Church life consists of corporate singing, prayers, the preaching of God’s word, discipleship, teaching in classes, fellowship in small groups, and an array of other practices. Each practice is formative, pressing us toward conformity to Christ’s likeness in our character. As we walk humbly in these means of God’s grace, we see Christ glorified as we increasingly are satisfied with him.

Yet an additional facet of church life that brings great glory to Christ, one that is admittedly not as easy to engage in, is the practice of church discipline. Consider what Scott Manetsch writes in Calvin’s Company of Pastors:

Calvin’s doctrine of right worship formed the gravitational center of his entire ecclesial vision. The liturgy of the church, the offices of the church, the discipline of the church, the preaching ministry of the church were all intended to bring praise and glory to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the church. (31–32, emphasis added)

We easily see how the church’s worship and the preaching of the gospel can bring glory to Christ, but perhaps we struggle to see, with Calvin, how the church’s discipline does. For some of us, sadness is associated with such a practice, as we remember failed attempts to reach someone who was removed from church membership.

Church discipline can feel grievous and weighty. It is imperative, however, for the health (and joy) of the church, and for the glory of Christ, that we see church discipline as an avenue for showcasing his goodness and greatness.

Discipline and the Glory of Christ

For the sake of clarity, we will define church discipline as correction of persistently sinning church members — for the good of those caught in sin, the purity of the church, and the glory of God. As the third purpose here suggests, our commitment to church discipline requires a devotion to the glory of God in his church.

Those who give themselves to this severe mercy remember that the Bible is a story preeminently about one main character, the triune God, and one main plot, the display of his glory in creation and redemption among a people who will reflect that glory and dwell with him forever. Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). In other words, Jesus brings the divine attributes of God as Father, Son, and Spirit into the realm of humanity, manifesting the person and presence of God (Luke 9:32; John 1:14; 17:5; 1 Corinthians 2:8).

Jesus’s glory exceeds the angels (Hebrews 1:7–14; 2:7, 9), Moses (Hebrews 3:3), the rest Joshua gave (Hebrews 3:7–4:10), the Levitical priests (Hebrews 5:1–10), the old covenant (Hebrews 8:1–13), and the Old Testament sacrificial system (Hebrews 10:1–18). While being made for a little while lower than the angels, Jesus atoned for sin and through his work brings many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:7–10). In his person and work, Christ has assuaged the righteous wrath of the Father (John 3:36), such that God can justify the unrighteous who believe in Christ (Romans 3:21–26).

As such, the glory of Christ is preeminently displayed in creation and redemption, including “in the church” (Ephesians 3:21). While these reflections may feel far removed from pastoral labors within a local church context, such truths serve as the bedrock upon which we stand when the weightiness of the issues of church discipline come crashing down on us. The church exists for the glory of Christ, along with every part of church life — including church discipline.

So how, in particular, does church discipline glorify Christ?

Discipline Points to the Purity of Christ

Jesus Christ, the God-man, came to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Because of his work on our behalf, our status before God is righteous in Christ (justification), we are consecrated and called to growth in godliness (sanctification), and we will one day be fully purified (glorification). We await the day when we will see Christ and be like him, and until that day, he calls us to purify ourselves as he is pure (1 John 3:1–3).

As such, church discipline is a key means for the church’s growth in holiness, to be presented before him as a pure bride (Ephesians 5:25–27). We will not be perfect in this life, but as we continue to exhort one another day after day, so that we are not hardened by sin (Hebrews 3:12–13), we point each other and the world to the glorious purity of Christ.

This is especially true in the final step of discipline, known as excommunication. Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7) in order to create a repentant, pure people. Therefore, if such repentance and purity is not evident, we are to put that person out of church membership (1 Corinthians 5:13). The hope is repentance and restoration (1 Corinthians 5:5), but in the meantime, and even if restoration should not occur, excommunication demonstrates that the purity of Christ is real, and the purity of the bride, though imperfect, is still a humble, repentant, and genuine pursuit.

