“Don’t Judge Me”

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you. 1 Cor 5:9-13

The church in Corinth had moral problems, not unlike many churches today in the US or in other parts of the world. This immoral behavior in the Corinth church was not to be tolerated as evidenced by Paul’s strong command in verse 5, “. . .hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh . . . “ In fact, sexual immorality is not the only sin worthy of ex-communication. Paul also lists the practices of greed, idolatry, drunkenness, swindling, and verbal abuse as sins for which we should break fellowship with those who call themselves believers. Church discipline should be taken seriously and not exercised lightly. It should be taken only with thoughtful and prayerful consideration. By the same token, these sins should not be taken lightly and ignored. If these sins are unaddressed in the local body, God’s reputation is adversely affected, and the witness of the church hindered and eventually decimated. In other words, we pollute God’s name.

Today, church discipline is rarely exercised, and not because the sins in the church are few. It’s rarely exercised because we don’t understand the seriousness of sin. We have a too casual and flippant view of sin. Moreover, we are confused in our understanding of God’s grace and His holiness – equating God’s grace as equivalent to turning a blind eye to sin. The church is more concern about pleasing people than it is in pleasing God (His glory). The size of the congregation takes precedence over its purity. And in the end the church is weaker and ineffective in its witness to the world. We have failed to “judge those [on the] inside.”

Our failure to judge those within the church stems not from our gracious nature. In fact, we are quick to judge those on the outside. We condemn their homosexuality, their abortion, their transexuality, their greed, their idolatry even as we gloss over the sins within the church. Not only do we condemn those outside the church who practice these sins, we panic in their presence and dread any association with them. Yet in verse 10, Paul’s implication is that we are to associate with “the immoral people of this world. . . “ As those who are unregenerated, the world is doing what it’s supposed to do – they’re sinning, consistent with their nature. They are following the father of this world. Their only hope for life is Jesus and we are the ones to bring Jesus to them. How can they hear unless the church goes to them?

Instead of going out to the world, among the sexually immoral, the greedy, the idolaters, the drunk, the swindlers, we despise them from a distance and judge them. Why are we so quick to judge those outside the church? Is it because of our self-righteousness? Is it because we want to take the scrutiny away from our own sins? Do we fear the world’s lifestyle as a threat to our Jerusalem on earth, that our earthly kingdom is being rocked by their sinful practices? We must remember our citizenship is not of this world, but in heaven. Paul says judging the world is God’s responsibility, not ours.

It seems the church has things reversed when it comes to judging. Instead of judging the world, we should be judging ourselves. Perhaps the church would be a better witness to the world, and less odious, were we to follow Paul’s advice. Those in the world who remain unrepentant will face God’s judgment. Peter writes,

“For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

We must hold one another accountable for sins, not from self-righteousness, but from a zeal for God’s glory. Keeping the peace by letting sins go unchecked is a hefty price to pay. It may bring peace in the short term, but in the end it only brings distress and destruction. No one likes having their sins pointed out just as no one likes suffering. But we know suffering is a path to growth, in faith, love, and grace. The church grows as we hold, in humility, one another accountable. It is strengthened, purified, and sharpened as a witness to the world. Not confronting sin is the spiritual equivalent of not telling someone he/she has cancer.

 “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so proved to be My disciple.” John 15:8

The good fruit in Jn 15:8 is not only our good deeds, it is also our character. By addressing sins in our character, it’s a win-win for all – God is glorified, the church becomes an effective witness, and we grow in our knowledge of God.