Be Careful Who You Judge

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” – 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 ESV

Evidently, Paul had sent another letter to the church in Corinth before this one. In it, he had warned them, “not to associate with sexually immoral people” (1 Corinthians 5:9 ESV). Yet, they had evidently not taken his advice. That one command makes their toleration of the sin within their midst all the more egregious. They had turned a blind eye to the individual in their fellowship who was having an incestuous affair with his stepmother. Rather than confront this man about his sin, they were willingly ignoring it and even bragging about their tolerance of it. And yet, according to these verses, the believers in Corinth were isolating themselves from the unbelievers in their city. They were practicing a form of isolationism, refusing to have anything to do with the lost, probably out of a sense of moral superiority.

But Paul wants to make himself perfectly clear. In his previous letter, he was in no way promoting a brand of monasticism or spiritual isolationism. To attempt to eliminate all contact with unbelieving sinners would require them to leave the world. It would be impossible for a believer to disassociate himself from all contact with the lost. In fact, to attempt to do so would go against Jesus’ call that we be salt and light in a world filled with moral decay and spiritual darkness. Jesus Himself was accused of associating with sinners. In fact, he went out of His way to spend time with those who, in His day, were deemed the worst of sinners.

If we adopt a policy of spiritual isolationism, it will be difficult to obey His command to “go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 6:15 NLT). Had Paul determined to have nothing to do with the immoral, greedy, swindlers, and idolaters, no one in Corinth would have ever come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. In the very next chapter, Paul reminds his audience of their former status as spiritual outcasts and moral misfits.

Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people — none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT

As Christians, it is so easy to judge the world and to view ourselves as morally superior because of our faith in Christ. But we should never forget that, before receiving God’s marvelous gift of grace, we were sinners, condemned, and unclean. We “lived in this world without God and without hope” (Ephesians 2:12 NLT). But God showed us mercy and graciously revealed to us the message of hope found in the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son. We were lost, but God sought us out and made us the undeserving sheep of His fold (Luke 15:1-7). We were spiritually blind, but God gave us sight. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God gave us new life through Christ.

We have no right to judge the lost of this world. We are not their moral superiors, and God did not choose us because we were somehow more deserving or had earned His favor. Before coming to faith in Christ, we were just as sinful and condemned.

It seems the Corinthians were quick to judge those outside their fellowship as moral misfits who were undeserving of their love and attention. But Paul clarifies that when he told them “not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin” (1 Corinthians 5:9 NLT), he wasn’t talking about unbelievers. 

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. – 1 Corinthians 5:11 NLT 

Paul wanted them to turn their attention inward and focus on the moral condition of their own flock. He wanted them to know that they had a God-given responsibility to judge one another as believers. The Greek word Paul uses is κρίνω (krinō), and it carries a range of meanings. It can mean “to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong,” but it can also mean, “to pronounce judgment, to subject to censure” (“G2919 - krinō - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible).

There is a sense in which believers are to judge one another’s actions, but that judgment is not to be arbitrary or subjective. It is not left up to our own opinions or personal preferences. With the assistance of the Spirit of God, we are to use the Word of God to determine whether the behavior of a brother or sister in Christ is in keeping with the will of God. If we find that their behavior is out of step with God’s will, our first goal should be restoration. Paul told the Galatians, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1 NLT). James wrote something very similar.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. – James 5:19-20 NLT

If we “judge” or determine that a fellow believer is behaving sinfully, we have an obligation to lovingly confront them, but our goal is their repentance and restoration. In those cases where they refuse to repent, we have a responsibility to practice a form of tough love, out of concern for the well-being of the body of Christ. We have an obligation to remove the unrepentant from our fellowship so that their behavior does not become infectious and destroy the spiritual health of the flock. Paul warned the Corinthians, “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” (1 Corinthians 5:11 NLT). Their lifestyle choices did not match their professed belief in Jesus. By their actions, they were bringing shame and dishonor to the name of God. They were a cancerous threat to the body of Christ, and the Corinthians’ refusal to remove them was allowing their sinful, disobedient mindset to infect others.

