Joshua 7-8; Psa. 69; 1 Cor. 5

9 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.” 1 Cor. 5:9-13

“Your Judgmental” Have you ever heard those words. I know I have and there were times when that meant I was in sin and I was. But other times it was just a guilty conscience trying to escape the conviction of the Holy Spirit. This scripture is about the church failing to hold those who name the name of the Lord and accountable for their unrepentant open sin. This kind of accountability is foreign to the church today. We want to make sure we don’t do anything to offend anyone, but what about offending the Lord or what happens when the church’s reputation is maligned by someone who claims Christ but lives an ungodly life. This is the case here, there is a young man in the church who was sleeping with his step mother. The church refused to discipline him and the community was judging the church as immoral. In today’s world people just say well everyone is a sinner so how can we judge this man. Paul says it is sin to just let it go without accountability and then he tells them that the church must hold accountable those who destroy the reputation of the church through their open sin. This is not about seeking to find fault in people nor is it about exposing the sin of a repentant believer. This is those who name Jesus as Lord and sin openly, and say well no one is perfect. I believe this “at all cost don’t offend anyone” mentality is the reason that there are so many who go to church, live like the devil and think they are just fine with God. This is why people don’t come to Christ with a repentant heart to be free from sin but only want his blessing. Well I got on my hobby horse today, I hope you don’t mind.

God Bless,

Pastor Rick

Next Reading: Joshua 9-11; 1 Cor. 6