Jeremiah 17:9-10
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." (NKJV)
"More than anything else, a person’s mind is evil and cannot be healed" (NCV)
"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (NLT)
Very recently, Stephen Frye, a British comedian gave an interview to television host, Gay Byrne, on the show, The Meaning of Life. One of the questions Byrne typically asks on his show was what his guest might say to God if he saw God face to face. This was Frye’s response (answering what he would say to God):
"How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right, it's utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God that creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?" (http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/tv-host-asks-atheist-stephen-fry-question-about-god-you-have-watch-what-happens-next300115#sthash.nZohnqzl.dpuf)
"How dare You create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault?"
Most Christians would simply gloss over this response, knowing it is a typical response of a nonbeliever, but I think that Fry’s response is important for us to consider. Why? Because this is the heart of the world view of many people: that people are fundamentally good, so the evil in the world isn’t "our" fault. This incorrect and poor way of looking at things causes all kinds of problems. In fact, this is one of the greatest problems in the Church today, because we use this errant view to divide the "good people" from the "bad people." You see, if we believe that everyone is born "good," then when they do "bad" things, it becomes their choice. And if their choice is "bad," then they are now necessarily "bad people" (or "evil people"). It’s as if life is about those who wear the white hats and those who wear the black hats. And we do everything we possibly can to continue to this immensely bad doctrine.
Scripture tells us that the heart—our hearts—are "desperately wicked." Don’t you recognize that in your own heart? I know that my heart is desperately wicked, that I’m constantly doing things that hurt others, that ignore God’s will, that I know fail to bring glory to my Lord Jesus.
Paul understood this inescapable nature of being human: "I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." (Romans 7:14b-15 NKJV).
"What I hate, that I do."
The psalmist wrote:
"God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; here is none who does good, no, not one." (Psalm 53:2-3 NKJV).
We need God’s mercy and forgiveness precisely because we are so innately wicked! Not them. Us! Me! When we sing "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," I totally understand why John Newton chose those specific words. He understood himself; he knew that he was capable of justifying evil deeds; he knew how wicked his own heart truly was.
A recent article on the Internet address this specific song and that word, "wretch":
"That first day at Grace Pointe, an interdenominational church with a membership of about 1,500, the pastors were leading an old-fashioned hymn sing. When they got to ‘Amazing Grace,’ Pastor Melissa Greene said something that ‘hit me right square between the eyes,’ Wigden says. Speaking about the line ‘that saved a wretch like me,’ Greene said the church didn’t agree with the word ‘wretch.’ ‘It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or who you are, you were born beloved by God,’ Wigden says she told the congregation." (http://news.yahoo.com/bible-belt-evangelical-church-embraced-gay-rights-201800629.html)
Of course we are beloved by God, but that doesn’t make us any less sinners and wicked. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 NKJV). The idea behind Pastor Greene’s words is that God loves us because He must have found something loveable in us. The Bible speaks so much to the contrary of that notion. God demonstrated His love, not our worthiness, in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. The word used here is hamartolos and means "devoted to sin, a sinner; not free from sin; pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked." (Enhanced Strong’s G268).
We don’t want to hear that. We want to look at ourselves and find not find ourselves lacking. We feel better about ourselves if we can find something redeemable within our own hearts and perhaps find something less redeemable in the hearts of those with whom we have disagreements. But the Lord knew that we would think that way:
"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes" (Proverbs 21:2b NKJV).
"All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes" (Proverbs 16:2a NKJV).
We cannot trust our own hearts, our own valuations of people around us. There are no white hats and black hats; there are no good guys and bad guys. There are simply sinners (including me) who are desperately in need of the salvation that our Lord so graciously offers.
© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.
Musing
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Monday, September 1, 2014
Just this Once -- Philippians 3:13-14
Philippians 3:13-14
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (NKJV)
"Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead." Paul wasn’t just talking about the past and the future. He was talking about sin and spiritual growth. How do I know this? Because he starts by saying that he doesn’t count himself to have apprehended. What hasn’t he apprehended? The "prize of the upward call of God" which literally means the benefits of salvation. Paul clearly is stating that while we cannot earn the gift of salvation, once we have received the gift, there are things that we must do in order to continue in that gift.
We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him.
Our relationship with God cannot be static; it cannot ever remain the same. We cannot think that we have matured spiritually to the point where we can rest on past experiences or fully live for Him based on what we learned yesterday. We are either moving toward Him or away from Him. Each day, each moment is an opportunity to decide whose we are. Do we belong to ourselves? Then we may choose to indulge our flesh, to do something which is neither physically nor spiritually healthy. "Well, it’s just this once," you say. One candy bar . . . one order of fries . . . one R-rated movie . . . one sexually-charged date . . . one pencil taken off someone else’s desk. "No one is really hurt. It was just this once."
"Just this once." Is there such a thing? I don’t think so. We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. There is no such thing as "just one sin" because even that one sin moves us away from God and once we are moving in that direction, changing directions becomes difficult. Think about it. Have you ever driven in San Francisco with its horribly-inclined streets? It’s almost impossible to stop mid-block because the slope is so severe. And, many times, if you do take a chance and stop (or have to stop due to traffic), you find the car sliding backwards even if that’s not what you want it to do.
