SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 5
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? [1 Corinthians 5:12] Having just spent time warning the Corinthians about not judging him, Paul goes into a serious case of judgment against a couple engaged in an incestual relationship. What’s with this, Paul refuses to be judged, but is quick to judge?
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [Matthew 7:1-2] Jesus warns against passing judgment too. Does this mean that we cannot speak out against those who commit sin? Of course not. But there is a difference between judging a person and judging a person’s actions. I have not right to declare a person saved or condemned. Only God can pass final judgment. But we are called upon to make temporal judgments all the time. The Spirit with the bible is the guide that enables us to discern truth from error, right from wrong. We do not judge the people, but we do judge their actions – in light of the bible.
This is especially important in the church. Jesus is the standard by which we measure our lives. We need to make decisions about what is right and good, and warn people about what is wrong and evil. If we don’t, then like a little bit of yeast, it will poison the whole community. How we do this is critical, it needs to be done with grace and love and truth. We are not condemning people, we are just speaking out against actions.
I will not pretend that this is easy. Its hard to speak out against a persons behaviour without offending the person (think about homosexual practice). Loving the sinner while hating the sin is very hard, and the sinner will especially think that you are not doing it well. Nobody likes to have their actions or behaviours challenged.
This is why humility, love, compassion and kindness ought to be the dominant qualities that exude from us, so that when the time comes to speak out against the actions of others, they will sense the love that surrounds the challenge. Not sure whether Paul succeeded at this or not, but Jesus sure did! He is our model for healthy discernment and truth-speaking!
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to overflow with love, then give me a gentle boldness to speak the truth in love. Help me to judge in a healthy, Christ-like way.
Paul lumps all these together:
“…sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.”
We often see the obvious sexual sin but what about the other sins? Perhaps we all do at least one of them. I often put other things before God, that is idolatry… I am over weight, does that mean I am greedy? … Is this why we don’t judge these other actions of people? then we would be judging ourselves too…
Loving the sinner becomes easier when we realize we are all sinners and we all receive God’s love,
Oh God, help me to be transparent about myself, so that others can see that all of us sin and all of us need Your Grace, which is so readily availiable.
Thank-You.
as I repent and accept and let God love me, it is easier to love others, or rather, let Him love others through me.