Daily Bread 1 Corinthians 5
Daily Bread 1 Corinthians 5
9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.
12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
Observation:
This is one of those tough passages to interpret in the bible. After all, aren’t we to forgive each other as we have been forgiven in Christ? Aren’t we not supposed to judge, as Jesus said to the crowd, “He who is without, sin be the first to cast the first stone.”
But Paul clarifies that when we are told not to judge, it is usually in regard to judging outsiders or judging whether a person is saved or not. In the Corinthian church, sexual sin and immorality had crept into the church, including incest (v. 1). What makes Paul the most surprised is that this behavior has been accepted without question.
Paul tells the church that when sin is repeated and habitual (the bible calls this “living in sin”, that the church must confront the sin, and if necessary remove the person from the church, if they are not willing to listen to the correction. It seems harsh, but Paul reasons that a little bit of yeast leavens the whole dough. Meaning if this kind of sin is tolerated and not dealt with, it will affect the whole community.
Application:
The challenging part of applying this doctrine is when to confront, and what qualifies for this kind of confrontation. Sexual immorality seems to be the most obvious sin qualifying for correction and rebuke. But also mentioned are greed, drunkenness, cheating, idolatry and being abusive. Paul cites that these behaviors are simply not tolerable in the body of Christ.
Although we shouldn’t be surprised if we see these things happening in the world, but to see it happening in the church is an entirely different matter. This is one of the tough calls for the leadership of the church, but to skirt these difficult decisions adversely affect the body of Christ that Jesus died for.
Paul gives us a pattern in a future chapter of confronting a person in their sin, with the purpose being that they will repent and come back to the right relationship with both God and the community of faith. Even in the case of the man committing adultery with his mother, the purpose of confronting him is so his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved. Any time we confront anyone in a pattern of grossly sinful behavior we do so in love trusting that God will use this to bring them back to faith.
Prayer:
Give us courage to lead in times where sexual immorality is the norm in our society. May our churches be set apart and be places where people can turn from these sins and be free from their destructive power. May each of our lives show who is our Lord and your desire for us to be free from these behaviors. If we are stuck in a pattern that is sinful, help us to repent and find places for healing and deliverance in Jesus’ name, Amen.
9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.
12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
Observation:
This is one of those tough passages to interpret in the bible. After all, aren’t we to forgive each other as we have been forgiven in Christ? Aren’t we not supposed to judge, as Jesus said to the crowd, “He who is without, sin be the first to cast the first stone.”
But Paul clarifies that when we are told not to judge, it is usually in regard to judging outsiders or judging whether a person is saved or not. In the Corinthian church, sexual sin and immorality had crept into the church, including incest (v. 1). What makes Paul the most surprised is that this behavior has been accepted without question.
Paul tells the church that when sin is repeated and habitual (the bible calls this “living in sin”, that the church must confront the sin, and if necessary remove the person from the church, if they are not willing to listen to the correction. It seems harsh, but Paul reasons that a little bit of yeast leavens the whole dough. Meaning if this kind of sin is tolerated and not dealt with, it will affect the whole community.
Application:
The challenging part of applying this doctrine is when to confront, and what qualifies for this kind of confrontation. Sexual immorality seems to be the most obvious sin qualifying for correction and rebuke. But also mentioned are greed, drunkenness, cheating, idolatry and being abusive. Paul cites that these behaviors are simply not tolerable in the body of Christ.
Although we shouldn’t be surprised if we see these things happening in the world, but to see it happening in the church is an entirely different matter. This is one of the tough calls for the leadership of the church, but to skirt these difficult decisions adversely affect the body of Christ that Jesus died for.
Paul gives us a pattern in a future chapter of confronting a person in their sin, with the purpose being that they will repent and come back to the right relationship with both God and the community of faith. Even in the case of the man committing adultery with his mother, the purpose of confronting him is so his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved. Any time we confront anyone in a pattern of grossly sinful behavior we do so in love trusting that God will use this to bring them back to faith.
Prayer:
Give us courage to lead in times where sexual immorality is the norm in our society. May our churches be set apart and be places where people can turn from these sins and be free from their destructive power. May each of our lives show who is our Lord and your desire for us to be free from these behaviors. If we are stuck in a pattern that is sinful, help us to repent and find places for healing and deliverance in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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