Kick 'Em Out!

Daily Reading:  1 Corinthians 5-6

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”  (1 Corinthians 5.12-13)

Devotional Thought: Paul found himself dealing with a very awkward subject in Corinth: incest.  In dealing with it, Paul also wrote about judging, saying, "Don’t waste time judging outsiders.  That’s God’s job.  You need to make sure that those in the church are morally pure.  And if they’re not ... Kick ’em out!"  Pretty harsh words, but spoken with hope for redemption.

When Paul wrote not to judge those outside the church, he did not mean that we should not proclaim the truth of God’s moral code.  Our society is sick with the disease of sexual sin, and we need to be salt and light in this morally decadent culture. 

But, as Paul said, it is better for the Church to judge her own.  When we tend toward retrenchment and denial, we make a grave mistake.  A moral sin is a sin against the church!  It stains the reputation and tarnishes the witness of the church.  If we are to be taken seriously by those outside, we must be ruthlessly honest with the shortcomings of those inside.  That is not to say we are cruel, but we must take appropriate actions that say, "This is not right and will not be tolerated."  If we soft-pedal sin, not only will the sinner pay the price, so also will the church.

Such action is aimed at reconciliation and salvation: "so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord" (v. 5).  The Apostle James wrote this: "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." (James 5.19-20)

Prayer: Lord, dealing with sin in the church is difficult, yet we must be ruthlessly honest and morally demanding.  Help us, first of all, to look in our own hearts and then to love others enough to speak the truth in love.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 109:16-20

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.

17 He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be far from him.

18 He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.

19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.

20 May this be the LORD’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.