“We have heard bad news about what is happening among you. Some of you are having sex in the wrong ways. We have heard that one man is even having sex with his own father's wife! Even people who do not know God do not do things as bad as that! But, you are still proud of yourselves! Instead, you ought to be very sad and ashamed. You should have sent this man away from your group. When you meet, put this man under Satan's authority. Satan will then destroy the man's body. Then God may save the man's spirit on the day when the Lord Jesus returns. You should not be so proud of
yourselves. Think about what yeast does in bread. A very small amount of yeast changes the whole loaf of bread. This yeast in the dough is like one person who does wrong things. You must remove this old yeast from among you. Then you will be like a new loaf of bread. You are really like a loaf that has no yeast in it. You are pure because Christ died as a sacrifice on our behalf. He is like the lamb that the Israelites killed for their Passover meal. I already wrote a letter to you. I told you that you must not be friends with people who have sex in the wrong ways. Now I am telling you this: I was talking about people who say that they are believers. If they say that, but they have sex in the wrong way, do not be friends with them. It is the same if they want many things for themselves. They may worship idols. They may insult people. They may often get drunk. They may deceive people and rob them. If one of your own group does things like that, do not even agree to eat a meal with them. It is not right for me to decide about people who do not belong to the church group. God will judge those people. But you should decide what is right for the people who do belong to your group. Do what the Bible says: ‘Send the bad person away from among yourselves.’”
1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 5-7, 9, 11-13 EASY
https://bible.com/bible/2079/1co.5.1-13.EASY
Oh boy!
I am the worst sinner I know and am not proud of it! Although I agree I should not be proud of my sins or the sins around me, I couldn’t, in the core of my being, wish anyone to be delivered into the hands of Satan. They can do that all on their own and do not need my help. My role is to welcome those to Christ, encourage those to change, and separate them from their sins. I allow the power of God to change others as I am only a servant. I personally will not banish anyone as Christ never abandoned anyone. I will never be proud of their actions but will not cast them away either. I know, I am disagreeing with Paul. I will love it first. Part of being loving is to be completely honest so I will never condone sin and will communicate that clearly. However, my hand will remain extended to everyone. Paul is right that sin is a virus (he uses the analogy of yeast in bread) that spreads and has no room in a Church. However, if we cut sin out of the Church, everyone will need to be banished, especially myself. The church is a hospital for sinners. It’s the Holy Spirit who convicts sinners, not I.
So, sinners, welcome! I encourage you to repent. I do not condone your sins and I do not condone my sins either. Your sins remain between you and God as my sins remain between God and me. My hand remains extended as we sinners humbly move closer to Christ together. Remember, Christ, surrounded himself with sinners in effort to get them to repent (Luke 15: 1-2).
I am often reminded:
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,” Romans 3:21-25 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.3.21-25.NKJV
Father,
I am a sinner. I remain a sinner. I am surrounded by sinners. Please have mercy on me and them. Please help soften my and their hearts to refrain from sin. I am weak and in desperate need of your strength. Your strength will deliver me and them from sin. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
by Kent Brosh a Kawaiaha’o Blog Contributor
Alberta, Canada
