Doctrine, disciple and discipline are related terms. Doctrine means "something taught; teachings ... something taught as the principles or creed of a religion, political party, etc.; tenet or tenets; belief, dogma." Disciple means "to teach, to learn, comprehend, ... a pupil, a follower, or adherent of any teacher or school of religion ..." Discipline means "A branch of knowledge or learning ... training that develops self-control, character, or orderliness and efficiency ... the result of such training; self-control; orderly conduct ... acceptance of or submission to authority or control ... a system of rules or methods ... treatment that corrects or punishes." (Webster's New World Dictionary).
Simply stated, Doctrine is teaching something; disciple is the learner or follower of the teacher: he receives the doctrine; and discipline is training or developing in the doctrine, which requires instruction and correcting. The doctrine is the gospel of Christ: that which Jesus and his apostles taught. Those who hear and obey the gospel of Christ are disciples or followers. The disciples who are reproved, corrected and instructed in righteousness are disciplined in the Lord. The sum of this is stated in Matthew 28:18-20; "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Here we have doctrine, disciples and discipline: teaching, making followers, and instruction (discipline).
We have many people in the church today who despise both doctrine and discipline. It is increasingly difficult to get an audience of people to listen to sound doctrine for more than 20 or 30 minutes on Lord's day morning. Usually a much smaller number is in attendance at the evening services. A watered down version of Bible teaching that is calculated to tickle the ears of hearers rather than convict and convert has taken the place of sound gospel preaching. Some of these preachers lay awake at night dreaming up new ideas, catch phrases and programs designed to win large crowds of mostly young people and enthusiastic followers, who are uneducated in the truth of the gospel. Scriptural discipline would clear up this dilemma in many congregations.
When the time comes to administer corrective discipline, there are some who angrily defend the sinful disciple with excuses and untrue charges against the elders and the church. They do not want to discipline anyone. The American Civil Liberties Union is dedicated to liberating criminals and avoiding the just and legal penalties of the most vicious and senseless crimes against humanity. Most of these criminals forfeit their civil rights to be free to prey again and again upon society by their crimes. The attitude exists in the church to defend all sorts of spiritual crime against Christ and his church.
We know that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost. Sinners are the object of the love of God that gave Christ to die for sin (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8,9). One who had sinned after obeying the gospel of Christ was told to "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee" (Acts 8:22,23). His sin was grievous: He was "in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." The one who repents of sins and turns again to the Lord is being disciplined. That is exactly what rebuke and reproof is intended to do. That is discipline.
God's word teaches the church to discipline disobedient disciples even to the point to "withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us" (2 Thess. 3:6). And also "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:5). That is what the New Testament plainly teaches. How can one be a faithful disciple of the great Teacher and ignore or reject this significant doctrine? A skillfully devised attack upon corrective discipline by misusing and misapplying scriptures should be exposed. The best of them will not eliminate one single passage from the verbally inspired body of truth from heaven. God has spoken! His words shall not pass away! Any one who preaches another gospel besides the one preached by the apostles is preaching a perverted gospel and is accursed, because there is but one gospel (Gal. 1:6-8).
Suppose the elders and brethren should simply pass by and cover up cases of needed corrective or punitive discipline (withdrawing ourselves from such), in order to appease the weak defenders of impenitent sinners, what would be the results? It would not be a stronger church, because Paul said "...a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:6). The fact is that the sinner would continue in his sin and be lost, other weak disciples would drift away because there is no deterrent to them, and the church would be weaker and less able to support the gospel in its purity in a wicked world. Nobody would gain in this situation.
But suppose the elders and brethren insisted that sin be dealt with just as Jesus Christ directed in
the gospel, and put the disobedient disciple away from the faithful, what would be the result? The
sinner would most likely repent and return to the Lord. At least, he would know faithful brethren
do not approve of his sinful life. That is what the Lord wants, and that is what we should strive
for. That is the purpose of such discipline. In addition the church would be stronger and in better
position to defend and support the gospel. The elders and brethren would be faithful to the Lord,
and the preachers would be encouraged to proclaim the unadulterated gospel, the power of God
to save. By practicing corrective discipline the church has every thing to gain and nothing to lose,
but by ignoring scriptural discipline the church and the sinner have every thing to lose and nothing
to gain. Brethren, think on these things!
--- via Searching the Scriptures (July 1988), pp. 153-154 ---