My Brother's Keeper?
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
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."
Observations:
At first glance it sure sounds like Paul is either just having a really bad day and is being overly zealous and judgmental, or there was a very serious sin problem in the Church of Corinth that the majority of God's people needed serious correction about. But hold on just a minute Paul, didn't Jesus say "do not judge lest you be judged?" Yes, He certainly did (Matthew 7:1-2). Then what's all this I hear about judging someone else's sins at church? Aren't we all imperfect? Don't we all mess up? Are you seriously suggesting Paul, that we as Church body throw someone out because they sinned? Good question.
So biblically, where's the balance between grace and discipline in the Church? Many churches typically fall on one of two extremes- either they are so judgmental and legalistic that everything is sin and they have a very low view of God's grace, or they have such a distorted view of God's grace that the words "sin" "repent" and "judgment" do not register in their vocabulary. To make sense of Paul's "harsh" statements about throwing out a church member who is blatantly practicing a sexually immoral lifestyle, let's put Jesus' words into context. Jesus never said not to judge others under any circumstances. His point was about judging others hypocritically- that we should all first use the same honest scrutiny about our sin "before" we address someone else's sins (Matthew 7:6). He also said, "if your brother sins, rebuke him." (Luke 17:3). Paul is simply calling for the church to rise up and put Jesus' own teachings into practice.
Application:
Jesus purposefully created for the Church to have its own built in system of accountability for our own good. God understands that humanity left to it's own devices will always deteriorate. Even though we have been forgiven of our sins and are now free from its power, none of us, even the best of us, are so good that we are exempt from godly accountability. As a Church we should have as our focus should be two-fold: our own relationship and the relationship of our brothers and sisters in Christ to Christ Himself. Yes, God still does expect each of us to be our brother's keeper because "if one part suffers, all the other parts suffer with it" (1Corinthians 12:26). Christ has commanded us "to love each other as we love ourselves" (Mark 12:31). I'm willing to bet that we love ourselves enough to keep away from things that are hazardous and dangerous to our health. Even so, sometimes loving others means first addressing sin in our own lives and then addressing it in others when we see it (Hebrews 3:13).
Prayer:
Father, help us to be a Church that is balanced in both love and judgment. Help us to identify and address sin when necessary and to extend Your grace to ourselves and to others when they need in, and give us the wisdom to known the difference. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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."
Observations:
At first glance it sure sounds like Paul is either just having a really bad day and is being overly zealous and judgmental, or there was a very serious sin problem in the Church of Corinth that the majority of God's people needed serious correction about. But hold on just a minute Paul, didn't Jesus say "do not judge lest you be judged?" Yes, He certainly did (Matthew 7:1-2). Then what's all this I hear about judging someone else's sins at church? Aren't we all imperfect? Don't we all mess up? Are you seriously suggesting Paul, that we as Church body throw someone out because they sinned? Good question.
So biblically, where's the balance between grace and discipline in the Church? Many churches typically fall on one of two extremes- either they are so judgmental and legalistic that everything is sin and they have a very low view of God's grace, or they have such a distorted view of God's grace that the words "sin" "repent" and "judgment" do not register in their vocabulary. To make sense of Paul's "harsh" statements about throwing out a church member who is blatantly practicing a sexually immoral lifestyle, let's put Jesus' words into context. Jesus never said not to judge others under any circumstances. His point was about judging others hypocritically- that we should all first use the same honest scrutiny about our sin "before" we address someone else's sins (Matthew 7:6). He also said, "if your brother sins, rebuke him." (Luke 17:3). Paul is simply calling for the church to rise up and put Jesus' own teachings into practice.
Application:
Jesus purposefully created for the Church to have its own built in system of accountability for our own good. God understands that humanity left to it's own devices will always deteriorate. Even though we have been forgiven of our sins and are now free from its power, none of us, even the best of us, are so good that we are exempt from godly accountability. As a Church we should have as our focus should be two-fold: our own relationship and the relationship of our brothers and sisters in Christ to Christ Himself. Yes, God still does expect each of us to be our brother's keeper because "if one part suffers, all the other parts suffer with it" (1Corinthians 12:26). Christ has commanded us "to love each other as we love ourselves" (Mark 12:31). I'm willing to bet that we love ourselves enough to keep away from things that are hazardous and dangerous to our health. Even so, sometimes loving others means first addressing sin in our own lives and then addressing it in others when we see it (Hebrews 3:13).
Prayer:
Father, help us to be a Church that is balanced in both love and judgment. Help us to identify and address sin when necessary and to extend Your grace to ourselves and to others when they need in, and give us the wisdom to known the difference. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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