In our relationship with God, there is no static motion. We cannot stand still spiritually. We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. We are either choosing righteousness or choosing sin. We are either pressing toward the goal of the upward call or we are disqualifying ourselves. Paul wrote:
"So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:26-27NKJV).
"So that I should not be disqualified." The word here is adokimos which translates also as "reprobate." It is the same word used in 2 Corinthians 13:5 where Paul says, " Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine" (NLT). It is the marker between being truly saved and simply thinking you are. It is literally the difference between heaven and hell. Rather than believe that, because of God’s mercy and grace, we can sin over and over and still serve Him, we need to begin to live our lives as if we couldn’t even do the sin "just this once." In this fight between God and Satan, between good and evil, between righteousness and the lust of our flesh, there is no "just this once." We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. This needs to become the litany of our lives, the decision of each moment. Are we moving toward God? Each moment needs to be lived pressing upward to His high calling.
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (NKJV)
"Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead." Paul wasn’t just talking about the past and the future. He was talking about sin and spiritual growth. How do I know this? Because he starts by saying that he doesn’t count himself to have apprehended. What hasn’t he apprehended? The "prize of the upward call of God" which literally means the benefits of salvation. Paul clearly is stating that while we cannot earn the gift of salvation, once we have received the gift, there are things that we must do in order to continue in that gift.
We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him.
Our relationship with God cannot be static; it cannot ever remain the same. We cannot think that we have matured spiritually to the point where we can rest on past experiences or fully live for Him based on what we learned yesterday. We are either moving toward Him or away from Him. Each day, each moment is an opportunity to decide whose we are. Do we belong to ourselves? Then we may choose to indulge our flesh, to do something which is neither physically nor spiritually healthy. "Well, it’s just this once," you say. One candy bar . . . one order of fries . . . one R-rated movie . . . one sexually-charged date . . . one pencil taken off someone else’s desk. "No one is really hurt. It was just this once."
"Just this once." Is there such a thing? I don’t think so. We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. There is no such thing as "just one sin" because even that one sin moves us away from God and once we are moving in that direction, changing directions becomes difficult. Think about it. Have you ever driven in San Francisco with its horribly-inclined streets? It’s almost impossible to stop mid-block because the slope is so severe. And, many times, if you do take a chance and stop (or have to stop due to traffic), you find the car sliding backwards even if that’s not what you want it to do.
In our relationship with God, there is no static motion. We cannot stand still spiritually. We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. We are either choosing righteousness or choosing sin. We are either pressing toward the goal of the upward call or we are disqualifying ourselves. Paul wrote:
"So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:26-27NKJV).
"So that I should not be disqualified." The word here is adokimos which translates also as "reprobate." It is the same word used in 2 Corinthians 13:5 where Paul says, " Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine" (NLT). It is the marker between being truly saved and simply thinking you are. It is literally the difference between heaven and hell. Rather than believe that, because of God’s mercy and grace, we can sin over and over and still serve Him, we need to begin to live our lives as if we couldn’t even do the sin "just this once." In this fight between God and Satan, between good and evil, between righteousness and the lust of our flesh, there is no "just this once." We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. This needs to become the litany of our lives, the decision of each moment. Are we moving toward God? Each moment needs to be lived pressing upward to His high calling.
© 2014 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved.
For permission to copy, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com
Monday, July 28, 2008
Proverbs 11:1
“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but an accurate weight is his delight.” NRSV
There was a story out on the news a few days ago about a gas station that was adding a tenth of a cent to each gallon sold and not reporting it to the consumer. Now, that doesn’t seem like much: just 1¢ for every ten gallons of gas. Most of us don’t even pick up a penny off the ground when we see one. But when this gas station was found out, the results were amazing, into the thousands of dollars each month.
A balance, a scale, is a hard thing to calibrate. It can be off a few milligrams and not even show the discrepancy. But over time, that discrepancy can add up to a lot.
It’s the same with sin. There are little sins in my life that just don’t seem that big of a deal: a little lie here, doing personal business on company time, “borrowing” a pen I don’t return, parking on the neighbor’s lot without permission. But what I often don’t realize is that little sins will invariably lead to big sins. Just like the little hole in the dam will eventually wash away more and more of the dam to create a waterfall, little sins unchecked (and unconfessed) will eventually lead to a waterfall of sins, to an attitude that it just isn’t that big of a deal.
Doing something over and over again creates a habit. And we all know that we often do habitual behavior without even thinking about it. We can sin in the same manner. If we do a sin enough times, it will become a habit. At that point, our conscience might not even convict us. (Not even a little). The sin will simply spill out of our lives like a flood. Even as believers, we can become callous to certain sins if we aren’t very, very careful.
Just as a false balance is an abomination to the Lord, so is unchecked, habitual sin. That’s why daily confession is so important. When we are (even brutally) examining our lives for possible sin and then confessing what we discover, we are working to create an “accurate weight” in our lives. Going even further, how many times have I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal the sins in my life that I’m unable to identify? How concerned am I really about living a life that’s pleasing to the Lord?
