1 Corinthians 5:6-8 -
What a terrible thing it is that you are
boasting about your purity and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don’t you
realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be
affected? Remove this evil cancer—this wicked
person—from among you, so that you can stay pure. Christ, God’s Lamb, has been
slain for us. So let us feast upon him and grow strong in the
Christian life, leaving entirely behind us the cancerous old life with all its
hatreds and wickedness. Let us feast instead upon the pure bread of honor and
sincerity and truth.
Paul had learned of a blatant sin within
the church. He told them it was wrong to
allow such sin to exist within the body of believers that called themselves the
church. He called it leaven…the yeast that makes bread rise to twice its size…and
said it would eventually destroy the validity of the church body. My Life
Application Bible…compared it to the modern day disease of cancer…that destroys
everything in its path till it kills its host.
I admit that I struggle with Paul’s harsh
words here….and the commentary helped me very little understand the tough love
of his words. I have this inner need to love all people…in spite of the sin
they have fallen too…and would really have a hard time with the concept of
kicking a member out because of Paul’s instructions. If we really took Paul literally….purging all
“Christians” currently involved in sexual sins….greed….swindling….worship of
idols….drunkards….and abuse…..out of our churches…we might not be left with
many people.
I agree whole heartedly that the sin
destroys and paralyzes the church. The hypocrisy it creates to non-Christians
distorts the love that God wants others to see in us. I see the need to get rid
of it…but struggle with exactly how to keep it from being a form of earthly
judgement. Paul made sure that he told the church to meet together with God’
spirit and power to lovingly remove the person who was sinning from the church.
His advice was perhaps based on Jesus’ treatment of the woman caught in adultery
in John 8. Jesus did not let her be stoned…after He convicted all the others
sinners that wanted to kill her to stop…he simply told her to go and sin no
more.
Jesus would not let those “Christians”
stone her because they were judging. Read
a little bit of Matthew 7 if you need a definition of what Jesus saw wrong with
the whole display. They had huge planks in their own
eyes…and were more interested in vengeance …or merely trapping Jesus in a sin
Himself…. instead of seeing a change in this woman’s behavior.
Paul’s words are much like Galatians 6:1….which
says…. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are
spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself,
lest you too be tempted.” I bet it was
very hard for Nathan to obey God and go to speak with David about his sin with Bathsheba…but
he did it…and look at the change that made in David’s life.
Father...thank you for the reminder that there
is a fine line between rebuking a Christian brother…and judging them. Forgive me for the times that I have judged
others when I am guilty myself of many sins.
Help me to always let you do the judging…and let you give me the courage
and discernment to stand against sin that you bring to my heart…. while loving
the person that needs to let that sin go. Amen.
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