It is our willful tolerance of sin in the camp that causes the body of Christ to be weak and anemic. We are more than willing to judge unbelievers, pointing our fingers at their sinfulness and pridefully claiming the moral high ground. But when it comes to the blatant sins of those who claim to be Christ followers, we are more than willing to turn a blind eye and act as if nothing is wrong. That is exactly what the Corinthians had done. There was sin in their midst, and they had chosen to ignore it. Like so many of us today, they were probably saying, “Who am I to judge?” Or they defended their lack of judgment by using the words of Jesus.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” – Matthew 7:1-3 NLT

But Jesus meant that we were not to pass judgment on those whom we have no authority to do so. The context of Jesus’ statement is hypocrisy — judging someone else when you have not effectively dealt with your own sin. He was referring to judging and condemning the “speck” of sin in someone else’s life while ignoring the “log” of sin in your own.

Judgment is appropriate and right when done with the spiritual well-being of the body of Christ in mind. We have a responsibility to protect the integrity of God’s household, removing those who reject our calls to repentance. The fact is, we all sin, but we are called to confess our sins and turn from them. When we do, God is faithful to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But if we choose to remain unrepentant, our brothers and sisters in Christ have an obligation to step in and call us out.

As Paul so clearly states, “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning” (1 Corinthians 5:12 NLT). And the apostle Peter echoes Paul’s words when he writes, “For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household” (1 Peter 4:17 NLT).

Father, this is a difficult passage because it not only sounds impossible to pull off, but it isn’t very appealing. Judging unbelievers is easy because their sins are so apparent, and when I find fault in them, it makes me feel better about myself. But You are far more concerned about the sin in my life and the sins I so easily tolerate within the body of Christ. Of all people, we have no excuse for our sinfulness because we have been forgiven, redeemed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. As Peter states, You have “given us everything we need for life and godliness” (1 Peter 1:3). Yet, we keep on sinning and then try to justify our actions as somehow normal and acceptable. We not only tolerate the sin in our own lives, but we turn a blind eye to the sins of others who claim to be Christ followers. Give us a growing distaste and dissatisfaction for the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1). Increase our desire to live set apart lives and to remove the sin from our camp so that we reflect the character of Christ to a lost and dying world. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Tough Love

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 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. – 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 ESV

Paul has threatened to come to Corinth, wielding a rod of discipline like a father to his disobedient children. And there is more going on within the Corinthian congregation than simply their prideful bickering over who is following which leader. While they were busy arguing over whether Paul was better than Apollos or Cephas was a better leader than Paul, other sins had crept into the congregation. They had been so busy boasting over their spiritual superiority that they had failed to recognize what was happening right under their noses. In fact, according to Paul, it didn’t even bother them.

Paul had received word that there was a man in the church who was having sexual relations with his father’s wife. It seems that this involved the man’s stepmother, not his biological birth mother. And there is some indication that the man’s father was no longer alive. But Paul still referred to what was going on as “sexual immorality.” The Greek word he used is πορνεία (porneia). The Greeks primarily used this word to refer to prostitution or the act of engaging a prostitute and paying for sexual pleasure. But the Jews had adapted the word and given it a much more robust meaning. For them, it covered “adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, and intercourse with animals, etc.” (“G4202 - porneia - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible).

Paul seems to be using the word with its Hebrew meaning in mind. He describes what is going on as a form of porneia “that is not tolerated even among pagans” (1 Corinthians 5:1 ESV). The non-Christians in Corinth would never have condoned a man sleeping with his father’s wife, even if she was a widow. And yet the church was not only tolerating it, but they were also evidently proud of it.

“It is this lack of a sense of sin, and therefore of any ethical consequences to their life in the Spirit, that marks the Corinthian brand of spirituality as radically different from that which flows out of the gospel of Christ crucified. And it is precisely this failure to recognize the depth of their corporate sinfulness due to their arrogance that causes Paul to take such strong action as is described in the next sentence.” – Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, p. 203

As a fellowship, they displayed no remorse, regret, or repentance. Their understanding of Christianity was missing any ethical or moral dimension. It seems that they had allowed their faith in Christ to become nothing more than a pursuit of knowledge that lacked any influence over their behavior.

Paul calls them proud and arrogant. It is as if they believed that their moral tolerance was somehow a badge of honor. They were distorting the concept of grace by turning a blind eye to the sin taking place among them. Paul accuses them of being accepting and tolerant of anything and everyone. They had somehow rationalized the man’s behavior, deeming it not only acceptable but normal. However, Paul had a radically different view. He demanded that they “throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed” (1 Corinthians 5:5 NLT).

Paul practiced a zero-tolerance policy when it came to sexual sin. Evidently, this man displayed no repentance or even remorse. He had not confessed his sin to the congregation, asking for forgiveness and pledging to change his behavior. He was arrogantly practicing his immorality right in front of them, and they were readily accepting of it.