As uncomfortable as guilt is, it is our indicator that our scale is out of balance and needs to be realigned by Heavenly standards. Rather than avoiding that (very distressing) feeling by doing something else, we should confront it head-on with prayer and confession. Our Father is well able to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But first we have to be willing to confess that sin, to admit that our scale has become a false balance.
but an accurate weight is his delight.” NRSV
There was a story out on the news a few days ago about a gas station that was adding a tenth of a cent to each gallon sold and not reporting it to the consumer. Now, that doesn’t seem like much: just 1¢ for every ten gallons of gas. Most of us don’t even pick up a penny off the ground when we see one. But when this gas station was found out, the results were amazing, into the thousands of dollars each month.
A balance, a scale, is a hard thing to calibrate. It can be off a few milligrams and not even show the discrepancy. But over time, that discrepancy can add up to a lot.
It’s the same with sin. There are little sins in my life that just don’t seem that big of a deal: a little lie here, doing personal business on company time, “borrowing” a pen I don’t return, parking on the neighbor’s lot without permission. But what I often don’t realize is that little sins will invariably lead to big sins. Just like the little hole in the dam will eventually wash away more and more of the dam to create a waterfall, little sins unchecked (and unconfessed) will eventually lead to a waterfall of sins, to an attitude that it just isn’t that big of a deal.
Doing something over and over again creates a habit. And we all know that we often do habitual behavior without even thinking about it. We can sin in the same manner. If we do a sin enough times, it will become a habit. At that point, our conscience might not even convict us. (Not even a little). The sin will simply spill out of our lives like a flood. Even as believers, we can become callous to certain sins if we aren’t very, very careful.
Just as a false balance is an abomination to the Lord, so is unchecked, habitual sin. That’s why daily confession is so important. When we are (even brutally) examining our lives for possible sin and then confessing what we discover, we are working to create an “accurate weight” in our lives. Going even further, how many times have I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal the sins in my life that I’m unable to identify? How concerned am I really about living a life that’s pleasing to the Lord?
As uncomfortable as guilt is, it is our indicator that our scale is out of balance and needs to be realigned by Heavenly standards. Rather than avoiding that (very distressing) feeling by doing something else, we should confront it head-on with prayer and confession. Our Father is well able to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But first we have to be willing to confess that sin, to admit that our scale has become a false balance.
© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).
Saturday, December 29, 2007
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless with most of them God was not pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things are warnings for us, not to desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to dance.” We must not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents; nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. RSV
Historical accounts in the Old Testament are both true and pictorial. In that, I mean that they both actually happened and have been recounted for us as a way for God to show us truths of our relationship with Him.
The children of Israel were freed from Egypt and given the hope of the Promised Land, Judea. Between the two, there was a journey they would have to make. In normal travel, it would take a matter of days. In actuality, because of their sin, it took 40 years.
Paul shares with us that there were those in the company who left Egypt (left the life of sin) but never reached the Promised Land. While they were witnesses and participants in a number of miracles, they continued to allow themselves to be tempted into sin and they died in the desert.
Paul says: “these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come.” In other words, what the Israelites went through was a warning to them, a warning many ignored. And now, this is recounted to us as instruction; we are to learn from their mistakes.
We are a people that doesn’t learn well from others’ mistakes. It seems fairly common that most Americans claim they need to live their own lives, make their own mistakes in order to learn. That, in a fact, should not be the way of the Christian. This isn’t the first time that we are told, in scripture, that history has been preserved for us in order that we might learn from it and not repeat the same mistakes.
Paul gives a list of the “lessons” we are to learn from the Jews’ experience in the desert:
• Not to desire evil as they did
• Do not be idolaters
• Not indulge in immorality
• Not put the Lord to the test
• Not grumble
It’s interesting that the list of “sins” really runs the gamut of human behavior, everything from indulging in immorality (adultery, pornography, fornication) to not grumbling to simply not desiring evil. And Paul doesn’t give self-help tips for avoiding these sins; he simply says not to do them.
In other words, in each action, in each thought, we have a choice. And he admonishes us to choose holiness and righteousness over sin, to choose the Lord over our flesh, to choose heaven over the world.
Paul ends, however, with this marvelous promise: “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
What’s interesting is that Paul doesn’t say “that you may be able to escape it,” but rather that you may be able to endure it.” Temptation isn’t something that comes fleetingly and then vanishes like a vapor into the air. Temptation comes as a battle we must fight, but a battle for which we are mightily equipped because God will provide the way of escape.
I think that, too often, we don’t look for the way of escape because, if the facts be known, we don’t want to have to endure the temptation, even if there is a way of escape. I think about the new studies that say that, once we’ve eaten the portions we know to be healthy, we need to wait 20 minutes because it takes that long for the brain to process that we are truly full. It seems to me that this might be similar to the idea of temptations. If we simply waited and refused to act on the temptation, rather than jumping right now on our first impulse, we would more readily see God’s way of escape and be able to take it.
Unfortunately, we have become a fast-food society, a people that want what we want right now without the waiting. Instant gratification. And that’s simply not how life is.
