July 11
________________________________________
PAUL WON’T TOLERATE SIN AMONG BELIEVERS
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, namely, that someone has his father’s wife. 2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. 3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 I have decided to turn such a person over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. – 1 Corinthians 5:1-5
________________________________________
This letter of Paul to the Corinthian church may sound very harsh to those who do not know Christ, but if you are a true believer, you will definitely understand why he rebukes this sexually immoral believer quite severely. In verse 1, we get a glimpse of the nature of the sin that this person committed. He was sleeping with his father’s wife. He mentions that even among the Gentiles (who are unbelievers), this kind of sin does not exist.
In verse 2, Paul addresses the church of Corinth for tolerating such habitual sexual immorality among the body of Christ. In verse 3, we get a picture that Paul was not physically present in Corinth when he wrote this letter. Yet Paul knew what was going on because of the report he had been furnished. In verses 4-5, Paul chooses to remove this person from the fellowship of the church. When he said that he has decided to turn this person over to Satan, he meant, that this person will no longer take part in the fellowship of the family of believers. It may seem very judgmental and severe, but Paul is faithful to the ensure that the sanctification of the other believers were not compromised. We are not talking about someone who just sinned once and repented, but this person has continued to engage in such immorality. Just as a rotten apple will affect the other good apple, Paul knew that if he doesn’t remove this unrepentant sinner, many of the other believers will be corrupted and compromised. By confronting the sin, Paul hopes to save his soul when he is deprived of the fellowship of Christ’s body. Tolerating another believer when they are sinning is compromising our relationship with our Lord, who hates sin. We are loving if we confront sin and rebuke sinning brothers or sisters. We are unloving when we let them continue to sin and lose their salvation.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is tolerance of sin not to be permitted in a true church?