1 Cor 5:9-13 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
Gone are the days when John 3:16 was the most popular Bible verse that the world knew. Now it is Matt 7:1 Judge not, that you be not judged. In the highly sensitive and political environment we live, it is like walking on egg shells. We are so worried about offending people even by mistake but seldom care if our political correctness offends God?! If we see and serve a living God, we ought to be more aware and more sensitive to His presence in our lives and anything that offends God and His Word.
Paul wrote to Corinthians in an earlier epistle (that we do not have), about not keeping company with conscious, deliberate and enduring sinners. In this follow up letter, he clarifies that his statement was not about the world (aka it's people). Why because, what else can you expect from the world that operates on 'relative' truth and doesn't know the 'absolute' Way, Truth and Life, Jesus Christ? But, if that keeps you away or isolated from them, that means you can't even live in this world and even more importantly, whom would you share Gospel with? Purity in isolation is not a Biblical idea.
Then, is everyone in the Church is holy? Aren't there sins in the Church? Of course yes. Church is a sanctuary for sinners but sinners who want to repent, return and redeem themselves. As Charles Spurgeon beautifully said, "There is no Salvation in sin, it is always Salvation from sin"
Paul advocates two different approaches to handling sin.
With the world, INSULATE; Within the Church ISOLATE.
Why? When the world sins, that's natural and carnal as that's what the world knows and lives by it. We, the messengers of the Truth of Gospel are called to share the Truth of Salvation with the World to redeem them. When doing to, insulate yourself well enough not to be tempted or defiled by the sins of the world.
However, when a 'brother/sister' in Christ who not just commits but endures, enjoys and even celebrates sin, then Paul's prescription is to ISOLATE. Meaning, remove such person from the Church (band of believers) to disrupt his false sense of protection, security, status and fellowship. Let him lose to the sin that he so desires, enjoys and endures in to know the consequences of it. Lack of such evident action would be seen as 'approval' by the Church and its believers which is false witness.
Net, Judge yourself first before you judge the world. Let the Church hold herself to a higher/ tougher standard before it worries about the sin in the world. Matt 7:1 is about hypocritical judgement and Paul demands Church to set itself apart, stand apart and stand strong in Christ and His Word. If we dare to confront and judge sin within the Church first, we would never let ourselves be judged by anyone on the outside. Our life would bear gospel testimony before our words.
This week, would you dare to think of few things you criticize/upset about in the world? Do a honest self-check of how many of those that you can boldly say, you can never be accused of directly or indirectly? Pray for God the Holy Spirit to sanctify and prepare you to be a witness and let His light shine in our lives bright enough to draw the world closer.
Blessings for the day and week!
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