We need to learn to wait. Isaiah 40:31 says:
“they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” RSV
Psalm 27:14:
“Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
yea, wait for the Lord!” RSV
In fact, there are many verses about waiting upon the Lord and receiving strength after the waiting.
The Jews in the desert weren’t content to wait. They wanted the promise now, rather than waiting until they reached the Promised Land. As Christians, we need to learn to wait for the gratification that will eventually come, both here on earth, but moreso in Heaven. We need to learn to deny ourselves, to put off the sin, and to persevere through this life, as hard as it is, so that we might one day receive the Hope of the Promise . . . eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now these things are warnings for us, not to desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to dance.” We must not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents; nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. RSV
Historical accounts in the Old Testament are both true and pictorial. In that, I mean that they both actually happened and have been recounted for us as a way for God to show us truths of our relationship with Him.
The children of Israel were freed from Egypt and given the hope of the Promised Land, Judea. Between the two, there was a journey they would have to make. In normal travel, it would take a matter of days. In actuality, because of their sin, it took 40 years.
Paul shares with us that there were those in the company who left Egypt (left the life of sin) but never reached the Promised Land. While they were witnesses and participants in a number of miracles, they continued to allow themselves to be tempted into sin and they died in the desert.
Paul says: “these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come.” In other words, what the Israelites went through was a warning to them, a warning many ignored. And now, this is recounted to us as instruction; we are to learn from their mistakes.
We are a people that doesn’t learn well from others’ mistakes. It seems fairly common that most Americans claim they need to live their own lives, make their own mistakes in order to learn. That, in a fact, should not be the way of the Christian. This isn’t the first time that we are told, in scripture, that history has been preserved for us in order that we might learn from it and not repeat the same mistakes.
Paul gives a list of the “lessons” we are to learn from the Jews’ experience in the desert:
• Not to desire evil as they did
• Do not be idolaters
• Not indulge in immorality
• Not put the Lord to the test
• Not grumble
It’s interesting that the list of “sins” really runs the gamut of human behavior, everything from indulging in immorality (adultery, pornography, fornication) to not grumbling to simply not desiring evil. And Paul doesn’t give self-help tips for avoiding these sins; he simply says not to do them.
In other words, in each action, in each thought, we have a choice. And he admonishes us to choose holiness and righteousness over sin, to choose the Lord over our flesh, to choose heaven over the world.
Paul ends, however, with this marvelous promise: “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
What’s interesting is that Paul doesn’t say “that you may be able to escape it,” but rather that you may be able to endure it.” Temptation isn’t something that comes fleetingly and then vanishes like a vapor into the air. Temptation comes as a battle we must fight, but a battle for which we are mightily equipped because God will provide the way of escape.
I think that, too often, we don’t look for the way of escape because, if the facts be known, we don’t want to have to endure the temptation, even if there is a way of escape. I think about the new studies that say that, once we’ve eaten the portions we know to be healthy, we need to wait 20 minutes because it takes that long for the brain to process that we are truly full. It seems to me that this might be similar to the idea of temptations. If we simply waited and refused to act on the temptation, rather than jumping right now on our first impulse, we would more readily see God’s way of escape and be able to take it.
Unfortunately, we have become a fast-food society, a people that want what we want right now without the waiting. Instant gratification. And that’s simply not how life is.
We need to learn to wait. Isaiah 40:31 says:
“they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” RSV
Psalm 27:14:
“Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
yea, wait for the Lord!” RSV
In fact, there are many verses about waiting upon the Lord and receiving strength after the waiting.
The Jews in the desert weren’t content to wait. They wanted the promise now, rather than waiting until they reached the Promised Land. As Christians, we need to learn to wait for the gratification that will eventually come, both here on earth, but moreso in Heaven. We need to learn to deny ourselves, to put off the sin, and to persevere through this life, as hard as it is, so that we might one day receive the Hope of the Promise . . . eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
1 Corinthians 5:12-13
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Drive out the wicked person from among you.” RSV
Scripture talks a lot about not judging others. And then, Paul comes along and commands us to judge others. It seems to contradict itself. This isn’t the kind of judgement that brings condemnation or punishment, but rather is the kind of judgement that calls into question. It is, in fact, the judgement that is done in love and demands that another believer turn away from their sin.
Matthew Henry says:
“. . . as to members of the church, they are within, are professedly bound by the laws and rules of Christianity, and not only liable to the judgment of God, but to the censures of those who are set over them, and the fellow-members of the same body, when they transgress those rules. Every Christian is bound to judge them unfit for communion and familiar converse. They are to be punished, by having this mark of disgrace put upon them, that they may be shamed, and, if possible, reclaimed thereby: and the more because the sins of such much more dishonour God than the sins of the openly wicked and profane can do. The church therefore is obliged to clear herself from all confederacy with them, or connivance at them, and to bear testimony against their wicked practices. Note, Though the church has nothing to do with those without, it must endeavour to keep clear of the guilt and reproach of those within.”