Discipline Points to the Beauty of the Groom

One key metaphor of the relationship between Christ and the church is that of marriage. God refers to Israel as his bride in the Old Testament, calling them away from spiritual idolatry, which he often depicted as adultery (see, for example, the book of Hosea). God desires a relationship between Christ and the church that points to the intimacy between believers and their Lord and Savior.

“Christ is the pure bridegroom, and discipline is a means of purifying the bride to one day be presented to him.”

In the church, we remind one another of our identity as the bride who will one day be presented to Christ “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 19:6–10). That future vision calls us to continually repent, grow, and pursue obedience to God’s word, by God’s grace and Spirit.

Christ is the pure bridegroom, and discipline is a means of purifying the bride to one day be presented to him. Removal from the body of Christ may even be necessary, to serve as a means of pursuing this purity corporately, while hoping that the person under discipline will repent and join this pursuit of corporate purity. Christ is glorious in himself, and the radiant bride he will receive shows the beauty of that glory.

Discipline Points Us to Christ as Lion and Lamb

Finally, church discipline reminds us that Christ is glorified both in salvation and judgment. Our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Exodus 34:6–7). That passage goes on to say, however, that “he will by no means clear the guilty.” Discipline highlights both God’s righteous wrath toward sin and his mercy through Christ.

“Discipline highlights both God’s wrath toward sin and his mercy through Christ.”

Jesus Christ is both Lion and Lamb (Revelation 5:5–6), which points again to the glorious nature of Christ in his work both to forgive sin and judge the world. Church discipline reminds us that salvation is for those who repent of sin and trust in Christ, whose entire life and demeanor returns to repentance and faith throughout their lives. And for those who refuse to repent, even when the entire church calls them to account, the act of excommunication is meant to jar them awake, to point out the potential lion-like judgment that awaits. Our glorious Lord is Lion and Lamb, and church discipline keeps that reality before our eyes.

Sorrow Meant to Lead to Satisfaction

We do not want to see worldly sorrow in our churches. Rather, we desire godly grief that produces repentance, which leads to salvation with no regrets (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Church discipline — when done biblically, and in reliance on God’s grace and conviction in the life of an unrepentant sinner — can bring about transformation. If local churches forsake such a biblical practice, the result will be a sullied view of Christ’s purity, a diminishment of the bridegroom’s work in the life of the bride, and a view of Jesus as Lamb, but not Lion. Discipline brings out a full view of Christ’s glory.

Discipline may be a sorrowful practice, both for the church and for the one under discipline. You may be reminded of painful moments you have endured in church life and asked if such a practice is really worthwhile. However, if this process is done correctly, the church grows in health and Christ is glorified. And if repentance takes place for the one under discipline, the result is a person turned away from sin toward satisfaction in Christ, and in that, Christ again is glorified.

From the early days of my teaching, I have enacted a ritual to introduce poetry into a course. I ask the class, “How do you know that God intends for you to understand and enjoy poetry?” Inevitably, the class stares at me as though I had just arrived from Mars. Then I ask in a slightly more menacing tone, “How do you know that God intends for you to understand and enjoy poetry?”

It is gratifying to see how quickly someone comes up with the correct answer. That answer is that approximately one-third of the Bible comes to us in poetic form.

My purpose is to convince you that your life will be enriched if you set aside just a little time for poetry. For some, this will be an encouragement to keep a current practice going; for others, it will be a resolve to give poetry a try.

World of Poetry

Poetry already has a place in our lives, though we may be unaware of this fact. In addition to the poetry of the Bible, let me introduce hymns into the discussion. Hymns and songs are a form of poetry, possessing all the qualities of the poems I teach in my literature courses. Whereas much of the poetry in the Bible is relatively complex and difficult, the poetry of hymns and songs is poetry for the average person.

“There are occasions when poetic speech conveys truth more effectively than literal prose.”

Additionally, we all speak an incipient poetry during the course of a typical day. We speak of the sun rising and of game-changers, of killing time and juggling our schedules. Each of these is a metaphor. Why do we resort to poetic language like this? Because we intuitively realize that poetic speech often conveys truth more effectively than literal prose.

