Have you ever known someone was doing something wrong but everyone else just seemed okay with it?
In the professional sports world, we see this all the time. There are some terrible people, but they are exceptional athletes. Teams and fans will willingly put aside that someone is a terrible person if they can make their team better. People all want to win a championship at any cost. People will set aside almost anything morally to ensure their team is good. It really blows my mind when people are totally okay with their team embracing it.
In 1 Corinthians 5, we see a similar situation happen. The church of Corinth had a man in their church who was sleeping with his father's wife. This clearly is something that is unacceptable and is sin. However, the church seemed okay with it. In fact, verse 2 states that they were proud of it. No one stood up and called out sin where it was needed.
Paul gives specific instructions on handling this situation, and how the church is called to help keep each other accountable. Accountability and judging one another is one of the hardest things we do. Too easily we can become legalistic towards one another and want to call out everything in someone else's life. Too often, we forget about our own sin when calling out others. There is a fine line with accountability and judgment. The main objective should be our motive and hearts with everything.
It may seem harsh that Paul calls for this man to be exiled from the church. However, this is to ultimately care for the church and this man. Unchecked sin can be crippling to a church. We are called to correct one another and build one another up in love, even if that is tough love sometimes. It is not okay for a church to allow and be okay with sin. What message does that send? Instead, we are called to remove the person who is influencing everyone else to sin. Paul calls us to remove malice and wickedness and cling to sincerity and truth.
One of the things that is important to realize is that this man was not an outsider. He was someone who was in the church and a part of it. Paul lays out instructions for what to do when someone calls themselves a brother or sister in Christ here. We are not called to treat unbelievers in the same way. In verse 12, Paul says that we are not to judge those outside the church, God will do so. But as the church, we are to judge those within, out of love for one another, the church, and God. Of course, we will not be perfect, but we also cannot be okay with such flagrant sin.
Some questions to reflect on with this passage. Do you celebrate sin in your life or others? Do you think the church does a good job of dealing with sin? Do you see the responsibility you have as a member of the church to hold others accountable? Do you only look at others, or do you also spend time reflecting and evaluating yourself?
In the professional sports world, we see this all the time. There are some terrible people, but they are exceptional athletes. Teams and fans will willingly put aside that someone is a terrible person if they can make their team better. People all want to win a championship at any cost. People will set aside almost anything morally to ensure their team is good. It really blows my mind when people are totally okay with their team embracing it.
In 1 Corinthians 5, we see a similar situation happen. The church of Corinth had a man in their church who was sleeping with his father's wife. This clearly is something that is unacceptable and is sin. However, the church seemed okay with it. In fact, verse 2 states that they were proud of it. No one stood up and called out sin where it was needed.
Paul gives specific instructions on handling this situation, and how the church is called to help keep each other accountable. Accountability and judging one another is one of the hardest things we do. Too easily we can become legalistic towards one another and want to call out everything in someone else's life. Too often, we forget about our own sin when calling out others. There is a fine line with accountability and judgment. The main objective should be our motive and hearts with everything.
It may seem harsh that Paul calls for this man to be exiled from the church. However, this is to ultimately care for the church and this man. Unchecked sin can be crippling to a church. We are called to correct one another and build one another up in love, even if that is tough love sometimes. It is not okay for a church to allow and be okay with sin. What message does that send? Instead, we are called to remove the person who is influencing everyone else to sin. Paul calls us to remove malice and wickedness and cling to sincerity and truth.
One of the things that is important to realize is that this man was not an outsider. He was someone who was in the church and a part of it. Paul lays out instructions for what to do when someone calls themselves a brother or sister in Christ here. We are not called to treat unbelievers in the same way. In verse 12, Paul says that we are not to judge those outside the church, God will do so. But as the church, we are to judge those within, out of love for one another, the church, and God. Of course, we will not be perfect, but we also cannot be okay with such flagrant sin.
Some questions to reflect on with this passage. Do you celebrate sin in your life or others? Do you think the church does a good job of dealing with sin? Do you see the responsibility you have as a member of the church to hold others accountable? Do you only look at others, or do you also spend time reflecting and evaluating yourself?
Posted in Devotional