J. Vernon McGee writes:
“Paul says that he is not judging the people on the outside. That is not his business. He is to judge those inside the church. God will judge those who are on the outside. It is the business of the church to judge evil which is in the church.
“We are interested to know how things worked out in Corinth. To find the answer we need to turn to 2 Corinthians 2:4–8: “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.”
“This immoral man had come in deep repentance after Paul put it down on the line in his previous epistle. Today we need a great deal of courage—not compromise—in the church to point out these things and say, “This is sin.” I think that when this is done, the believer who is in sin will confess, like this man in Corinth and like David did, and will repent and change his ways. The Corinthian church handled this very nicely. Why? Because Paul had the courage to write this kind of letter. In 2 Corinthians Paul explains why he had done it: “Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you” (2 Cor. 7:12).
“Paul says that he wrote as he did for the welfare of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we hear this flimsy, hypocritical attitude: “Well, we don’t want to air this thing. We don’t want to cause trouble. We’ll just sweep it under the rug.” My friend, God cannot bless a church or an individual that does this. If God did bless, God would be a liar. And you know that God is no liar. He will judge inaction in a case like this.”
The fact is, Pastor McGee is right! When we refuse to deal with the sin that is within our midst as a church, we weaken the church. Think about it! It’s one of the things that’s happening within the American Church. We accept other Christians—and even pastors—who are obviously living in sin, catering to the lusts of their flesh, and we treat it as if it is simply common behavior for all believers! We accept their weak excuses and think that we can simply ignore it and go on.
Why do we love our sin so much and our Lord so little that we would dishonor Him by doing this? The Christians who are effective in witnessing, in ministry, in life are the Christians who have enough fortitude to stand up for the obviously morality that is taught in scripture, who deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow the Lord (rather than their own desires). We accept rationalizations like: “I made a mistake” or “I have an addiction” or “I couldn’t help myself.” Really? The fact is, we all know better. Our consciences have been quickened by the Holy Spirit. We (and they) knew the behavior was wrong.
We need to call a spade a spade, a sin a sin. And sin demands one response: repentance.
Repentance is more than simply saying one’s sorry. It’s making amends and turning back to go another way (the righteous, obedient way). A pastor who apologizes for the divorce he is still determine to have is not repentant. A man who has stolen from his company, who claims to be sorry for his actions, but who refuses to fully embrace the consequences of his choices (including imprisonment if that is warranted) isn’t repentant. A woman who commits adultery and justifies it because she is in a hard marriage isn’t repentant.
There is a difference between being repentant and being sorry one was caught. Christians are required to be repentant. If they aren’t, they are to be ousted from the fellowship of the community in hopes that the shame and isolation will compel them back to the Lord.
Scripture talks a lot about not judging others. And then, Paul comes along and commands us to judge others. It seems to contradict itself. This isn’t the kind of judgement that brings condemnation or punishment, but rather is the kind of judgement that calls into question. It is, in fact, the judgement that is done in love and demands that another believer turn away from their sin.
Matthew Henry says:
“. . . as to members of the church, they are within, are professedly bound by the laws and rules of Christianity, and not only liable to the judgment of God, but to the censures of those who are set over them, and the fellow-members of the same body, when they transgress those rules. Every Christian is bound to judge them unfit for communion and familiar converse. They are to be punished, by having this mark of disgrace put upon them, that they may be shamed, and, if possible, reclaimed thereby: and the more because the sins of such much more dishonour God than the sins of the openly wicked and profane can do. The church therefore is obliged to clear herself from all confederacy with them, or connivance at them, and to bear testimony against their wicked practices. Note, Though the church has nothing to do with those without, it must endeavour to keep clear of the guilt and reproach of those within.”
J. Vernon McGee writes:
“Paul says that he is not judging the people on the outside. That is not his business. He is to judge those inside the church. God will judge those who are on the outside. It is the business of the church to judge evil which is in the church.
“We are interested to know how things worked out in Corinth. To find the answer we need to turn to 2 Corinthians 2:4–8: “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.”
“This immoral man had come in deep repentance after Paul put it down on the line in his previous epistle. Today we need a great deal of courage—not compromise—in the church to point out these things and say, “This is sin.” I think that when this is done, the believer who is in sin will confess, like this man in Corinth and like David did, and will repent and change his ways. The Corinthian church handled this very nicely. Why? Because Paul had the courage to write this kind of letter. In 2 Corinthians Paul explains why he had done it: “Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you” (2 Cor. 7:12).
“Paul says that he wrote as he did for the welfare of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we hear this flimsy, hypocritical attitude: “Well, we don’t want to air this thing. We don’t want to cause trouble. We’ll just sweep it under the rug.” My friend, God cannot bless a church or an individual that does this. If God did bless, God would be a liar. And you know that God is no liar. He will judge inaction in a case like this.”
The fact is, Pastor McGee is right! When we refuse to deal with the sin that is within our midst as a church, we weaken the church. Think about it! It’s one of the things that’s happening within the American Church. We accept other Christians—and even pastors—who are obviously living in sin, catering to the lusts of their flesh, and we treat it as if it is simply common behavior for all believers! We accept their weak excuses and think that we can simply ignore it and go on.
