A tolerant Church

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.  For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

As you begin this day, who is your audience?  I hope you understand I’m writing to the Church, as was Paul in the above Scripture, for it is clear we should not judge people who do not believe in Christ.  The Holy Spirit makes that very clear in 1 Corinthians 5:12, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?”  We need to be very careful in setting ourselves up as judges in or out of the church, but we do, don’t we?  But when it is clear a brother or sister is living in sin, is it not the shame of their act, we must take action. 

In Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth, he left no stone unturned on how we are to live; beginning in verse 9-11, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

When Paul makes this statement; “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife.”  He was referring to the Roman law, that such a person was to be put to death or banishment.  Do you recall me asking who are your spectators?  As a person who is a follower of Christ, you said, God, the angels, and you would have been right if you had gone on with the list to include the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  But you would have left out your family, your neighbors, the ones you work with, and the ones who come into contact with you.

So what kind of report were the outsiders looking into this church in Corinth giving?  It was not good, it was bringing shame on the name of our LORD, and it is also true today when we turn a blind eye on known public sin happening in our local church.  Today the standards of the world are so low, and it seems the church as a whole has ignored sexual sin, and the effect is no moral compass.  So the next time you say the world is going to hell at a fast pace, ask this question, is it because the Church has ignored the Holy Spirit’s commands, and come up with a more tolerant plan, a more politically correct plan?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice