Confronting Immorality Within the Church Family
Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 5
Some things in the Bible are not easy to comment on, and the things Paul writes in this chapter are one
of those places.
I do not see myself with enough knowledge to present this lesson other than to follow where research will lead me, along with the Word of God.
We must accept this chapter as something the local church should do when it is known that there is sin in the midst of the congregation.
In reality, most churches have bylaws that take effect in such situations, and the pastor of the church would be aware of them.
First, there is no local church that can prevent someone from sinning!
God gave us free will, and we are still in these bodies of flesh.
So, the big question is, how does the church, the Body of Christ, respond when someone's sin has become known?
If we, as church members, take sin lightly and do not put away known sin that is among us, then can we still say we are the church that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, established?
These are also things that can divide the church, and we see this happening all over America today.
Many in the church say, "I just do not see anything wrong with that," rather than seeing what God says about it.
We must know that there is a difference between "falling into sin" and "living in sin".
Falling into sin means we have done something that is sinful.
Living in sin is not something that is done once; it is a sinful practice in everyday life.
If someone commits adultery once is terrible because it affects two families, but living in adultery is far more terrible.
What should we do if we know someone is in sin? The Lord Jesus gives us the answer.
Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear there, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
We should first approach that person and attempt to resolve this issue with them.
If we do not succeed, then we should try one more time, bringing another person.
If we do not succeed, then we need to get the Pastor involved and then the church.
If that person confesses that sin to God, and another person, if such a one was involved, and no one else needs to know about it.
What had happened in this church at Corinth was a terrible sin, and almost all the church knew it and had done nothing Biblical to stop it.
Some in this church even thought this was laughable.
*****1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
We should not try to connect this chapter with chapter four, as Paul jumps in to handle this sinful situation in the Church at Corinth.
To the Church, this is a terrible sin, and is rarely seen, but to the Jew, this sin was specifically addressed in the Scriptures and the Books of the Law.
This passage gives us an idea of just how wicked the city of Corinth was; it was full of all sorts of lust, lewdness, and excessive unlawful indulgence.
This sin is unacceptable in almost every nation upon this earth.
We would think that this sin was not possible for a believer to take part in, but we would be wrong.
The Apostle Paul explains this very well: Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
We should understand what Paul is saying here and prepare ourselves for the day the Devil will place us in these situations.
When morals have become so corrupted as they have in our nation and most other nations of this world, we see more and more of these types of sin.
Our own nation might recognize same sex marriages, but God does not.
Fornication is any sexual relationship outside the relationship of a marriage between one man and one woman.
The Word of God states that gay men and lesbian women are living in sin.
In Hebrew families, fornication was seen as a crime against society and was severely condemned, and it should be.
Deu 22:22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
So, how did this church respond to knowing this sin had taken place and this church member was living in sin?
We sometimes do not realize how important it is for us to confess our sins and repent for them.
We cannot live in sin and say we are Christians!
*****1Co 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
How did this group of believers react to this sin in the midst of them?
They acted as if nothing was wrong. They became arrogant, pretending to be greater than they were, even proud of themselves.
The Church at Corinth was in deeper sin than the man who had done this wickedness, when they should have been sad that such a thing took place.
If they had been sad, maybe the man who had done such a thing might have been removed from the congregation.
We come into the Church to praise and honor God, and we are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not sin at all.
We cannot connect Jehovah to sin!
We cannot connect the Lord Jesus Christ to sin!
We know that the Lord Jesus Christ died for all our sins.
We must not be partakers with those who are living in sin!
Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
If we allow such things to go on unchallenged, then we are partakers with these so-called Christians.
Paul said the church should have handled this situation immediately after finding out about it.
If a sin of this proportion has become public knowledge and is allowed by the church, how could we ever criticize the sins of the world?
*****1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
What is Church discipline? Discipline in the Church comes from rules for order and the purity of the lives of the members, including rules for the government and worship in the church.
Each church may have different rules for the discipline of church members.
We have already read what the Lord Jesus has said in Matthew chapter 18.
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: 2Th 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
Then Paul added: 2Th 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
2Th 3:15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
We can love them and pray for them, but we cannot hang out with them.
First: This man was to face church discipline, "in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ".
The Lord Jesus is the head of the Church. It is His Church!
It is the Lord Jesus Christ whose name is being damaged.
It is for the Lord Jesus that discipline should take place!
It is only by the conviction of the Lord Jesus that will awaken this brother to his sin.
Second, the entire church was to come together to handle this difficult matter.
Paul said he would be with them in Spirit.
This church was to clean itself up before this discipline could take place.
A church full of sin cannot discipline a sinful member!
Third: This brother is to be given to Satan.
What does this mean? In short, it means that this brother was to be excommunicated.
If the Church is in the realm of God, then outside the Church is the realm of Satan.
2Co_4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Those outside the Church do not have the hand of God to protect them, and God would remove His hand of protection from this brother.
We have not seen much church discipline throughout the many denominations today, as many of them have fled from the truth of God and have given in to the world, and the Church has lost its power.
It is only by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that discipline can be carried out on any child of God.
We know for sure that there is Spiritual power that inflicts punishment for sin.
2Th_2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
For those who have control of their flesh, we already have God's answer to that problem.
1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
1Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
The Apostle Paul tells us that Christians can become castaways
1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
We are told to always examine ourselves: 2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
The only person who can commit a sin unto death is a church member!
I do not know what this means, but it is said by some to mean eternal death.
Review: 1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
If the life that God gives is Spiritual and Eternal, then the sin unto death must correspond, and it must mean the opposite, which is spiritual and eternal death.
This being true, then for the Bible to be held in High Regard, this person must not have been saved to begin with, because we cannot lose our salvation!
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
It is never good for any church or any church member to glorify sin, especially as we see it today!
*****1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
We know that using leaven is the same as we use yeast today.
Leaven in the Bible stands for sin.
Sin in the Church leavens the whole Church.
This sin had reached the Apostle Paul in Ephesus, and the testimony of this church in Corinth was ruined because this church was glorifying sin.
As long as sin remained in this church, the testimony of our Lord Jesus, who had no sin, and drastic measures must be taken, or the early church would fail.
Too often, a church will overlook the sin and a sinful lifestyle of a man who is a leader in the community, government, or big business. In fact, some churches will brag about having such a man as a member
This church in Corinth needed to wake up to the truth of the Word of God.
The first thing this church needed to do was to remove the sin by removing the sinner.
This meant that every member needed to look at their own lives to make sure to remove any sin that they had.
This means looking at their old life before salvation and making sure there were no remnants of that sin remaining within them.
If we accept the truth of God, then there must not be any of that old leaven in our lives.
This is a big problem in the Church today.
Many of the queer community just say God made them the way they are which means God must have made some mistakes when He created them which is impossible. God does not make mistakes!
Like every sinner, they can be forgiven, but they must repent of their sin just as all sinners must do.
To become Christian, we must be "Born Again" and become new creations of God without sin.
The Church is not to bring sin (leaven) back into the Church!
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
During the Passover, the Jews would remove any leaven they had in their homes, even taking a candle and searching all the corners and the dark spaces to be sure to remove any leaven that remained in their homes.
It is no different for us; we are to search ourselves to remove any sin that remains in our lives after salvation.
If we continue to practice sin and or accept sin, it proves we do not believe that we are cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
"For even Jesus Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us".
This Church at Corinth must have its own Passover and search out all sin and remove it from the congregation before they could remove this sinner.
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
*****1Co 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
The duty of the Church is to separate itself from the World!
The duty of the Church is to welcome every sinner into the Church and teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they accept the truth of the Lord Jesus, they can stay; if they reject the truth of Jesus Christ, then they must leave and go back into the world.
There is no middle ground!
The Church must separate itself from the world!
We are not to become a part of the world outside the doors of the Church.
We must be friendly and love those who are lost, but we do not party with them or hang out with them.
If we know of some in the Church under false pretenses, we are not to associate with them.
We are not to keep close company with the lost world!
We have to work in this world, and we have to live in this world, but we are not to be a part of this world.
What we find is that much of the Church of today has ignored the teachings the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostle Paul.
It can be said that fornication is what drives the world's sin today.
Fornication includes all immoral sexual acts! Adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and any form of sexual deviation.
Those who practice fornication are not to be part of the fellowship of the Church!!!!!!!
The Church is not to become mixed up with the covetousness of this world.
The word covetous means all those who seek more and more, while millions within this world are dying from sin, hunger, disease, and poverty.
Covetousness is a sin that is especially despised by Jehovah!
Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
The Church is not to become mixed with extortioners.
These are thieves, grafters, and those who take advantage of the poor to get more gain for themselves.
There is a certain party in politics that has been doing this for years, and in fact, this is what all the immigration we have seen in the last few years was all about: to gain voters and people dependent upon handouts they could control.
This Church is not to become mixed with those who worship false gods. There can be no Chrislam!
Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible, and He must be accepted as such!
Believers are in the world, but they are not to be part of the world!
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
*****1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
We must separate ourselves from those who say they are Christians, but the fruit of their lives tells a different story.
We know our salvation is between us and God, but the Lord said we would know them by their fruit.
To be safe, we must avoid them while praying for them, not even eating with them.
These are the same ones who should not participate in the Lord's Supper.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Psa 78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Psa 78:36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
*****1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Co 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
We have nothing to do with the people whom the Lord will judge when He returns.
Our one job is to tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we need to show them the love of Christ while we are doing this.
The lost world will be judged by God, and we can tell them how to avoid this judgment.
Any and all evil must be removed from the Church!
There must be discipline in the Church!
Those who refuse to repent must be removed from the Church!
We must not forget we were once part of the lost world.
Eph 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Knowing what we were before coming to Christ should allow us to see those who in the Church who are still of the world, but we should also remember there are times we should not remove them, as the Lord has stated.
1Th 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
1Th 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
The Lord Jesus has already said: Mat_13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
There must be discipline in the Church, but it must be done according to the Word of God!
Remember, every Word of the Bible was written for the Church!
Amen
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