Two Misconceptions

People who do not find a place for poetry in their lives incorrectly believe that poetry is beyond the reach of the common person. Some claim that although people living before the modern era knew how to handle poetry, people living today are different. I regret to say that I even hear stories of Sunday school teachers and preachers being pressured by congregants to leave the poetry of the Bible untouched because of its alleged inaccessibility.

There is no chronological factor in regard to the accessibility of poetry. People are not less educated today than they were in previous centuries, but the reverse. Furthermore, poetry is compressed and makes use of images (words naming concrete objects and actions) as its basic language. What is more characteristic of our day than its preference for brief units of communication and its reliance on visual images?

Another misconception is that poetry is unrelated to everyday life. This is false in two ways. First, the actual language of poetry stays close to the everyday experiences of life. For example, biblical poets keep us rooted in a world of water and sheep and light and pathways. Second, the subject of poetry is universal human experience. Stories are a window to the world of human life, and so is poetry. One title of a book about poetry captures the essence of both poetic language and poetic content: Poetry and the Common Life.

Helps for Reading Poetry

In the remainder of this article, I have organized my pep talk for giving poetry a try (or continuing to keep a good thing going) under the rubric of what you need to know about poetry in order to succeed with it.

First, while poetry is accessible to anyone who gives it a genuine try, this does not mean that poetry is anything less than a unique form of discourse. Poetry is different from the informal language that we use in everyday life. Whether we see this as an advantage or disadvantage depends on the attitude that we bring, and my goal is to encourage the Christian public to embrace poetry not in spite of its difference from everyday uses of language but because of that difference.

We will not make room for poetry if we blame it for not being like everyday discourse. Instead, we can welcome poetry as a break from the routine. The Bible speaks of poetry as a new song (Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1). The novelty of poetry can become a welcome adventure if we embrace it as such.

Poets speak a language all their own, and we need to know what that language is. The basic unit of poetry (but not its only ingredient) is the image, broadly defined to mean any word that names a concrete object or action. The words house and mountain are images, and so are walking and hiding.

Sometimes these images are straightforward and literal. A nature poet, for example, typically aims to paint a physical picture in our imagination: “The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted” (Psalm 104:16). These are “straight images”: the trees are literal trees, and the water is literal water.

But more often, poetic images are part of a comparison or analogy, as when the psalmist declares God to be “a sun and shield” (Psalm 84:11). God is not literally a sun and shield; these metaphors assert that God is like a sun and shield.

Verbal Energy Drink

What is the advantage of this poetic language of images and figures of speech? Poetic language overcomes the flatness and cliché effect of the ordinary and overly familiar. By contrast, the unfamiliar leads us to take note and makes us participants in the conversation.

“Poetic language overcomes the flatness and cliché effect of the ordinary and overly familiar.”

A comparison in the form of metaphor or simile activates us to determine how one thing is like something else to which it is compared. Poetry is akin to a riddle. When the poet asserts that the person who trusts in God “will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day” (Psalm 91:5), we need to figure out what the terror of the night and the arrow that flies by day are — and further, how they exist in our own lives.

Of course, this kind of interpretation requires what I call a “slow read” as opposed to a speed read. This is one of the most important tips I can offer for reading poetry with pleasure: we need to take the time to unpack the meanings of poetic images and comparisons. This can be a pleasurable activity if we simply give ourselves to it.

The kind of poetry I am discussing in this article is lyric poetry, meaning short poems. Lyric poems tend to be either meditative or reflective on the one hand, or affective or emotional on the other. In a reflective poem, the poet shares a thought process on an announced subject. In an affective poem, we learn about the poet’s feelings on the topic that is the focus of the poem. Psalm 1 is a meditation on the blessings that come to a godly person, as contrasted to the misery of the wicked. A praise psalm is an effusion of godly feelings.

The short length of lyric poems makes the contemplative and analytic way of reading that I have been describing entirely possible and feasible. Poetry gives more “bang for the buck” — more meaning per line — than expository prose does. Perhaps we can think of poetry as a verbal energy drink. Even if we take ten or fifteen minutes to give a poem a complete analysis, that is less time than it often takes to read an essay or chapter in a book.

