1 Corinthians 5:12-13 Come to God; He Will Come to 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 man from among you.”

Paul asks the Corinthians to deal with the sin within their congregation rather than to be so concerned about the world around them.  God will judge those outside the church.  He wants them to realize how they must look to the people of Corinth who knew this sin existed within the church.  By allowing the sin of incest within their congregation, they compromised their testimony of a Christian life of righteousness and purity to those who did not know Christ.  Paul was concerned especially about this open practice of incest within the church because of its deviation from even the secular community's sexual mores and acceptable behaviors.  Even the pagans of Corinth were uncomfortable with this kind of sexual activity: It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.  (1 Corinthians 5:1).  Paul wanted the church to judge this behavior within the church, knowing it is irreparably wrong and, consequently, must be dealt with by removing the people who practice this sexual deviation from their community.  Expel the wicked man from among you.  However, Paul is also concerned about other sinful practices tolerated within the church: But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.  With such a man do not even eat.  (1 Corinthians 5:11)  He wants the Corinthian church to realize they should be light in the world, salt to a sinful people.  If they are like the unbelieving Corinthians in their behavior and attitude, they cannot be light or salt to them.  They cannot bring life to the dead souls of the lost, for they will be viewed by the unbelievers as just another way of thinking and living and not as the only way to everlasting life.

Of course, we find numerous scriptures in the New Testament telling us to put off the sinful nature and to resist the old way of living.  Paul clearly asked the church at Colossia to turn from the wicked ways of their former lives: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  (Colossians 3:5-8)  The Word is strong and clear here.  You put to death the sins from your carnal nature, and you get rid of all the things that keep you from showing forth the light of Christ in your life.  Of course, Paul is writing to believers, and he knows they have the Holy Spirit within them to empower them to walk by faith and to overcome the evil one.  Yet he expects them to seek God earnestly and to reject sin wholeheartedly in their lives.  As James said: Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  (James 4:7-8)  Again, James is asking something from the believer.  He is asking submission and yielding to God, not a part-time faith.  We will find this message throughout God's Word, where people of faith are exhorted to turn away from the things of the world and towards God.  Peter wrote a message similar to what we read from Paul when he said: Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.  (1 Peter 2:1-3)  These men of God knew that it was important for believers to rid themselves of the old sinful nature of man that is prone to give in to temptation and is easily led astray.  They encouraged the church to hold fast to their faith and to keep their eyes upon Jesus.  This is our goal: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:2 KJV)

Paul not only reminds the church they must remove such open sin from their congregation, but he tells them they must leave judgment of the rest of the world to God: God will judge those outside.  Sometimes when we see so much open sin around us, we want to begin to judge everything, but that is not our job.  We read in the Bible: For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  (Hebrew 10:30-31)  As this scripture says, it is a terrible thing to fall into God's hands.  We can trust God to mete out fair judgment.  If it were up to us, we would not be impartial, consistent, or capable of judging correctly, for we do not have the mind of the Lord.  In addition, God has asked us to love and to forgive.  That would be difficult if we simultaneously were judging people.  Jesus said, But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.  If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.  (Luke 6:27-31)  Jesus goes on in this passage to tell us to do good to others, expecting nothing in return.  He says be merciful as God is merciful and to forgive as we have been forgiven.  This is the nature of Jesus.  He is the One who is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to eternal life in him.  Remember, the reason Paul wants the people who are openly glorying in their sin pushed out of the church is that their souls might be saved.  Whatever we do, whatever we say, our motivation should be for the glory of God and his kingdom.  As we close this breakfast today, we ask the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, to renew our first love, to make our lights shine brightly for Jesus wherever we go.  Bless you dear brothers and sisters.