Paul’s recommendation to turn this man over to Satan simply means that they were to cast him out of their fellowship and allow him to suffer the consequences of his immoral decision. Paul firmly believed in the truth that you reap what you sow. He told the Galatian believers: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8 ESV). He wrote something similar to the believers in Rome.

But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. – Romans 6:21 ESV

Two verses later, he added, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 ESV). While a life of sin ultimately leads to physical death, it can also bring about spiritual death, even while we still draw breath. Paul was suggesting that they remove this man from their midst and allow him to reap the full consequences of his immoral choices. The English Standard Version translates verse 5 as “you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.”

Certain commentators believe Paul was referring to the man’s physical death. The Greek word Paul uses is σάρξ (sarx), and while it can refer to the physical body, it was also commonly used to refer to “the sensuous nature of man, ‘the animal nature’” or “the animal nature with cravings which incite to sin” (“G4561 - sarx - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible). It would seem that Paul was interested in seeing this man suffer the consequences of his immoral lifestyle. It recalls the words he wrote in his letter to the Romans, when he spoke about the sinfulness of mankind.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves…For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. – Romans 1:24, 26-27 ESV

For Paul, the issue was the moral state of the church. This man’s sin was like yeast that, if tolerated, was going to spread through the entire congregation. Undisciplined sin in the body of Christ is like cancer that will eventually permeate its way through the fellowship, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. The prideful permissiveness of sin in the body of Christ can be dangerous and deadly, and our willingness to tolerate unacceptable behavior among fellow believers usually has little to do with the practice of grace. However, it has everything to do with complacency and a lack of understanding about the corporate culpability of sin.

The church is an organism and, like the human body, every part has an influence on every other part. There is no such thing as individual or isolated sin; no one sins in a vacuum. And Christ’s call for us to love one another includes the kind of love that cares about the spiritual well-being of one another. To think that the sin of a brother or sister in Christ will not eventually impact the body is naive. The overall health of the body of Christ is completely dependent upon the health of its members. When we tolerate sin, we allow the enemy to gain a foothold in our midst, and his most successful offensive tactic is to destroy the body of Christ from within. That is why Paul so boldly demanded, “Get rid of the old ‘yeast’ by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are” (1 Corinthians 5:7 NLT).

Refusal to practice moral purification would result in putrification. The sins of the one would infect the many. Tolerance would lead to complacency and compromise. Out of love for the body of Christ and respect for the name of Christ, Paul demanded that the Corinthians do the right thing and remove this “cancer” without delay. Paul was not displaying hatred for the sinner; he was voicing his concern for the well-being of the local fellowship. The immediate removal of this man would serve as a much-needed wake-up call, clearly communicating the inappropriateness of his actions and the unacceptability of their willing approval. Paul

Paul would have shared the view voiced by James in the letter that bears his name.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. – James 5:19-20 NLT

Father, the truth is, we can be just as tolerant towad and permissive of sin within our own fellowships. Something in us causes us to shy away from confrontation and to turn a blind eye to the sin in our midst. Perhaps we fear having someone point out our own moral failures. So, we keep our mouths shut and silently tolerate behavior that You have deemed unacceptable and destructive. We have somehow confused tolerance with love. But ignoring sin doesn’t make it go away. Refusing to deal with it doesn’t make it any less dangerous and deadly. Give us the boldness to speak the truth in love. Raise up those within our congregations who will be strong enough to confront sin and prevent it from spreading like cancer in the body of Christ. Help me be a loving leader like Paul, who was willing to say the difficult things and call Your people to do the right thing, all for the sake of Your glory and the good of Your people. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Too Tolerant For Our Own Good.

1 Corinthians 5

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?. – 1 Corinthians 5:12 ESV

Tolerance is the official pastime of today's culture. We are expected to tolerate any and all behavior. We are demanded to tolerate alternative lifestyles and sexual behaviors. We are feed a steady diet of tolerance on TV with programs portraying every imaginable situation and circumstance, selling as perfectly normal what would have been abnormal and unacceptable just a few short years ago. Sin craves tolerance. It demands to be accepted. And while no seems to want to live in a nation that legislates morality, just about everyone wants to live in a society that protects and legitimizes sin through the passing of laws.