Awakening the Heart

Thus far, I have talked about the form or technique of poetry. What do we need to know about the content of a poem? The purpose of poetry is not to convey new information. Its purpose is to express the shared experience of the human race and the believing community. A lyric poem holds before us thoughts, feelings, and experiences, with the intention that we will stare at them. Poetry gives us knowledge in the form of right seeing.

Additionally, the purpose of poetry, said John Milton, is “to set the affections in right tune.” Affections is an old word that overlaps with our word emotions. Poetry tends to be an affective form of writing that awakens proper feelings. The kind of poetry I am commending enables us not only to see an aspect of experience clearly but also to feel the right way about that experience. Reading good poetry can help us to feel rightly about reality.

Of all the activities that have made up my half-century of teaching literature, the one that gives me most pleasure is explicating short poems. Explication is simply the literary term for close reading, or staring at a text. And I commend staring at poetry, allowing it to awaken your affections, give you new eyes to see the world, and hopefully, offer new glimpses into the beauty of our triune God.

We live in a world where everything “new” soon becomes old. New cars scratch and rust. New shoes wear out. Fresh bread gets stale. Today’s smartphones are outdated in a few years. New toys are eventually relegated to donation boxes or trash bins. Consumers still clamor for the trending product and the newest model, recognizing that the latest item will soon lose its luster. We purchase insurance and extended warranties to protect our investments and guard against loss.

The Scriptures offer a sober assessment of our world and our lives east of Eden: moth and rust destroy, thieves steal, everything is subject to decay, we are dust and return to the dust (Genesis 3:19; Psalm 90:3; Ecclesiastes 3:20; Matthew 6:19; Romans 8:21). Yet according to God’s promise we also long for a new world “in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

At the culmination of the biblical canon, the prophet John sees “a new heaven and a new earth” and “new Jerusalem” and hears God Almighty say, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:1–5). These statements draw deeply from the well of Old Testament prophecies, such as Isaiah 43:18–19 and 65:17–19. Revelation does not explain in detail how the old heaven and earth give way to the new; instead, this prophecy focuses on the reality of the Creator God’s purposes to renew, restore, and rectify everything.

Note that God does not merely make new things to replace what is old, broken, and obsolete; he makes all things to be new. This promise of new creation transcends our current categories of temporary newness, revealing a new kind of newness that never wears out or breaks down. The Alpha and Omega makes all things to be new and stay ever new.

Woes That Will End

Consider several aspects of this coming new creation to strengthen your resolve to endure this world’s troubles as we long for “a better country — a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16).1

No More Trouble

The fourfold emphasis on what is “new” in Revelation 21:1–5 contrasts with the “first” or “former things,” which “have passed away” and shall be “no more.” These former troubles include death, mourning, crying, and pain (21:4), all universal realities for humanity after sin and death entered the world in Genesis 3. This fulfills Old Testament promises such as Isaiah 25:8: “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.”

No More Curse

Further, no longer will there be “any curse” in the new creation (Revelation 22:3 NIV). This alludes to Zechariah 14:11 (CSB): “Never again will there be a curse of complete destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell in security.” Zechariah 14:9–12 stresses the safety of God’s people when the Lord is king over all the earth and strikes all his foes. Revelation 22 closely links the removal of the curse to believers’ restored access to the tree of life, which signifies eternal life in fellowship with God. The tree’s leaves provide “healing of the nations,” who will walk by the Lamb’s light and bring their splendor into the holy city (Revelation 21:24; 22:2; cf. Isaiah 60:3; Zechariah 14:16). There will be no curse in the new Jerusalem because God will fully reverse humanity’s plight since our plummet into sin.

No More Threats

Finally, the prophet highlights the absence of the sea and of night from the new creation (Revelation 21:1; 22:5). Unlike death, tears, and curse that are passing away, the sea and night are present in God’s original good creation (Genesis 1:5, 10). However, within the book of Revelation the sea is consistently linked with evil power and ungodliness. The devil temporarily exerts his great wrath on the earth and the sea, which together represent the first creation (Revelation 12:12). The blasphemous beast arises from the sea and receives the dragon’s power (Revelation 13:1–2; cf. Daniel 7:3).

