Addressing Sin in the Church:

Judging your brothers in Christ and Cleaning up the Church:

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 New International Version (NIV)

 

³³ Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”  ³⁴ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

I want to write about the ignorant in the Church today.  There are those who think certain activities are alright.  Now I know there are a lot of things that I think are OK but you know are wrong and yet there are things at I think are wrong and you know they are OK.  I have to admit, there is a gray zone.  But friends, there is a black zone in that we know or should know either by reading the Word of God or by the leading of His Spirit that some things are without question.  They are wrong.  Those who do and argue that these things are OK are ignorant. Can I start listing a few things:  idolatry, stealing, lying, cheating, fornication (sex outside of marriage), adultery, homosexual relations, incest, bestiality, beating on people, murdering, greedy, drunkenness, slanders, swindlers and the list goes on.  Many of these listed are sexual perversions or worshiping something other than God Himself.  But others are just not showing love to your fellow man.  How can you steal from someone you love?  Why would you hurt someone you love?  For those of us who claim to be called Christians, why would you commit sexual sins that offend God so much? 

Unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 New International Version (NIV)

 

⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

I want to warn the ignorant first, later I want to talk to the Church.  If you're sinning, your eternal soul is in jeopardy.  Repent now, and stop sinning. No longer be ignorant, stop being so foolish with your salvation. God's grace covers an accidental slip up. But you have to know that God has provided a grace that not only forgives your sins but has given you the power to live right before Him.  However, if you choose to sin and to continue in sin, your salvation is on dangerous grounds.  Read this next verse:

2 Timothy 3:1-9, New International Version (NIV)

 

3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

⁶ They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷ always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. ⁹ But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

Did you catch verse 5? "Having the form of godliness but denying its power, Have nothing to do with such people. What does "having the form of godliness" mean.  Does it mean that they are calling their selves Christian and going to church every time the doors are open? Absolutely, but what else, they deny the power of God to live godly lives. So we see there are pastors who are practicing homosexuality, adultery, they steal and abuse the resources of the Church.  They teach that it is OK to live like they do.  If you are in a so called Church like this, ... GET OUT.  Don't attend another service with them. Do not think that they will lead you to heaven.  Find a true Christian Church one that correctly teaches how to serve Christ.

Now then, you are in a good Church, but you notice a man living a lifestyle of sin.  What do you do?  Read the next verse so we can set a foundation.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13 New International Version (NIV)

5 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. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

Sin in the camp (in the Church) is serious business.  But we often neglect it.  Paul said to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.  A little sin will corrupt your whole Church.  It will keep the Spirit of God from moving within your Church.  You have probably asked, why do we not see healing(s) and miracles that we desperately need?  It is due to significant forms of disobedience existing within the people who make up the Church.  Verse 11 says "you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.  Do not even eat with such people.  There are several good reasons to not associate with these folks:  They need to understand the seriousness of their activities.  They will corrupt you and finally, their actions will impede the Spirit of God from freely moving within your Church services.  OK you get it.  So when you realize a fellow believer has accepted a sinful lifestyle and says lets go out to eat, can you just excuse yourself and just don't go?  Absolutely Not!  What good will that do?  If the man does not understand that he is sinning are you going to leave him in his filthy ways?  It would be appropriate to offer him a bath if you could.  We must learn to confront sin in our Church.

James 5:19-20 New International Version (NIV)

 

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

The best expression of love would be to approach your fellow Christian and show him his error. Give him a chance to acknowledge his sin and come clean.  You must do this in love. God has given us guidance on how to handle our brothers who we have an issue with.  Read the words of Jesus below:

Matthew 18:15-17 New International Version (NIV)

 

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

So we see how that if we can go quietly to our brother, he can explain himself if perchance we misunderstand his motives.  Maybe we perceived that he stole.  But it turns out he had been given permission or he purchased and item.  If he had sinned, you give him an opportunity to reflect on his ways and win your brother in Christ. 

But if he has sinned or cannot explain himself and is not repentant or you still have an issue with what has happened, bring one or two brothers in Christ with you and let them arbitrate between you and him.  Let them witness your accusation and judge if you rightly claim his sin or offense or maybe it is you that are wrong and they can correct you.  These men should be well founded in the word of God. Then if the issue has not been resolved, take the matter before the Church.  If the Church concludes that the man did indeed sinned and he will not comply or repent.  Then you should expel that wicked person from among you (1 Corinthians 5:13).  However, if he returns repentant, demonstrated by the action of corrected behavior, etc., you must accept him back into fellowship.  The point of this exercise is not to get rid of a brother but to bring him back into proper fellowship with Christ.  In that case, we would be victorious, for who among us is perfect and without sin?

In summary, we must clean out our Church of those who evidently have not accepted Christ and insist on living and teaching ungodliness in our midst.  If the seed of disobedience gets established in your Church, God will be limited in the works He can perform in your midst.  Your fellow members may fall to the lie and loose out on their salvation.  Let us be watching and praying so that gross sins and lifestyle sins will be discerned so that with the broom of God's Love, we can present the Church to Christ spotless and without blemishes.  Remember, Jesus said to first remove the beam from your own eye so you can see clearly to remove the speck from your bothers eye.  If you are going to help sweep the Church, you need to let the Holy Spirit sweep your heart and life first.