What is the purpose of church discipline for a believer living in open sin?
The purpose of church discipline for a believer in open sin is restoration to fellowship. God mandates disciplinary action by the church first and foremost to restore such a person. Though God may take that believer out of physical existence, Scripture says such a believer does not lose salvation.
Les explains that when a believer is living in deep, open sin that people generally know about, God has mandated first and foremost a disciplinary action on the part of the church to restore such a one to fellowship. The matter has to be dealt with by the church, and God Himself will also deal with it. Even though God is going to take these kind of believers out of their physical existence, they are not going to lose their salvation. The believing community is never even to pray for the death of someone like that. Les connects this with First John chapter 5, where John speaks of a brother sinning a sin not unto death, and also a sin unto death, describing sin in the church that may not be as gross as the Corinthian case but still requires the church’s restorative discipline.
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.