LIVE HOLY LIVES!

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”— I Corinthians 5:9-13

Now here is a challenging passage in many ways. First, we are to associate with the lost of this world who are involved in sinful practices of various sorts. They need to hear the good news! Second, we are not to associate, not even eat with someone “who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people.” The church is filled with people in process, but we are to seek to be holy as the Lord has said— “just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (I Peter 1:15). Third, “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” Yes, the church is responsible to make judgments in the sense of deciding to remove a person from the fellowship who claims to be a believer and yet “indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people.” Yes, those claiming to be a believer and yet are living a sinful lifestyle need to be addressed. This is what God’s Word tells us. Fourth, we are told not even to eat with this person that claims to be a believer. This whole direction the church must take is to encourage repentance in the wayward person that they would truly follow the Lord and seek to be holy… as all those claiming Christ are to be doing!

Dear Father, help me to live a holy life in the power of the Holy Spirit. I know I am not any better than anyone else. It is all about what You have done in my life. May I love and live in the authority of Jesus and be and do what He desires. May it be so! http://biblehub.com/greek/3687.htm