Note from Jesus
Dear Beloved,
In My family, there are times when direct discipline from the Father is necessary in the lives of His children (1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:5-11). Throughout your New Testament, you can find different forms of discipline, correction, and rescue that My followers are instructed to use to reclaim those who have gone astray (Matthew 18:12-20; Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 6:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; James 5:19-20; Jude 1:20-25).
Today’s verses contain Paul’s strong words about a serious need for discipline. The new believers in Corinth were tolerating immorality within their group. This disorder was a type of immorality recognized as evil even among most non-believers. It involved sexual relations between a man and his father’s wife. The Corinthians not only allowed this blatant sin to continue, but they were also boasting about being open-minded enough to accept and fellowship those participating in this ongoing sin. The apostle Paul called such sin a “tragedy” and told the Corinthians that rather than being arrogant, they should “mourn” about such a “terrible” sin in their community and that the sinner should “be removed from the community.”
I know that some in Your culture frown on the discipline Paul advocates in these verses. However, Paul appropriately reminds the Corinthian Christians that his words about discipline arise out of his “deep love” for them. There are certain moral standards in the Father’s family of grace. His children must demonstrate both His righteous character and His gracious compassion, not one to the exclusion of the other. The Father’s standards of morality are not arbitrary. Immorality damages the fabric of relationships and the basis of trust in a community. Immorality also damages and hardens the heart of the person involved in it.
Expelling those who were participating in this sin was necessary for the Corinthian fellowship if those in that fellowship were going to identify themselves as My disciples. However, this discipline must be done with two things in mind:
- This discipline was to be exercised so that the sinners could be “rescued” from their bondage to their sinful nature. In other words, it should be done so they would turn their lives around and come back to Me.
- This discipline was to be exercised so that My spiritual family could be freed from involvement in supporting immorality. If allowed unchecked, immorality would eventually permeate and destroy the fellowship and character of My disciples.
You should not remove yourself from the world with its immorality and corruption. I don’t intend for you to take yourself out of the world or to isolate yourselves from the world (John 17:14-19). Instead, I call you through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to be light to the darkness of your world and to be salt to preserve the world from its rot and decay caused by sin (Matthew 5:13-16). For this to happen, you must be people of righteous character. Your lives and morals must be in tune with the character of your Father in heaven.
Paul’s previous letter (see yesterday’s note for more on this) had taught the Corinthian Christians to be separate from worldliness and immorality. He makes clear in the verses today what he means. Paul is not suggesting that they withdraw from the society around them, but that as part of My body, the church, they not live by the world’s standards. There are moral standards for fellowship among My disciples. The Corinthian disciples needed to help each other live up to those standards. Rather than withdrawing from the sinful world, the Corinthian’s call was to live as My people of righteous character and gracious compassion in the world to redeem the world. That manner of living is also My call to you today. Be a people of righteous character and gracious compassion both inside the fellowship of My people and also in your relationships with those who do not yet call on Me as their Lord.
Verses to Live
In My church, there will always be some people who decide to continue in some types of sins — people who at one level long to honor Me, but who decide to participate in something sinful. The goal is that both these willful sinners and those who sometimes stumble and sin be transformed to become more and more like Me (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). So don’t let each other settle down into sin and simply accept that sin. Love each other enough to work on rescuing each other from sin. I love what Jude wrote about this kind of support in his short little letter:
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
Now all glory to God, Who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him Who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
(Jude 1:20-25 NLT)
Now for Paul’s words to the Corinthians:
Because of my deep love for you, I must express my concern about the report brought to me regarding the lewd and immoral behavior exhibited in your community. This scandal has come to my attention because this kind of thing is unheard of even among the outsiders around us: I understand a man is having sexual relations with his father’s wife. You have turned into an arrogant lot who refuse to see the tragedy right in front of your eyes and mourn for it. If you would face these hard realities, the one living in this sin would be removed from the community.
Despite the fact that I am not physically present with you, I am there in spirit and already have spoken judgment against the man who has engaged in this conduct. When you gather in the name of the Lord Jesus and I am present with you in spirit, and the infinite power of our Lord Jesus is present also, I direct you to release this man over to Satan so his rebellious nature will be destroyed and his spirit might be rescued in the day the Lord Jesus returns.
Your proud boasting in this matter is terrible. Don’t you understand that the tiniest infraction can bring about an unwelcome chain of events? That just a little yeast causes all the dough to rise? Get rid of all the old yeast; then you’ll become new dough, just as you are already a people without sin’s leavening influence. You see, the Anointed One is our Passover lamb; He has been sacrificed for us. So let the real feast begin. Get rid of all the old yeast, the yeast of hatred and evil. Throw it out so we can feast on the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
In the letter I wrote to you previously, I made it clear that you are not to band together with those who have embraced immoral lives. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not telling you to hole up and hunker down from the rest of the world. That’s impossible. The world is filled with immoral people consumed by their desire for more; they steal from one another without hesitation and will worship man-made idols with no shame at all. If you attempted to avoid these people, you would have to leave the world itself. What I was saying is that you should not associate with someone who calls himself a brother or sister but lives contrary to all we stand for: committing immoral sexual acts, consumed with desire for more, worshiping tangible lifeless things, using profanity, drinking into oblivion, swindling and cheating others. Do not even sit at the table with a person like this. Why would I ever attempt to judge those outside the church? Aren’t we called to judge those within the church? God judges the outsiders. Your job is this: “Expel the wicked from your own community.”
(1 Corinthians 5:1-13)
Response in Prayer
Father, I will confess to You that I am not always focused in my discipleship. I am not always as passionate as I should be about reaching out to those who are wandering away and who are trapped in sin. I ask for tender boldness to empathize with them, but also to have the strength to call them home to You and to the life You want them to lead. Give me wisdom and a heart of love as I do this. I don’t want to be self-righteous or arrogant, but full of compassion. Neither do I want to compromise Your call to holy living. I know how deeply You want Your “lost sheep” to be found and brought safely home. I ask for Your help in doing this, O Lord. In Jesus’ name, I ask this. Amen.
‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware.
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.