Judging others by warning others-Consequences of Sin-13

Jeremiah was born to speak truth to a nation of those who refused to listen. Who wants to hear about anyone calling them a ‘sinner’? Would that not be judging someone? Doesn’t the Bible tell us we cannot and should not judge anyone? Jeremiah is speaking exactly what Jehovah has told him to speak, yet the people think they are all his words. Their words are better than his, as they are ‘loving’! Is it truly loving to ignore the eternal state of those deceived? So calling attention to sin is necessary and required.

Can we judge others? How are to we judge? Who are we to judge? When are we to judge? We will begin with Paul. Remember, the church at Corinth was plagued with problems and required a lot of attention and concern from Paul.

1 Corinthians 5:1  It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. 5:2  You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. 

Many churches today will not say one word about the public lifestyle of any of their attenders. They don’t want to ‘judge’ anyone, which means they tacitly agree with everyone. Paul confronts them with this man within their midst who is basically having an affair with his father’s current wife. Note this is not his mother, who may have died or been given a writ of divorce.

5:3  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. 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5:5  I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 

Paul said he has already judged him and found him guilty of sin. The ‘church’ cannot condone public sin within the body. One bad apple with slowly spoil and corrupt the entire bushel. This is the same with tolerating open sin.

5:6  Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 5:7  Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 5:8  Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

Leaven is a symbolic reminder of sin. Just as a little leaven will completely infect and permeate an entire loaf of bread; sin will infect an entire assembly of ‘believers’.

5:9  I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; :10  I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 5:11  But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 

Now we learn about who Paul is talking about and clearing up confusion and false arguments. We live in a fallen world, which or whom are our mission field. But, within the body, we can’t let sin reign at all. Paul is clearly calling out a so-called brother; someone who deceived them by claiming to be someone who he was clearly not. Churches today are literally full of such so-called brothers. Our only contact with these would be to bring them back to the LORD or more likely share the true gospel with them. Warning them would also be required. How do they get in?

Jude 1:4  For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Creeping in suggests someone who doesn’t want to create a lot of attention, at least not right away. They gain confidence and then slowly gain support for their false teachings and sinful lifestyles.

5:12  For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 5:13  But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

Paul makes it very clear. We must judge and admonish all within the body. But, we must witness to all outside the body. It is often very difficult to do either. Sin can be hidden within the body until it slowly becomes the ‘norm’. How did all the sexual perversions gain such support within the ‘churches’ today? It came one inch at a time, as false teachings and biblically illiterate ‘members’ of the body were drawn into acceptance and even public support.

Jehovah will not be mocked nor will He forgive such behavior. Repentance requires an about face, a complete public reversal. If that is not forth coming, remove the sinner from the assembly.

More next Saturday.