Ezra 8:21-9:15 / 1 Corinthians 5 / Psalm 31:1-8 / Proverbs 21:1-2
I’m going to tackle a concept from scripture that has caused some controversy in the church over the years. At times we hear things spoken from scripture and many times the words are taken out of context or are misinterpreted making them difficult to understand and follow. If you are a Christian, you will want to know and follow the Word of God. To follow, one must properly understand what is written.
In Matthew 7:1 NLT it states“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”
You are probably already nervous for me, but we will walk this topic together prayerfully if not perfectly. Before we dive into this controversial topic, I want to quote two verses from today’s reading.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13 NLT It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
Let’s put this scripture into context. The “evil person” spoken of is a man who is within the community of believers in Jesus Christ, so he is claiming to be a Christian. However, he is actively involved in a sexual relationship with his father’s wife. The commentary (Enduring Word Commentary) I read pointed out that not only is this sin unacceptable within the church, but it is also heavily condemned even among the nonbelievers in the area.
This man’s sin is affecting himself, his father, his father’s wife, the community of believers he is committed to, and the community of nonbelievers around them. This man is living a lifestyle of a nonbeliever in Jesus Christ. I say that because God’s Word teaches specifically against sex outside of marriage.
If Jesus Christ is meant to live within us by faith, and we are meant to be on a journey of being conformed to His image, willful sin has no place within us. Once we are aware that our behavior is sinful, we must repent and make another choice. This man appears to be aware of but unwilling to repent from his sin.
By the believers around him ignoring his sin, they are not allowing him the freedom in Christ that Jesus died to give us. There is also the matter of the nonbelieving people outside the church recognizing that perhaps this life of devotion to Christ has no power or is no different than the lives they are currently living. If that is the case, why would anyone want to listen to the message of the Church?
When we judge others, we must first examine our own lives and make a judgment. Are we engaging in the very thing we are judging within another? If so, we are behaving as a hypocrite and must first take care of our own sin. If we are pure from the sin we are seeing in others, it is loving of us to address the sin. But before we jump straight into judgment, we must follow a protocol.
I’ll call this the Matthew 18 protocol. Matthew 18:15-17 NLT “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.”
Judgment does not come into effect until after we have attempted to follow these steps. Speak privately to your beloved brother or sister about their sin. If they will not listen, take one or two more trusted, mature believers with you to speak to that one, remembering that this is a process of love and restoration and not of condemnation. Even if the brother or sister will not listen and must be removed from fellowship with you, you must maintain an attitude of love and prayer, believing that God will convict, cause repentance, then restore the one you love.
This is not about condemnation; this process is with the hope of restoring someone you love to right relationship with God and with the community of believers. If you have been treated outside these parameters and hurt by them, may I tell you that I’m so sorry. Everything we do within the community of Jesus followers must be done in love and with the heart to restore. Otherwise, we are not operating with the heart of the Father.
I hope this post brings clarity to this difficult topic. Above all else, when dealing with matters of sin, approach those you love with humility and a heart to restore them to spirit, soul and body health.