“The absence of sea in the new creation signifies that God will finally remove every threat to his redeemed people.”

The sea is also associated with the dead (Revelation 20:13) and with the idolatrous trade of the wicked city, Babylon the Great, which emulates the commercial powerhouse Tyre in the Old Testament (Revelation 18:17, 19; cf. Ezekiel 26–27). John’s reference to the sea may also recall the exodus, when the Lord parted the waters to allow Israel to pass safely then hurled Egypt’s army into the sea (Exodus 14:22, 27). The absence of sea in the new creation signifies that God will finally remove every threat to his redeemed people.

No More Night

The Scriptures regularly associate “night” with darkness, lamentation, sin, and judgment. For example, God sends plagues of darkness against Egypt and the beast’s kingdom (Exodus 10:21–22; Revelation 16:10), and there is darkness throughout the land when Jesus is crucified (Mark 15:33). There is no night in John’s vision of the new creation because the dazzling glory of God and the Lamb will so illumine the New Jerusalem that no other lights will be necessary — including the sun (Revelation 21:23; 22:5; cf. Isaiah 60:19). Moreover, the city’s gates remain open as a picture of comprehensive safety and security since no enemies remain to threaten God’s people under cover of darkness (Revelation 21:25; Isaiah 60:11).

God with Us

Central to the hope of the new creation is God’s enduring presence with the saints. Throughout the Old Testament, God promises to dwell with Israel. For example:

I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. (Leviticus 26:11–12)

My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Ezekiel 37:27)

“Central to the hope of the new creation is God’s enduring presence with the saints.”

Revelation 21:3 announces the fulfillment of this promise: “Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God” (CSB). The phrase “his peoples” (plural) alters the customary reference to God’s singular “people,” perhaps reflecting the prophecy in Zechariah 2:11–12: “many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst.”

The point is that God will not simply dwell among one ethnic group but among those from all peoples who are purchased and purified by the blood of the Lamb to declare his praises forever (Revelation 5:9). God’s “dwelling place” (ESV) or “tabernacle” (NASB) is finally, fully, and forever in the midst of his covenant people.

Revelation 21:9–27 describes the glorious new Jerusalem as God’s redeemed people — the Bride of the Lamb — and as the everlasting temple-city, the place where God lives among his people. This vision fulfills Old Testament prophecies about the glory of redeemed Zion (Isaiah 60) and the end-time temple of God (Ezekiel 40–48).

In the new creation, God will dwell among his people forever (Revelation 21:3; 22:1–5). God and the Lamb will supply the saints with everlasting life and continuous light. Every threat and impediment to perfect fellowship between God and his people will be removed, and we will behold his face and worship him forever as priestly kings.

Preview of Coming Attractions

This vision of new creation satisfies our longings for final salvation from the effects of Adam’s sin, for a lasting home in the holy city, and for a God-glorifying vocation as priests and rulers. Revelation’s picture of the renewed world is truly captivating not because of its golden streets or jeweled walls but because we will have the “one thing” that believers have always longed for: to dwell in God’s glorious presence, gazing on his beauty and seeking him in his temple that will fill the new Jerusalem (Psalm 27:4).

As Andrew Peterson sings, “Do you feel the world is broken? . . . Do you feel the shadows deepen? . . . Do you wish that you could see it all made new?” Indeed, we do. Or as Isaac Watts sang, we long to see God’s “blessings flow far as the curse is found.”

We long to see God’s kingdom come and his will done on earth as in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We long for the redemption of our bodies and the renovation of our world (Romans 8:21–23). Revelation strengthens our weary hearts with God’s sure promise, “I am making all things new.” New and ever new, with no more sin or sorrow, death or decay.

God will surely make all things new, and he has already begun that new creation work in his people: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Creator has shined saving light in our hearts so that we might see his glory in the face of Christ, and we now have this treasure in clay jars (2 Corinthians 4:6–7). In other words, we have an advance on the glories of the new Eden in the midst of the present world that is passing away, a preview of coming attractions. The renovation of the hearts and lives of God’s people now anticipates the coming renewal and restoration of all things. Lord, hasten the day when our faith will be sight.