Gwallard
Puritan Board Freshman
The Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 30.3 (Of Church Censures) states the ends of excommunication like this:
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.
[3]
3. I Cor. 5:1-13; 11:27-34; I Tim. 1:20; 5:20; Matt. 7:6; Jude 1:23
My question has to do with order of importance. In excommunication, my thoughts would be according to the glory of God, and therefore we excommunicate first and foremost for "the vindicat[ion of] the honor of Christ."
However, the order that is given is completely different, and places the "reclaiming and gaining of the offending brethren" in the first place; second, third, and fourth place given to the health of the church; fifth, Christ and his honor; sixth, for the benefit of the church and those outside (keeping the gospel clean), and seventh, the church once again considered, that we might not be punished.
What was the logic to place the reasons for excommunication in this order? Excommunication can be remedial or punitive, and therefore it makes sense to have the remedial first, so that excommunication is not used as a bludgeon or a sinful pastor's way of easy domination over the church. However, even if this is the explanation for it being first, this still leaves the question of why the others are in their particular order.
When your church has excommunicated, or in your own minds as pastors, in what order would you place these ends for excommunication, and why did the Westminster divines place them in this order?
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.
[3]
3. I Cor. 5:1-13; 11:27-34; I Tim. 1:20; 5:20; Matt. 7:6; Jude 1:23
My question has to do with order of importance. In excommunication, my thoughts would be according to the glory of God, and therefore we excommunicate first and foremost for "the vindicat[ion of] the honor of Christ."
However, the order that is given is completely different, and places the "reclaiming and gaining of the offending brethren" in the first place; second, third, and fourth place given to the health of the church; fifth, Christ and his honor; sixth, for the benefit of the church and those outside (keeping the gospel clean), and seventh, the church once again considered, that we might not be punished.
What was the logic to place the reasons for excommunication in this order? Excommunication can be remedial or punitive, and therefore it makes sense to have the remedial first, so that excommunication is not used as a bludgeon or a sinful pastor's way of easy domination over the church. However, even if this is the explanation for it being first, this still leaves the question of why the others are in their particular order.
When your church has excommunicated, or in your own minds as pastors, in what order would you place these ends for excommunication, and why did the Westminster divines place them in this order?