None of this should surprise or shock us. It is the nature of sin. It is the natural outcome of man's sin nature and the devastating impact of life in a fallen world. But the Body of Christ should be another story. The Church is not a place where tolerance should be tolerated. Don't get me wrong. The Church is where love, acceptance and forgiveness should reign. But acceptance and tolerance are not synonymous. They are not one and the same thing. Paul seemed to know and understand that. He knew that the Church of Jesus Christ was going to be made up of sinners who had been saved. They had been redeemed out of their slavery to sin by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But they were not to remain in their sin. They were not to stay as they were, but were expected to grow, mature, and increasingly take on the nature of Jesus Christ Himself. So when Paul received news that there was sexual immorality taking place among the believers in Corinth, he struck fast and hard. He classified what was going on in their midst as "something that even the pagans don't do" (1 Corinthians 5:1 NLT). There was a man who was having a sexual relationship with his father's wife. Not only was he committing adultery, he was doing so with his own stepmother. And the members of the local congregation were doing nothing about it.

It's interesting to note that Paul says little about the sin of this man and his stepmother. He doesn't need to. It is wrong. It is immoral. Even the pagans would say so. No, Paul addresses his indignation against the rest of the congregation for its tolerance of the sin. They had done nothing to deal with it. He even says, "You are so proud of yourselves" (1 Corinthians 5:2 NLT). He doesn't clarify why he calls them proud. Perhaps they were proud because they were so accepting AND tolerant of any and all. Maybe they felt like theirs was a fellowship where everyone was welcome, because after all, all men are sinners. Later on Paul indicates that they were even boasting about what was going on. But whatever it was that motivated their pride, Paul lets them know that their reaction should have been one of mourning. They should have been sorry and ashamed. Not for the couple, but for their entire fellowship. This was a corporate issue. Paul uses the well-understood imagery of leaven to explain what was happening to their fellowship due to their tolerance. "Don't you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?" (1 Corinthians 5:6 NLT). The sin of this man and woman was more than an individual act, it had corporate implications. Their presence was contaminating the entire fellowship. It was impacting and influencing the entire congregation. Now, what seems to be evident in the text is that there was no repentance or remorse on the part of the couple. It seems that they were living in sin and expecting everyone around them to accept them accordingly. And no one was confronting them about their sin. Their sinfulness was met with silence and tolerance. That is where the danger lies. Yes, we are to accept sinners. We are to lovingly include the lost and welcome them into our midst, but we are never to tolerate their sin. We are to lovingly confront them with the truth of God's Word and call them to repentance. Paul makes it clear that it would be impossible to disassociate ourselves with unbelieving sinners. "You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that" (1 Corinthians 5:10 NLT). But when someone comes into our fellowship, claims Jesus Christ as their Savior, and yet indulges in unrepentant, willful sin, that is where our acceptance and tolerance must end. We must stand up for the truth of God's Word. We must understand the danger of allowing sin to influence and infect the Body of Christ. Yet the common response most of us utter is, "Who am I to judge someone else?" What a dangerous conclusion to reach. We have been programmed to believe that judging others is unacceptable behavior for a Christian. but Paul clearly states, "it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning" (1 Corinthians 5:12 NLT). The key phrase is "who are sinning." We are not to judge another believer's faithfulness. We are not to make judgments based on income, status, clothes or the color of someone's skin. But we are to "judge" the sin in our midst. The word Paul uses for "judge" is one that can mean "to separate or pick out, to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong." We have an obligation to protect the integrity, unity and purity of the Body of Christ. When sin becomes apparent, we are to deal with it. We are to lovingly confront it. We are to call one another to repentance and restoration. But if an individual refuses to repent and continues to willingly remain in their sin, we have a responsibility to act. Paul makes it painfully simple: "…you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worship idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don't even eat with such people" (1 Corinthians 5:11 NLT). Not only that, "You must remove the evil person from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:13 NLT). Unrepentance trumps acceptance every time. But the truth is, we are far too tolerant far too often. We don't want to judge. We don't want to offend. We don't want to cause a scene. So we tolerate the presence of unrepentant, arrogant sin in our midst, and then wonder why the church is weak, powerless and a mere shadow of what Christ intended for it to be.

Father, wake us up. Give us the moral fortitude to stand up for what is right – in our own churches. Help us understand that love is not tolerance. It is not putting up with one another's sins, but lovingly calling each other to live lives of holiness. It is understanding that the corporate well being takes precedence over a single individual's self-indulgence. Give us the boldness to stand up for what is right and righteous. But show us how to do it in love, not anger. Help us do it for the good of the Body of Christ, not out of some sense of self-righteous indignation. Amen.