1 Corinthians 5:1-13
One of the hardest things that we have to face as believers is dealing with sin in the life of those who claim to be brothers in Christ. Since we are acutely aware of our own short comings we are often hesitant to judge the sins of others. Most of us are also not very fond of confrontation. However, far too often people in the church take advantage of this reluctance to use grace as an excuse for open sin. Paul show us in this passage both how and why we must deal with sin decisively in the church.
DISCIPLINE RESULTS IN THE CONFRONTATION OF SIN: If sin is left unchecked in the life of a brother in Christ he will continue in that sin. The problem with prolonged sin in our lives is that slowly but surely we become desensitized to it. The person who is sinning has been rationalizing his sin for so long that they do not even feel that it is wrong. Our jobs as brothers in Christ is to grab the bull by the horns so to speak and confront the sin in the persons life. They must be clearly told that what they are doing is wrong. Confrontation is not a synonym of cruelty, it is a synonym of caring. We must car enough to confront the sins of others for their own good. Paul goes so far as to turn this man over to Satan so that he might be physically tormented in hopes that the pain will bring him to his senses. If repentance is still not forthcoming, I believe that Paul is saying that even physical death would be preferable to continued immorality on the part of on who claims to be a believer.
DISCIPLINE RESULTS IN THE PREVENTION OF SIN: Another danger of leaving sin unchecked in the church is that it will spread to other believers. When immature believers perceive that sin is not followed by discipline, they are more easily tempted to fall into sin themselves. If, however, they see that sin is dealt with seriously in the life of the church it will serve as a deterrent to sin. Think back to Ananias and Sapphira who were struck dead for lying. I promise that all who saw and heard of this thought long and hard before doing the same thing. Unfortunately, because of the cowardice of many believers and churches when it comes to confronting sin, congregations are left vulnerable to the schemes of Satan who wants to infect the church with immorality and sin. Only consistent and courageous church discipline will thwart this plan and prevent the spread of sin within the body of Christ.
DISCIPLINE RESULTS IN THE SEPARATION FROM SIN: If, after church discipline, a professing believer continues to live in unrepentant sin, he must be treated as an unbeliever. He should be removed from the fellowship of the church. Those who are personal friends of this unrepentant brother should not continue to participate in social fellowship with this person. This is an act of love in which we are doing all we can to convince the person that the pain that sin inflict is not worth the passing pleasure it may afford. As long as we are on this sin cursed planet we will associate and interact with immoral people. As long as these people are unbelievers, there is no problem with this association. If fact, we should strive to befriend these unbelievers in hopes of gaining the opportunity to proclaim the hope and truth of the Gospel to them. However, this is not the case with those who claim to be believers. Those who call themselves members of the family must be held to a higher standard. Of course all of us sin and will continue to sin, but when believers sin and are confronted with that sin, they repent and seek restoration. Apart from that humble admission of sin, we as brothers in Christ must separate from them out of a genuine love for them and the purity of the body of Christ.
DISCIPLINE RESULTS IN THE CONFRONTATION OF SIN: If sin is left unchecked in the life of a brother in Christ he will continue in that sin. The problem with prolonged sin in our lives is that slowly but surely we become desensitized to it. The person who is sinning has been rationalizing his sin for so long that they do not even feel that it is wrong. Our jobs as brothers in Christ is to grab the bull by the horns so to speak and confront the sin in the persons life. They must be clearly told that what they are doing is wrong. Confrontation is not a synonym of cruelty, it is a synonym of caring. We must car enough to confront the sins of others for their own good. Paul goes so far as to turn this man over to Satan so that he might be physically tormented in hopes that the pain will bring him to his senses. If repentance is still not forthcoming, I believe that Paul is saying that even physical death would be preferable to continued immorality on the part of on who claims to be a believer.
DISCIPLINE RESULTS IN THE PREVENTION OF SIN: Another danger of leaving sin unchecked in the church is that it will spread to other believers. When immature believers perceive that sin is not followed by discipline, they are more easily tempted to fall into sin themselves. If, however, they see that sin is dealt with seriously in the life of the church it will serve as a deterrent to sin. Think back to Ananias and Sapphira who were struck dead for lying. I promise that all who saw and heard of this thought long and hard before doing the same thing. Unfortunately, because of the cowardice of many believers and churches when it comes to confronting sin, congregations are left vulnerable to the schemes of Satan who wants to infect the church with immorality and sin. Only consistent and courageous church discipline will thwart this plan and prevent the spread of sin within the body of Christ.
DISCIPLINE RESULTS IN THE SEPARATION FROM SIN: If, after church discipline, a professing believer continues to live in unrepentant sin, he must be treated as an unbeliever. He should be removed from the fellowship of the church. Those who are personal friends of this unrepentant brother should not continue to participate in social fellowship with this person. This is an act of love in which we are doing all we can to convince the person that the pain that sin inflict is not worth the passing pleasure it may afford. As long as we are on this sin cursed planet we will associate and interact with immoral people. As long as these people are unbelievers, there is no problem with this association. If fact, we should strive to befriend these unbelievers in hopes of gaining the opportunity to proclaim the hope and truth of the Gospel to them. However, this is not the case with those who claim to be believers. Those who call themselves members of the family must be held to a higher standard. Of course all of us sin and will continue to sin, but when believers sin and are confronted with that sin, they repent and seek restoration. Apart from that humble admission of sin, we as brothers in Christ must separate from them out of a genuine love for them and the purity of the body of Christ.
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