Why do we love our sin so much and our Lord so little that we would dishonor Him by doing this? The Christians who are effective in witnessing, in ministry, in life are the Christians who have enough fortitude to stand up for the obviously morality that is taught in scripture, who deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow the Lord (rather than their own desires). We accept rationalizations like: “I made a mistake” or “I have an addiction” or “I couldn’t help myself.” Really? The fact is, we all know better. Our consciences have been quickened by the Holy Spirit. We (and they) knew the behavior was wrong.
We need to call a spade a spade, a sin a sin. And sin demands one response: repentance.
Repentance is more than simply saying one’s sorry. It’s making amends and turning back to go another way (the righteous, obedient way). A pastor who apologizes for the divorce he is still determine to have is not repentant. A man who has stolen from his company, who claims to be sorry for his actions, but who refuses to fully embrace the consequences of his choices (including imprisonment if that is warranted) isn’t repentant. A woman who commits adultery and justifies it because she is in a hard marriage isn’t repentant.
There is a difference between being repentant and being sorry one was caught. Christians are required to be repentant. If they aren’t, they are to be ousted from the fellowship of the community in hopes that the shame and isolation will compel them back to the Lord.
Monday, November 12, 2007
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Drive out the wicked person from among you.” RSV
If we, the Church, were more obedient to God’s Word, churches would probably be much smaller. Paul’s admonition here is for Christians not to associate with those bear “the name of brother” if:
• They are immoral
• They are greedy
• They are an idolater
• They are a reviler
• They are a drunkard
• They are a robber
Immoral: Literally translated “fornicator.” Having sex with someone to whom you’re not married. Our Lord Jesus told us that even lusting after someone is considered to be sexual sin:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28
Unfortunately, as a Church, we support even pastors who lust after those to whom they aren’t married. We have failed to define and then support biblical marriage. Instead, we have followed after the example of our secular society to preach that marriage is about being happy and finding one’s soul mate. Nothing about controlling one’s lusts or emotions.
Paul tells us not to associate with the people who practice such things, who are immoral, who fornicate.
Greedy: Holding or wanting more. Covetous. The dictionary defines “covet” as “to wish for earnestly.”
How many of us don’t wish for a better car? A nicer house? More money? Newer clothes? More improved technology? A bigger TV?
“To wish for earnestly.”
Idolater: One who worships anything other than God.
When we worship, we give extravagant respect or devotion to something or someone.
The other day, a young woman posted a video on YouTube. This young woman was hysterical and ranting on about how everyone should just leave Britney Spears alone.
Worship.
Our Lord Jesus tells us: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34 RSV)
Where is our treasure? What do we worship? We can answer those questions by observation, even observing ourselves. What do we spend time with? What do we spend our resources on? That’s where our heart is.
Reviler: Someone who scolds others using abusive or harsh language. An abuser.
Is our anger out of control? Do we use words (or actions) to try to manipulate, rather than to minister?
Control is important to many people. Often people use words to try to control others, to try to assuage their own pain.
I remember one woman. I don’t know whether or not she was a believer, but she was a psychologist. She became irate at something I did (which wasn’t at all what she thought it was). She came to my work and, in public, proceeded to dress me down for insulting and hurting her.
Reviling. Railing. Scolding.
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22 RSV)
We are to forgive. We are to minister. Sometimes ministering means being firm. But it never means being insulting or abusive.
Drunkard: Someone who is habitually drunk.
Alcohol, drugs, intoxicating substances . . . none of that should be part of a believer’s life. Ever.
People imbibed because they are in pain. They are in pain because they have no hope. We have both a Hope and Someone to whom we can go to when things are dark and painful. Our recourse should be prayer, not masking the pain.
In today’s society, we use many things to escape pain. Often those things become addictive: shopping, partying, computer games, TV, Internet chats. There are others.
To whom or what did the psalmist David escape when he was suffering?
I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief,
it grows weak because of all my foes.
Depart from me, all you workers of evil;
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
All my enemies shall be ashamed and sorely troubled;
they shall turn back, and be put to shame in a moment.
(Psalm 6:6-10 RSV)
This is a description of abject pain. And yet, to whom does the psalmist turn? To the Lord. To prayer. To faith in God.
Robber: Rapacious. Extortion. Thievery. Someone who covets what isn’t theirs and takes it by illegal and immoral means.
Do we lie on our income taxes? We have stolen what isn’t ours.
Do we use time at work for personal business (other than our allotted breaks)? We have stolen what isn’t ours.
Do we charge for purchases and then declare bankruptcy? We have stolen what isn’t ours.
The key to all of this are Paul’s words: . . . if he is guilty. Those of us (and yes, I’m included in this list) who have committed these sins, repented of them, and are forgiven are no longer guilty! (In fact, later, in 2 Corinthians, Paul tells the Corinthian church to restore the man in question because he has repented.)
What does it mean to repent? Is it enough simply to say “I’m sorry”?
No.
Repentance is about three things: (1) Asking for and accepting God’s forgiveness; (2) Restoring what has been taken, if at all possible; and (3) Turning around and going a different direction (e.g. never doing it again).
