First Corinthians 5 Part 4 Dealing With Sin In The Church May Require A Separation
Sin in the church must be dealt with as Jesus and His apostles commanded.
1 Corinthians 5:1-8 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 2) And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3) For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6) Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
This chapter of Paul's Spirit guided letter to the Corinthians begins with exposing sexual sin in the church.
Let us define the word "fornication" so that we understand the gravity of this type of sin.
"Fornication" refers to illicit sexual immorality like adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism or beastiality.
Paul's letter to the church at Rome indicates that sexual perversion was often part of pagan rituals.
The issue at Corinth is that church members knew about a specific man who committed fornication with his father's wife, and they did not exercise church discipline.
We learned that all believers in Christ are connected to each other and if one man sins, it impacts the whole church. This is why Jesus gave the pattern for church discipline.
We must always remember that Jesus Christ is our perfect Passover Lamb and that He died to pay for our debt of sin.
We are saved to serve God and to walk in newness of life.
Fellowship with a sinning believer must be broken off.
1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
Paul previously instructed the Corinthians specifically not to maintain friendships or intimate relationships with known fornicators.
It is not that Paul hates them, but rather, he understood that sexual sin is a gross immorality that stains the church of Christ.
In like manner, a Christian should never be best friends with a drunkard, a drug user, an angry hateful person or one who physically abuses others.
If we maintain friendship with a sinning believer, it will pull us down.
Proverbs 22:24-25 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: 25) Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
The principle guide with whom we keep company is articulated by King Solomon.
In this case the king warns his son not to hang out with an angry man.
The reason? Because he will drag his son into committing the same sin. His son will "learn" the ways of the angry man.
In like manner, any believer who makes friends with fornicators will learn their ways and end up committing sin.
Having close relationships with unbelievers will be like an anchor around our soul, dragging us down.
Fellowship with the children of the world will not edify the believer in Christ. Mixing together of believers with unbelievers may cause us to stray from God's standard of holiness.
This is a vital principle of purity that Paul seeks to instill in all believers. We will learn much more about this in chapter six.
We live in this world but are not of the world.
1 Corinthians 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
Christians at Corinth transacted the ordinary affairs of life with fornicators, covetous persons, extortioners, brawlers, drunkards, and idolaters, because this is how most Corinthians lived.
Thus, we see how necessary gospel preaching and godly living was as a testimony to the people of that corrupt city.
Paul does not forbid Christians from doing business with wicked heathens.
He does not forbid their eating nor conversing with the fornicators of this world, because they know no better. They profess no better.
Pagan religion demands immorality, idolatry, drunkenness and profane behaviors.
The only way to escape this reality is to leave the world, which we cannot do.
Generally, as long as we live in this present evil world, we will encounter profane sinners at work, school, the marketplace and other places.
Rather than allowing sinners to press us into the world's mold, we must share the gospel with them, because it is the power of God to save sinners (See Romans 1:16-17).
Friendship with the world makes us enemies of God.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
A Christian who conforms to the world by cozying up to whatever everyone else is pursuing, is like an enemy of God.
Let us see the issue of worldliness and being pressed into the world's depraved mold, as God sees it.
A Christian cannot be a friend of the world because this is the same world that hated and crucified our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
And, we must live for God not for the world. Many professing Christians live according to the prevailing cultural trends.
Many professing Christians dress like the world, listen to the world's music and pursue the latest experience.
Christ did not die for His church in order that we could live like the world lives. No, He has called us to something much greater.
Jesus has called us to live a transformed life marked by the pursuit of holiness and a preoccupation with the things of God (See Romans 12:1-2).
We must withdraw from a sinning Christian until they repent.
1 Corinthians 5:11 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 idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
The apostle shows that we can conduct business with lost people who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and who make no profession of faith.
We must not keep fellowship with a Christian who is known to be immoral, or a worshipper of idols or a drunkard or a covetous person.
We are not to maintain a relationship with such a person nor are we to share a meal together, until such time as they repent, confess and forsake their sin, and seek restoration.
We must deal with a sinning Christian and pray for their repentance.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13) But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Christians must exercise church discipline as our Lord taught in Matthew 18.
We must be able to rightly judge sin in the midst of Christ's church, and withdraw from a sinning brother or sister.
The goal of church discipline is repentance, restoration and reconciliation.
God will judge sinners who are outside His church as the prophets have declared. There will be no escape for unrepentant sinners when Christ sits as King and Judge.
Within the body of Christ, God's people are to judge sin and put that person out of fellowship, as we pray for their repentance and restoration.
Jesus gives us guidance on maintaining purity and holiness.
Matthew 5:27-30 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29) And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30) And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Jesus challenged the Jews to remember that sin begins like leaven, as an unseen, corrupting influence in the heart.
To emphasize His point, Jesus says to pluck out one's eye if he looks with lust upon a woman. In like manner, he is to cut off his hand if he is prone to coveting something that belongs to another person.
Jesus is not advocating bodily mutilation. Rather, He is showing us that we need a radical change of heart and thinking.
Such transformation comes through the new birth, receiving a new heart and new spirit from God.
Thus, the act of plucking out one's eye or cutting off a hand, should be viewed in light of His church and church discipline.
This connects with removing a sinning believer who has not repented, so that the whole body of believers remains pure.
King David shows us how to maintain holiness and purity.
Psalm 101:1-6 A Psalm of David. I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. 2) I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3) I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. 4) A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. 5) Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. 6) Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
The sweet Psalmist of Israel shows us how to work this teaching out practically.
We begin by worshiping the LORD of glory aright.
We learn to walk according to His Word and make sure to confess and forsake any sins that we are guilty of.
What about plucking out the eye? David shows the true meaning of this. We must learn to set no wicked things before our eyes.
This includes refusing to view any anonymous, widely available pornography that permeates the internet.
This includes filling our minds with the scriptures so that we see a person of the opposite sex, as a person created in the image of God, rather than as an object of our lust.
We must learn to hate the work of those who turn away from the way of our God. We must not have fellowship with such sinners so that their ways do no drag us down into sin.
Thus David says "I will not know a wicked person" which is exactly what Paul is teaching us about Christ's church.
Pray for our heart to love God's Word.
Psalm 119:36-37 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. 37) Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
Share the gospel with lost people, trusting the LORD for results.
Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Jehovah is in the business of saving souls from sin, death, the grave and Hell. We must share the gospel of Christ with those who do not know Him.
Our lives can be and should be structured around Great Commission living.
May the Lord of Glory help us apply these truths and may we seek to live a pure life and bring glory to God.
Bob
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