, verse 20; Second Corinthians 13, verse 2.

“There is a sin leading to death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” First John 5, verse 16; Numbers 15, verse 30; Hebrews 10, verse 28; First Corinthians 5, verse 13; Second Corinthians 13, verse 2; Psalm 1, verse 5; Second Timothy 2, verse 20; First Corinthians 6, verse 9; Galatians 5, verse 21; Ephesians 5, verse 5.