Paul's
Epistles - 1 Corinthians
Part
9 – Sinning Believers
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org
| www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
We
are looking at Paul's letters in order, first looking at Romans, and now I
Corinthians.
In
Paul's letter to the church congregation in Corinth, he has first addressed
their issues over whom to follow, or who is the head of the church. Paul makes
it completely clear; it is Christ Jesus, and no one else.
He
explains that the teaching and wisdom of God comes from the Holy Spirit, and
teachers and preachers are "laborers", whom build on the only true
foundation, which is that of Jesus Christ crucified.
Last
week Paul addressed humility; this week we read of an appeal and warning.
SCRIPTURE
REFERENCE I Corinthians 5
It is actually reported
that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do
not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.2 and you are proud!
Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my
part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way,
I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when
you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus
is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that
his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not
good. Don’t you know that a
little yeast leavens
the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old
yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ,
our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore
let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my
letter not to associate with
sexually immoral people—10 not at
all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and
swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.11 But now I am writing to
you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or
sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater
or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of
mine to judge those outside the
church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God
will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.
I.
MORAL STANDARDS
a.
Sexual immorality
in the Church
i.
LIT. "Whoredom",
meaning many sorts of immoral sexual activities.
ii.
This was more widespread than a case or two, and word
even got back to Paul about the immorality.
iii.
Such was the case; it was even uncommon for the
Gentiles, pagans, unsaved to act in these manners.
iv.
This specific case is also spoken of in II
Corinthians 7:12, Paul's third letter to the church and it appears from
the text that this was a step-mother and step-son, and the father was still
alive.
b.
The Corinthian
pride
i.
Some apparently tried to argue that this was
permissible under the guise of their over-spiritualized view of Christian
liberty.
ii.
A danger which can take hold of a follower who strays
from the word in order to chase the Spirit.
iii.
They will find themselves over spiritualized with no
grounding in the Word of God.
iv.
Paul says, you should have been mourning this, not
defending it.
c.
The actions should
have been judged (corrected)
i.
The individual should repent, or be taken from among
the congregation.
II.
JUDGMENT OF SIN
a.
A little yeast
(sin) is not OK
i.
Paul says "I
have judged this case already"
ii.
This does not contradict Jesus' instructions not to
judge in Matthew 7:1-5, Paul is judging the "actions" of a
believer, the "fruit" of a confessed follower, as we are told to do
in Matthew
7:15-20.
b.
Get rid of your old
yeast (sin)
i.
The one confessing to be a follower, living in sin, who
has refused to repent, must be set free from the church.
ii.
The scripture says "hand them over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the
spirit may be saved on the Day of Judgment."
1.
This means, cease all to do with the individual as far
as "help". Paul implies to even stop prayer for them, because
scripture tells us that the only prayer God will hear from the lost, is for
salvation.
2.
They want their sin, and their actions confess Satan as
their master, then release them to their master, in hopes that the sin will so
negatively affect their flesh (earthly lives) that they will turn back to the
Lord before death, and once again have salvation because they repent.
c.
Keep the festival
i.
Paul explains that yeast in the festival represented
this sin.
ii.
We once kept the festivals in deed, a foreshadowing of
the coming salvation found in Christ, but now we have Christ, let us rid
ourselves of the old yeast, and be as unleavened bread.
III.
SOCIAL RELATIONS
a.
Do not associate
with these types of people
i.
Sexually Immoral, greedy, swindlers, idolaters
b.
Not meaning
"all" who sin, otherwise you would have to leave this world.
i.
Rather, those who claim to be a follower of Christ, but
is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.
ii.
Do not even eat with these people.
c.
I (Paul), do not
judge those outside the church
i.
God will judge them.
ii.
However, Christ has commanded we judge (correct) those
in the church who claim to be followers of Christ.
d.
What do you do when
you find one who claims to be a follower but continues to live in sin?
i.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 how we are to judge sin
in the church.
1.
If your brother or sister sins, point out their fault
just between the two of you.
a.
(In Corinthian Church's case: Brother, you are sleeping
with your mother. Sexual immorality is a sin against God.)
2.
If they listen, you have won them over.
3.
If they will not listen, take one or two other
believers with you, so that the correction may be established by two or three
witnesses.
4.
If they still refuse to listen, tell the Elders of the
church.
5.
If they refuse to listen to the Elders, there can be no
fellowship.
a.
Paul states in I Corinthians 5:13 "Expel the wicked person from among
you."
CONCLUSION
As
Paul corrects the thinking of the church in Corinth, we need to look also at
ourselves.
Paul
says there should not be pride among us, because the only difference between us
and the sinners of the world is Christ Jesus.
Although
sin is everywhere in the world, we are not to allow it in the church among
those who claim to be followers of Christ.
This
does not exclude the "lost" who have not yet come to Christ, those
sinners are more than welcome to come to church and discover a relationship
with God. However, when they claim
Christ, and a relationship in Him through the covenant of His blood, they must
repent when sin is revealed to them in their lives.
The
difference between a believer and a lost person is this. We both will be attacked with sin in our
lives. The lost person (whether he confesses Christ or not) will continue to
live in that sin, where as the follower of Christ, will repent of the sin
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let
us all pray that if there is something in our lives that is against God, He
reveal it to us so that we may repent of it, and be in good standings with Him.
Remember,
we can judge ourselves so that He won't judge us.
We
can listen to our brothers and sisters correction, so that we may be in good
faith.
We
can accept the Word of God as our correction in the church, or we can refuse to
repent, be cast out and judged by God on Judgment Day.
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