We had some fun working out way through 1 Corinthians 5 at Lake Merced tonight.
This Corinthians study is good stuff – I’m really being blessed in putting it together. Chapter 5 touches on some big issues: church discipline, fellowship, judging … really important stuff.
Speaking of judging, have you ever been accused of being judgmental when you spoke up about someone’s behavior or attitude being wrong?
How common is it in our culture for someone to say something like, “Don’t judge me!” when someone else calls them out on their bad behavior.
Normally, when a person in our culture says, “Don’t judge me,” what they mean is, “Who do you think you are telling me what’s right or wrong!”
Did you know that nearly all of the passages that speak on judging or judgment in the New Testament are totally misunderstood and taken out of context by most people? Did you know that Christians are called to use their brains to discern between good and evil (i.e. did you know we are called to be judgmental as most people understand it)?
This comes up in 1 Corinthians, and I deal with it.
Give the lesson a listen if you’d like, and if you have anything to add I’d love to hear from you.
Anyway, here’s the audio (click to listen):
Here’s the Scripture:
1 Corinthians 5:1-13
1 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.
2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast– as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people–
10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
11 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.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
(NIV)
Learn anything?
The Overflow 