Today's Quick Word
Today’s Quick Word
1 Corinthians 5:12-13 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” […]
1 Corinthians 5:12-13 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
Biblical church discipline is a sensitive subject. The situation in the fledgling church in Corinth was quite problematic. Everyone knew about a case of gross immorality involving forbidden incest (Leviticus 18:8; Deuteronomy 22:30, 27:20) in a family within the membership, and by turning a blind eye to this wickedness, they were actually condoning it. The failure to ‘call it out’ and deal decisively with it is likened to the effect of yeast in a batch of dough.
Throughout the history of the Church, including its Old Testament prototype in the nation of Israel, such failure has continually led to widespread apostasy. But, on the other hand, we have Jesus’ warning in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1), and churches have used this warning to overlook things that have resulted in the sort of outcome that the Risen Lord Jesus Christ condemned in the seven letters he dictated to the Apostle John for the churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3). And we also note that immediately after the ‘Judge not’ warning in Matthew 7:1, we have Jesus’ warning against ‘throwing pearls to pigs’, the heeding of which requires discerning judgement.
So the application of Paul’s injunction in particuar cases, while essential, requires, in the light of Jesus’ warning, very careful and prayerful collegiate wisdom. Nevertheless, Paul’s other stated principle in today’s verse must not be overlooked.
Whereas we must be diligent, decisive and effective in dealing with sinful behaviour within the Body of Christ, that is not to be the practice so far as outsiders are concerned. In the case of ‘the world’ (ie unbelievers), we are to focus, not on their sin, but on the gospel which IS “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Jesus himself made his primary purpose clear: “… I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day” (John 12:47b-48), and we are to have the same attitude to lost sinners.
– Bruce Christian
