GS 1968 ARTICLE 80
Regarding Forms for “Excommunication Members by Baptism” Committee IV presents:
Materials:
- a. Report I,4 of Deputies;
- b. Overture III,8 of the Church at Coaldale, Alta, to adopt Forms mentioned in a.;
- c. Overture III,9 of the Church at Carman, Man., to adopt Forms mentioned in a.
Recommendations:
1. Synod adopt the following forms:
FORMS FOR PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING MEMBERS WHO, HAYING NOT YET MADE PROFESSION OF FAITH, ARE LIVING IN DISOBEDIENCE
A. Public Admonition
- The consistory, having taken the advice of classis, has the sad duty of informing the congregation, that N, by baptism ingrafted into the Christian Church, in spite of continual earnest admonitions obstinately persists in the sin of …
- Unless he/she within … shows repentance and amendment of life, the consistory will be obliged to exclude this brother/sister from the communion of the Church because of his/her willful disobedience to the covenant of God.
- The congregation is exhorted to admonish this averse member with affection and to pray the LORD for his/her conversion.
B. Excommunication
- The consistory had the sad duty of informing the congregation that N, by baptism ingrafted into the Christian Church, in spite of continual earnest admonitions, obstinately persisted in the sin of … ,and that the consistory would be obliged to exclude this brother/sister from the communion of the Church, unless he/she would show repentance and amendment of life.
- The consistory must now inform the congregation that N, in spite of many earnest admonitions, obstinately denies the communion with Christ and His Church, which was signified and sealed unto him/her in Holy Baptism.
- Therefore, being obliged to proceed, we ministers and rulers of the Church of God at this place, being assembled in the Name and authority of Jesus Christ, our Lord, declare before you all that for the aforesaid reasons we hereby excommunicate N from the Church of our Lord and that, as long as he/she persists obstinately and impenitently in his/her sins, he/she is excluded from the fellowship of Christ and all His spiritual blessings and benefits which God promises to and bestows upon His Church; and that he/she is therefore to be accounted by you as a gentile and a publican, according to the command of Christ, who says that whatsoever His ministers shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.
- Further we exhort you, beloved Christians, to keep no company with him/her to the end that he/she may be ashamed; yet count hin1/her not for an enemy, but at times admonish him/her as you would a brother/sister.
- In the meantime, take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God (Hebr.3:12). “Children, obey your parents in the
- Lord, for this is right. Honour thy father and thy mother – which is the first commandment with a promise – that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth. Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph.6: 1-4).
- “Ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder” (I Peter 5:5). “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (I John 2:15-17).
- But since it is God who works in us both to will and to work, for His good pleasure, let us call upon His holy Name with confession of our sins:
- O righteous God, merciful Father, before thy high majesty we blame ourselves for our sins, and acknowledge that we have justly deserved the sorrow and pain caused us by this excommunication of this our late fellow-member; yea, if Thou shouldst enter into judgment with us, we all deserve to be excluded and banished from thy presence on account of our great transgression. But, o Lord, be gracious unto us for Christ’s sake; forgive us our trespasses, for we heartily repent of them; and work in our hearts an ever increasing measure of sorrow for them, that we, fearing thy judgment which thou bringest upon the stiff-necked, may endeavour to please Thee. Grant that we may avoid all pollution of’ the world and of those who are excluded from the communion of the Church, in order that we may not make ourselves partakers of their sins, and that he/she who is excommunicated may become ashamed of his/her sins.
- And since Thou desirest not the death of the sinner, but that he may repent and live, and since the bosom of thy Church is always open for those who return, kindle Thou, therefore, in our hearts a godly zeal, that we, with good Christian admon itions and example, may seek to bring back this excommunicated person, together with all those who through unbelief and recklessness of life go astray. Add thy blessing to our admonitions, that we thereby may have reason to rejoice again in them for whom we must now mourn, and that thus thy holy Name may be praised, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has taught us to pray:
- Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name;
- Thy kingdom come;
- Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread;
- And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
ADOPTED
- 2. Synod, having read the overtures of the Churches at Carman and Coaldale, decide
- a. to forward reports and decisions regarding these Forms to Deputies for Cor respondence with Foreign Churches of the Free Reformed Churches of Australia, with the request to bring them before their forthcoming Synod and to recommend adoption of these Forms, in so far as this is possible for them;
- b. to have these Forms inserted into a new edition of the Book of Praise.
ADOPTED
- 3. Synod thank Deputies for the work done for the Churches.