The dictionary gives this definition of repent: “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life.” We become “not guilty” when we repent.
However, until a person repents, Paul gives a very strong admonition: But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty . . . not even to eat with such a one.
We are commanded to cut off relations with those who choose to sin until such time as they truly repent.
Do we do this in our churches? No. In fact, we boast about how tolerant we are of sinners, how much we embrace and love them. But, if we are not being obedient to scripture, do we truly love them or are we only loving ourselves? God gave us commandments for a reason. It’s because this is how things work best! Isn’t it about time we started doing what He has commanded?
If we, the Church, were more obedient to God’s Word, churches would probably be much smaller. Paul’s admonition here is for Christians not to associate with those bear “the name of brother” if:
• They are immoral
• They are greedy
• They are an idolater
• They are a reviler
• They are a drunkard
• They are a robber
Immoral: Literally translated “fornicator.” Having sex with someone to whom you’re not married. Our Lord Jesus told us that even lusting after someone is considered to be sexual sin:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28
Unfortunately, as a Church, we support even pastors who lust after those to whom they aren’t married. We have failed to define and then support biblical marriage. Instead, we have followed after the example of our secular society to preach that marriage is about being happy and finding one’s soul mate. Nothing about controlling one’s lusts or emotions.
Paul tells us not to associate with the people who practice such things, who are immoral, who fornicate.
Greedy: Holding or wanting more. Covetous. The dictionary defines “covet” as “to wish for earnestly.”
How many of us don’t wish for a better car? A nicer house? More money? Newer clothes? More improved technology? A bigger TV?
“To wish for earnestly.”
Idolater: One who worships anything other than God.
When we worship, we give extravagant respect or devotion to something or someone.
The other day, a young woman posted a video on YouTube. This young woman was hysterical and ranting on about how everyone should just leave Britney Spears alone.
Worship.
Our Lord Jesus tells us: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34 RSV)
Where is our treasure? What do we worship? We can answer those questions by observation, even observing ourselves. What do we spend time with? What do we spend our resources on? That’s where our heart is.
Reviler: Someone who scolds others using abusive or harsh language. An abuser.
Is our anger out of control? Do we use words (or actions) to try to manipulate, rather than to minister?
Control is important to many people. Often people use words to try to control others, to try to assuage their own pain.
I remember one woman. I don’t know whether or not she was a believer, but she was a psychologist. She became irate at something I did (which wasn’t at all what she thought it was). She came to my work and, in public, proceeded to dress me down for insulting and hurting her.
Reviling. Railing. Scolding.
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22 RSV)
We are to forgive. We are to minister. Sometimes ministering means being firm. But it never means being insulting or abusive.
Drunkard: Someone who is habitually drunk.
Alcohol, drugs, intoxicating substances . . . none of that should be part of a believer’s life. Ever.
People imbibed because they are in pain. They are in pain because they have no hope. We have both a Hope and Someone to whom we can go to when things are dark and painful. Our recourse should be prayer, not masking the pain.
In today’s society, we use many things to escape pain. Often those things become addictive: shopping, partying, computer games, TV, Internet chats. There are others.
To whom or what did the psalmist David escape when he was suffering?
I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief,
it grows weak because of all my foes.
Depart from me, all you workers of evil;
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
All my enemies shall be ashamed and sorely troubled;
they shall turn back, and be put to shame in a moment.
(Psalm 6:6-10 RSV)
This is a description of abject pain. And yet, to whom does the psalmist turn? To the Lord. To prayer. To faith in God.
Robber: Rapacious. Extortion. Thievery. Someone who covets what isn’t theirs and takes it by illegal and immoral means.
Do we lie on our income taxes? We have stolen what isn’t ours.
Do we use time at work for personal business (other than our allotted breaks)? We have stolen what isn’t ours.
Do we charge for purchases and then declare bankruptcy? We have stolen what isn’t ours.
The key to all of this are Paul’s words: . . . if he is guilty. Those of us (and yes, I’m included in this list) who have committed these sins, repented of them, and are forgiven are no longer guilty! (In fact, later, in 2 Corinthians, Paul tells the Corinthian church to restore the man in question because he has repented.)
What does it mean to repent? Is it enough simply to say “I’m sorry”?
No.
Repentance is about three things: (1) Asking for and accepting God’s forgiveness; (2) Restoring what has been taken, if at all possible; and (3) Turning around and going a different direction (e.g. never doing it again).
The dictionary gives this definition of repent: “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life.” We become “not guilty” when we repent.
However, until a person repents, Paul gives a very strong admonition: But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty . . . not even to eat with such a one.
We are commanded to cut off relations with those who choose to sin until such time as they truly repent.
Do we do this in our churches? No. In fact, we boast about how tolerant we are of sinners, how much we embrace and love them. But, if we are not being obedient to scripture, do we truly love them or are we only loving ourselves? God gave us commandments for a reason. It’s because this is how things work best! Isn’t it about time we started doing what He has commanded?
