Christian Living

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December 2, 2011 – Truth or Consequences

12 What [business] of mine is it and what right have I to judge outsiders? Is it not those inside [the church] upon whom you are to pass disciplinary judgment [passing censuring sentence on them as the facts require]? 13 God alone sits in judgment on those who are on the outside. Drive out that wicked one from among you [expel him from your church]. – 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 AMP

Devout Christians are proficient when it comes to pointing out the wrongs in society. Murder is a crime and punishable by death. Illegal drugs have no place in society. Homosexuality is an abomination. Substance abuse is wrong. Social networking is a sexual predator’s best friend. The list goes on and on. But put such things behind church walls and you’ll find a bunch of Christians living in denial.

The fact is that Paul says plainly here that God alone passes judgment on those outside the church. It’s not our place to judge others. Now I know that if you have followed my blogs since the inception of this website, or even recently found us and gone back and read some from the past, that I continually reflect on my personal observations of increasing immorality in society. Sometimes I vent out of frustration. But I always try to leave you with a question about your own behavior. I don’t want to leave this world thinking I didn’t to everything God told me to do to help people look inside of themselves. Many times that requires drawing parallels to the world we live in as well as suggestions on how to choose God’s ways rather than the ways of society.

But what about expelling church members? Personally speaking, you may find it hard to believe, but I have actually seen it happen once, but it was not done under Biblical principles. A controlling pastor expelled a couple in a church we used to attend because they openly disagreed with him. There was no sin on their part. Paul says that if the facts require it, expel them. It’s an open and shut case. Now it’s important to point out that expulsion should not stem from gossip. There should be no accusations, only facts. Jesus says we are not to accuse, criticize, or condemn others (Matthew 7:1). Facts are different. Facts about people are the fruit in they bear in their lives, and Jesus says that we will know people by their fruit (Matthew 7:20). When we have facts about people in the church and they fail to come forth with repentance, they should be expelled from the church.

Expulsion is something we rarely hear about in Christian circles. Sure, we hear about churches splitting apart. We hear about pastors divorcing their spouse. We hear about church leaders stealing the offering. But we never hear about any of these members getting kicked out. Most of the time the wrongdoers “felt called to another church,” but the church wronged never takes a stand and expels anyone. It’s like there’s an unwritten rule to not expel anyone; the problem is, as seen in today’s verse, there is a written rule for expulsion under certain circumstances.

I think the biggest reason for the unwritten no expulsion rule is fear. First there is the fear of confrontation. Webster defines confrontation as the act of bringing two persons into the presence of each other for examination and discovery of truth. What’s so bad about truth? Nothing! Perhaps church leaders fear confrontation of a member’s sin will cause the church to split apart. Maybe the leaders are afraid of confrontation because they don’t want to have to deal with their own sins as well. Could it be that the leaders simply lack the backbone to confront wrong behavior? Or is because the sinning member also happens to be a large giver? There is always that ever gnawing fear of not being able to make the payment on the shiny new building. The truth is that God didn’t give anyone a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). No one should be afraid to confront sin, but you should be afraid of the consequences of not confronting it.

I think it’s also important to point out that churches as a general stereotype in today’s society have become all smiles, happiness, and perfection. Our relationship with Christ made us all heaven bound and free, right? Peter warns us about such attitudes.

16 [Live] as free people, [yet] without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but [live at all times] as servants of God. – 1 Peter 2:16 AMP

In order to live as God’s servants, you have to begin by repenting for sin in your life. And if sin is revealed to you inside the church, don’t cower and do nothing. Take action! I have to confess I have seen pastors and church leaders both steeped in sin, yet done nothing. I was living my own sinful life, and couldn’t fathom the possibility of having my own sins exposed. So I just lived my life. I continued in the deception. Now I have repented. That life is one that I will not return to.

Paul’s whole motivation in throwing out church members was to bring those who sinned back to God. If confrontation in the church didn’t work for sinning members, kicking them out would place them solely in God’s hands for judgment. Are you a source of wickedness in your church? Have you repented for all your sins? Do you know of wickedness in your church and have not revealed it? Are you willing to confront someone guilty of iniquity even if that person is your pastor?

In the end there is one thing to remember. We must choose to live in the Truth or face the consequences. Facing your own sin can be difficult and is especially heart wrenching when you realize how much your own sins have hurt those you love the most. Trust me, I know. I have been there. There are now two choices before you. Do you continue to live in denial and possibly get kicked out of church? Or do you repent for your past and live uncompromised before God, with the end result leading you standing before God, hearing Him say “Well done, my good and faithful servant?”

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