Church discipline preserves purity, which preserves unity. Unity at the cost of purity is not unity at all. So, far from being a destructive thing, church discipline is to be a restorative, life-giving thing, something that preserves the unity of the body, protects it from sin and false teaching, and portrays a Holy Saviour to the onlooking world. Now, let’s look at the text that deals with church discipline to try and understand when, how, and why one is to exercise church discipline.

Church discipline preserves purity, which preserves unity. Unity at the cost of purity is not unity at all. So, far from being a destructive thing, church discipline is to be a restorative, life-giving thing, something that preserves the unity of the body, protects it from sin and false teaching, and portrays a Holy Saviour to the onlooking world. Now, let’s look at the text that deals with church discipline to try and understand when, how, and why one is to exercise church discipline.