November 25, 2022
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in selections from 1 Corinthians? Here’s today’s reading:
1 Corinthians 5 (NIV)
Dealing With a Case of Incest
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ...........Continue Reading
Excommunication for sin in a believers life is an extreme response and certainly makes sense. If you claim to be a believer and yet continue to live a sinful life your commitment to Christ is clearly flawed. We should become a new person in Christ with a desire to follow his commands and not continue in our sinful ways.
However, we all sin and we can kick every sinner out of the church. Realistically, nowadays one can just find another church that tolerates or overlooks your sin particularly in the case of sexual immoralities like homosexuality.
There needs to be a balance of truth and grace in the church where we are helping the repentant sinner or those struggling with sin but never accepting the sin or giving a watered down version of God’s word for someone’s comfort.
Wow, strong words for the Christians of today and every age, who are supposed to be seeking “the bread of sincerity and truth”. Interesting that Paul would expel the blatant sinner over to Satan not to destroy him but to destroy his sinful nature so that his spirit can be saved on the day of the Lord.
Sin is serious, destroying the soul, our relationships and our fellowship with God. Therefore, the church has an important role in dealing with it. First it is to define it in Biblical ways, calling a spade a spade if you will. Secondly it should point to the provisions God makes to help us overcome sin. And third provide accountability and encouragement to overcome sin. When someone rejects these things and calls themselves a believer anyways, the only way for a church to deal with it properly is to disassociate themselves from the person, ie saying that person does not define who we are. This should not happen to a person who confesses and repents of sin (even if that is repeated as long as the repetitive nature is not being used to justify or protect the sin). We should never be proud of the sin we tolerate, but we can be proud of how we confront sin for what it is and support sinners with the grace and truth that will bring repentance. When a church is soft on sin, it begins to permeate many other facets like yeast that spreads throughout the dough. Now, as Paul points out, this is not referring to someone who is not a believer. Our message to them is the gospel, the forgiveness of sin, and repentance toward Christ, changing what they think of Jesus. We don’t expect unbelievers to change their behavior. We desire for them to be saved. The bottom line, we should deal with sin the way Jesus did: understanding with those outside of faith and confrontation with grace for those in the faith.
1 Corinthians 5
Every time I read this, it reminds me of the Catholic Church and what was exposed in 1990 that priests were sexually abusing children, and instead of the Catholic Church, removing the priest, they moved him from state to state a little bit of yeast works through the whole dill the Catholic Church is reaping what they’ve someone I’ll never forget the Catholic Church wanted to talk to me about my brother so I went to see a priest and I asked him do you know what first Corinthians chapter 5 reads and he said of course I do make a long story short I looked around at all the statues in his office, and I ran out of his building The bishop of Boston also wanted to speak to me and I went to see him had a much more civilized conversation with him for 52 hours. I basically told him you preach of a wrath of God not a loving God with arms wide open the Catholic Church is a perfect example of what this chapter talks about , if they expel the immoral brothers, there’s a possibility they wouldn’t be closing churches today all over the world
Hahaha. 2 hours. Not 52
The difference between sinners in the world and sinners in the church should be repentance.
“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
Fortunately this is rare to see/hear in the church because we follow Matthew 18.
“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”
People leave of their own accord when confronted and unwilling to repent.