Category: Correction & Counsel

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 5 (day six)

It is for freedom that Jesus set us free.- Paul, Galatians 5:1

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. -Paul, Romans 6:13

“If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.”-Jesus, Matthew 5:30

1 Corinthians 5 is a reminder just how seriously God takes sin. The church in Corinth had become cavalier, arrogant even. They were under God’s grace after all, why should they concern themselves with sin; so they thought.

Truth is, we can’t ignore inrepentant sin. Jesus didn’t; he died to set us free to righteousness. So be free. Don’t ignore unrepentant sin in your own life…or the church. Take sin as seriously as Jesus did.

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 5 (day five)

Why did no one confront or challenge the sinning member?  Maybe they were afraid. Perhaps their perspective was that past experiences or other influencing factors were the cause of his sin. Yes, the world is “fallen” and all of humanity has been effected by its brokenness. We can almost rationalize any behavior (ours and others) with this line of thinking. But our biggest problem is not sin in the broken world (what happens to us and what we experience). The Bible teaches the biggest problem is the sin inside us (Psalm 51:5). Evil inside us attracts us to evil in the world and causes evil actions and motives. God’s grace changes our perspective about  ungodly behavior/thinking (ours and others). He changes us from the inside first. We don’t have to be afraid to confess and repent. We don’t have to be afraid to approach our brothers and sisters in Christ with the same grace and hope that God gives us.

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 5 (day four)

No one wants to be labeled as ‘judgmental.’  In today’s culture, that characteristic has been made to be derogatory or repulsive.  According to Paul, we are not to be critical or judgmental toward those who are outside the church…those in the world. We are to exercise discernment inside the church though and correct immoral behavior by a brother in Christ.

Believers are held to a higher standard. We have the Holy Spirit within us to convict us of wrong behavior.  Sometimes, we choose to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit and we sin.  Our church community has a responsibility to bring discipline upon us to restore us to righteous living.  If a believer is allowed to remain in sin, he becomes a harmful witness to the truth of the gospel.

Deuteronomy 13:4 says, “You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”  Verse 5 says, “So you shall purge the evil from among you.”

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 5 (day three) 

And you are proud!

When Paul said that this kind of incest-y behavior didn’t occur among the pagans, he meant it didn’t occur as a practice accepted by the establishment.  Neither did murder, but people still got bumped off.  Paul’s point is that even pagan society addressed the ethical implications of human desire.  This is good and right.  If by contrast the emerging ethics of Christianity would begin to resemble undisciplined minors whose parents have left the house for the weekend, few would take it seriously for long.  “The rules were always holding me back” is not a vision for the gloriousness of the human person.  The Incarnation shows us God’s regard for human beings—and for bodily behavior in particular.  If we’re going to live with our bodies any way we please, the tomb might as well have remained occupied.

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 5 (day two) 

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? vs. 6

One of my collegiate choir directors was always fond of saying “You’ve got to clean out the cage before anyone can enjoy the bird!” In terms of music he was saying that you must sing in tune before what your are saying or singing can truly be appreciated. You can have the most incredible text, or lovely melody line, but if you are out of tune – no one cares.

Our sin is like that too. It often gets in the way of any good that we are called to do. If we continue, unrepentant, our sin will derail even the best motive. Are you hoping that doing a good thing will make up for the sin that you are reluctant to release? It will never work that way. Clean the cage, and let the beauty of God shine.

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 5 (day one)

Challenging passage.  No question.  In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul presses uncomfortable questions onto the members of that ancient church (and to us).  Is sin contagious?  Are my personal choices your business?  Is your behavior my concern?

The situation was sad and dangerous.  A member of the Corinthian congregation “had” his father’s wife.  (see v. 1)  Was the father still alive?  Had there been a divorce?  The passage doesn’t tell us.  What we do know is that it was public and scandalous sexual relationship.   Even nonbelievers knew it was wrong.

Paul’s concern is that the church had not “mourned”  Not taken action. Swept in under a rug.  Avoided involvement. (See Matthew 18)

Where sin is tolerated, dismissed or justified, the church can never be what God designed it to be.  The Lord is not passive or uninvolved when we drift into sin.   He challenges!  Convicts the conscience!  Shouldn’t the church care in a similar way?

Give us courage, Lord.  Galatians 6:1-2

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 3:1-17 (day seven)

I must confess this text confounded me all week. The text is distinctly corporate, yet true for the individual as well.  As you work through the scholarship it is clear that throughout this text Paul is talking about the church as a whole and only the church.  This is not about you as an individual, but about you as a member of the larger body of the church.

Even the temple text, verses 16-17:  “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” is not about the individual, it’s about the church.  All the “you”s in there are plural.  The text about you (singular) being the temple is found later in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Which brings me back to my initial dilemma, everything in our text, 1 Corinthians 3, is true for the individual, but that is not what Paul is writing about.  1 Corinthians 3 is about the church.

This week we can talk about the church or we can do what Alexander Maclaren, one of my favorite preachers, did.  In his sermon on 1 Corinthians 3 he begins by essentially saying that I know this text is about the church, but I’m going to talk about individuals.

This text is “not about the Christian life in general…and though I may be slightly deflecting the text from its original direction, I’m not doing violence to it, if I take it as declaring some very plain and solemn truths applicable to all Christian people.” – Alexander Maclaren

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 3:1-17 (day six)

“For we are God’s fellow workers.” -Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:9

Isn’t that statement amazing? Paul was referring to himself and Apollos, as an attempt to persuade the Corinthian church to repent of their divisiveness. But the simple truth of that statement is astounding; that God would include them AND us in the work he is doing.

It reminds me of the time Jesus told the disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from the Father I have told you.” (John 15:15) We are friends with God; we are co-workers.

The journey of the Christian is to grow into those truths. Are you?

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 3:1-17 (day five)  Paul’s warning to the believers in Corinth comes because there has been no growth or maturing for a period of time.  His tone in the first two verses was not confrontational but rather factual. “You were not ready.” These are not accusations you would make against brand new Christians. Notice the past tense in his statements in verse 1 and the first part of verse 2. Then, his tone changes. He’s not upset because they started as babes in the faith, but that they did not grow out of it. “Even now you are not yet able.” There was no evidence of growth or progress in their faith. Quite the opposite. What Paul saw and sensed was “the flesh”- jealousy, strife, and boasting in men.

They had time to grow. We have time to grow. The goal of the Christian life is not perfection but progress. Will we make progress and grow to know, act like, and become more like Jesus?  Paul would say, “It’s time to grow!”

Re:Verse reading–1 Corinthians 3:1-17 (day four)

Paul was pretty tough on the Corinthian church.  He pulled no punches.  As a mentor to these new believers, he believed they needed to know the truth. The times were critical, as well as dangerous.  For the Corinthian church to survive and be useful to the Kingdom work, they had to grow in their faith and understanding.  They had to move past the ‘milk’ stage and reach the ‘meat’ stage.  Paul gives some harsh instructions, but ends this passage with words of hope.  VV.16-17 lets the Corinthians know they are not in this alone…the Holy Spirit dwells in them…the temple of God.

Who are you mentoring and discipling in the faith?  Maybe you believe that you still need the ‘milk’.  As believers, we have a responsibility to learn, and grow, and mature in our faith.  As we grow, find someone to bring along with you.  Meat is especially good when it is shared with another!