Beware of Lynch Mob Discipline

154 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure. Some more personal instructions for Timothy from Paul, but these instructions certainly apply to God's church for all time. The first thing that comes to mind when we see the phrase, “laying on of hands,” is ordination into the office of elder or pastor. This certainly should never be done hastily! We were told in 1 Tim 3:6, that an elder must not be a novice. And of course Timothy is to seek to keep himself morally pure and he is not to join in with others and their debauchery. But I think something more is being said here. What if we read this portion of Scripture in the context of dealing with an elder who has been accused of not ruling well, or church discipline in general? This “laying on of hands” is a slightly different Greek word than the one used for installing someone in an office of the church. The word for laying on of hands here can be used with the idea of accosting someone. If we use it in that context, we see that Timothy is being urged here to not engage in hasty discipline and to keep his mind pure and unprejudiced. Don't be part of the problem Timothy by jumping into the fray without a fair trial and without following the proper procedures of church discipline as laid out in the 18th chapter of Matthew. For if that person is found innocent of the charges and wrongly accused, you have joined in with their sin! As an overseer, Timothy has the responsibility to guard against lynch mob type of justice, or as it more often than not turns out to be injustice. Remember the ultimate purpose of church discipline is always the restoration of the erring brother. With this goal in mind, one can see the importance of moving slowly, and having all the facts straight. “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily.”