Sunday, November 11, 2007
1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. RSV
Paul has been admonishing the Corinthian church for allowing (even welcoming) within their midst a man who is knowingly sinning . . . and continues to sin. This is a huge deal in our churches today because we embrace, even in our leadership, those who not only have sinned in the past, but who continue to embrace their sin in one way or another. We refuse to judge them based on the scripture in Matthew 7: Judge not, that you be not judged (v. 1, RSV). But I think the reason we refuse to judge is revealing. I think we refuse to judge, not out of some sense of obedience to God’s word, but because we don’t want anyone messing around in our lives. The old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” We embrace sinners because we are sinners ourselves, but more than that: We don’t have to give up our own sin. By embracing the sin of others, we feel protected, justified.
Paul cuts to the heart of all this: Your boasting is not good. You might say, “Well, I don’t boast.” But by insisting that you are accepting, tolerant, basing your argument (wrongly) on Matthew 7:1, you are boasting. I am boasting when I embrace the sinner without addressing the sin in her life. There are many churches in America who define themselves as reaching out to the disenfranchised, the lost, the hurting. Unfortunately, for most of the people attending these churches, the issues of their sins is rarely addressed. “Oh, well,” you might say, “at least they are saved.” But are they? Are they truly living lives obedient to the Word of God? Paul tells in a number of places in the Word that those who embrace sin consciously and continually will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Does a sinner who chooses to sin truly love God?
Not only that, but Paul tells us here (as he has stated earlier in chapter 5) to refuse to associate with the unrepentant believer: “Cleanse out of the old leaven . . . the leaven of malice and evil.” Here Paul gives two synonyms: kakia and poneria. Think about how one uses synonyms. They are most often used to make a point, to emphasize what one wants to say. Both these words connote evilness, wickedness, maliciousness. Paul is telling us that sin, chosen over and over again, has not place within the family of God. Not within our corporate family and not within our own lives. As Father God—through scripture, through the words of another, through the soft voice of His Spirit—reveals the sin within our lives, we are to cut it out, to discard it, to abandon it completely.
Why would Paul, then, tell us to embrace “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth?” Think about it! When we turn our backs on sin, regardless of where it is found, we are being sincere in our faith. When we leave sin behind, wherever we find it, we are being truthful about being believers.
Matthew Henry states:
“Christians should be careful to keep themselves clean, as well as purge polluted members out of their society. And they should especially avoid the sins to which they themselves were once most addicted, and the reigning vices of the places and the people where they live.”
Do we avoid the sins of America, of our society, of our culture? Or do we embrace them, excuse them, justify them, ignore them? As Christians and as Americans, these are questions we need to seriously consider.
Paul has been admonishing the Corinthian church for allowing (even welcoming) within their midst a man who is knowingly sinning . . . and continues to sin. This is a huge deal in our churches today because we embrace, even in our leadership, those who not only have sinned in the past, but who continue to embrace their sin in one way or another. We refuse to judge them based on the scripture in Matthew 7: Judge not, that you be not judged (v. 1, RSV). But I think the reason we refuse to judge is revealing. I think we refuse to judge, not out of some sense of obedience to God’s word, but because we don’t want anyone messing around in our lives. The old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” We embrace sinners because we are sinners ourselves, but more than that: We don’t have to give up our own sin. By embracing the sin of others, we feel protected, justified.
Paul cuts to the heart of all this: Your boasting is not good. You might say, “Well, I don’t boast.” But by insisting that you are accepting, tolerant, basing your argument (wrongly) on Matthew 7:1, you are boasting. I am boasting when I embrace the sinner without addressing the sin in her life. There are many churches in America who define themselves as reaching out to the disenfranchised, the lost, the hurting. Unfortunately, for most of the people attending these churches, the issues of their sins is rarely addressed. “Oh, well,” you might say, “at least they are saved.” But are they? Are they truly living lives obedient to the Word of God? Paul tells in a number of places in the Word that those who embrace sin consciously and continually will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Does a sinner who chooses to sin truly love God?
Not only that, but Paul tells us here (as he has stated earlier in chapter 5) to refuse to associate with the unrepentant believer: “Cleanse out of the old leaven . . . the leaven of malice and evil.” Here Paul gives two synonyms: kakia and poneria. Think about how one uses synonyms. They are most often used to make a point, to emphasize what one wants to say. Both these words connote evilness, wickedness, maliciousness. Paul is telling us that sin, chosen over and over again, has not place within the family of God. Not within our corporate family and not within our own lives. As Father God—through scripture, through the words of another, through the soft voice of His Spirit—reveals the sin within our lives, we are to cut it out, to discard it, to abandon it completely.
Why would Paul, then, tell us to embrace “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth?” Think about it! When we turn our backs on sin, regardless of where it is found, we are being sincere in our faith. When we leave sin behind, wherever we find it, we are being truthful about being believers.
Matthew Henry states:
“Christians should be careful to keep themselves clean, as well as purge polluted members out of their society. And they should especially avoid the sins to which they themselves were once most addicted, and the reigning vices of the places and the people where they live.”
Do we avoid the sins of America, of our society, of our culture? Or do we embrace them, excuse them, justify them, ignore them? As Christians and as Americans, these are questions we need to seriously consider.
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