1 Corinthians 5:1-8
I look forward to being in heaven one day. Not just because we will see Jesus face to face, but because there will be no more sin. I don’t know about you, but I can't quite grasp what a world would be like without sin because it’s all we have ever known. Even within the church, there are those who profess to know Christ and are living in all kinds of sins, especially sexual immorality. Unfortunately, this was the case in my previous marriage. My ex-husband went to church every Sunday, proclaimed he was saved, and looked right on the outside, but eventually his sin leaked into the lives of many people besides me. His sexual sin cost him his marriage and his future. God is so gracious and in his mercy provided me with a wonderful new husband and now daughter through all I endured. As you read this, you may be shocked, but this kind of thing is running rampant in churches around the nation.
Without judgment, he would not be behind bars to this day, and he also wouldn’t have been removed from my previous church. Can you even imagine allowing such a thing? Paul was dealing with similar issues. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, you can sense his disappointment through his words. The church had a particular member who was involved in incest, and they did nothing about it. It says they were even proud of it, are you serious!? This is a church we are talking about here! Paul, not being presently with them, is urgently requesting them to remove him from their assembly! What's interesting is what he says in verse 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.” According to Paul, this man may still be with Christ one day. After all, he was a believer in the church. These words may hurt some of you. We wonder how people involved in such perverted sins would even be allowed to enter God's presence one day! The truth is, only God knows if people have truly turned to Christ and have a changed heart. Perhaps this is why Paul chose the word “may”, because they aren’t sure if his profession of faith was truly genuine. God weighs the motives of the heart. You may have heard the phrase “Once saved, always saved”, and it's true. There is nothing we can do to lose our salvation, but it definitely doesn’t give us a license to live a belligerent lifestyle. It could be that this man fell away over time and got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, the incest that came to be was unacceptable. He had to be removed from the church, and he was judged for his actions!
The truth is, we are called to judge other brothers and sisters, not the world. The culture is going to act like the culture, but fellow believers need accountability. Righteous judgment is a real thing! Just like with my ex-husband, it is very hard to know what he has done and imagine him in heaven one day. God knows the heart; only he knows if someone is genuine or a fraud. True life change and forgiveness are offered to everyone who has turned their back on God. We learn of that with the prodigal son. As much as I want to wish condemnation on believers I’ve known who have given Christianity a bad rep, I’m not God. He shows so much more grace than I ever could. Grace upon grace, upon grace. One thing is clear: although God is a God of mercy and grace, he lovingly lets us participate with him in keeping his church protected. It doesn’t mean we need to be perfect, but sexual immorality cannot run rampant in God's house. We must protect it, look after one another, and leave the rest to God!
I look forward to being in heaven one day. Not just because we will see Jesus face to face, but because there will be no more sin. I don’t know about you, but I can't quite grasp what a world would be like without sin because it’s all we have ever known. Even within the church, there are those who profess to know Christ and are living in all kinds of sins, especially sexual immorality. Unfortunately, this was the case in my previous marriage. My ex-husband went to church every Sunday, proclaimed he was saved, and looked right on the outside, but eventually his sin leaked into the lives of many people besides me. His sexual sin cost him his marriage and his future. God is so gracious and in his mercy provided me with a wonderful new husband and now daughter through all I endured. As you read this, you may be shocked, but this kind of thing is running rampant in churches around the nation.
Without judgment, he would not be behind bars to this day, and he also wouldn’t have been removed from my previous church. Can you even imagine allowing such a thing? Paul was dealing with similar issues. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, you can sense his disappointment through his words. The church had a particular member who was involved in incest, and they did nothing about it. It says they were even proud of it, are you serious!? This is a church we are talking about here! Paul, not being presently with them, is urgently requesting them to remove him from their assembly! What's interesting is what he says in verse 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.” According to Paul, this man may still be with Christ one day. After all, he was a believer in the church. These words may hurt some of you. We wonder how people involved in such perverted sins would even be allowed to enter God's presence one day! The truth is, only God knows if people have truly turned to Christ and have a changed heart. Perhaps this is why Paul chose the word “may”, because they aren’t sure if his profession of faith was truly genuine. God weighs the motives of the heart. You may have heard the phrase “Once saved, always saved”, and it's true. There is nothing we can do to lose our salvation, but it definitely doesn’t give us a license to live a belligerent lifestyle. It could be that this man fell away over time and got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, the incest that came to be was unacceptable. He had to be removed from the church, and he was judged for his actions!
The truth is, we are called to judge other brothers and sisters, not the world. The culture is going to act like the culture, but fellow believers need accountability. Righteous judgment is a real thing! Just like with my ex-husband, it is very hard to know what he has done and imagine him in heaven one day. God knows the heart; only he knows if someone is genuine or a fraud. True life change and forgiveness are offered to everyone who has turned their back on God. We learn of that with the prodigal son. As much as I want to wish condemnation on believers I’ve known who have given Christianity a bad rep, I’m not God. He shows so much more grace than I ever could. Grace upon grace, upon grace. One thing is clear: although God is a God of mercy and grace, he lovingly lets us participate with him in keeping his church protected. It doesn’t mean we need to be perfect, but sexual immorality cannot run rampant in God's house. We must protect it, look after one another, and leave the rest to God!
Posted in Devotional