SIN ACCOMODATING CHURCHES-I—1Cor. 5:1-13
Attention:
A beehive is populated by bees of the same heritage. They work together to supply what is needed to expand their hive & multiply themselves continually. If bees from outside the ‘tribe’ approach the hive they are dealt with as enemies of the entire hive. Thus the integrity of the hive is maintained.
Similarly, The church proper is populated by Christians, all of the same heritage...they are brothers & sisters by the blood of Jesus. None of them are Christian sympathizers, they are Christians! They work together to supply what is needed to expand their hive & multiply themselves continually. Their integrity is to be maintained...
However, those who are sympathizers are readily invited to witness & be involved with the true Christian work but only to a limited extent...
...Because...
1)The church ministers in the world & interacts with the world(Jn. 17:15)...
2)We cannot ultimately determine the reality of anyone’s salvation(only God can per 1Cor. 4-5)...
3)We minister to & with those who consider themselves ‘saved,’ the church can inadvertently & ignorantly become party to worldliness(Mat. 7:16-20).
4)Our hearts can deceive us so that we think we are doing God service when in fact we are undermining the Kingdom(Jer. 17:9-10; Jn. 16:2-3)!
One of the horrible things about having so many denominations & even more so—to have many ‘churches’ in the same area—is that there is no central church to which all Christians commit(as within Catholicism)!
Each church is instead built upon some aspect of preferentialism rather than an adherence to Jesus Christ! Thus those disappointed in a church or even disbanded from a church can ‘go down the street’ as it were, where they will be readily accepted & their unrepentant sin is disguised or tolerated.
Paul admonished the Corinthian church because they had allowed/accommodated heinous sin in their midst.
The church must not tolerate/accommodate sin in their midst.
*How can the true church effectively act against sin in their midst?
When does a church accommodate sin?
9 deficiencies of sin accommodating churches.
1—Sin Accommodating Churches skirt...
BASELINES(:1)
Explanation:(:1)God’s Mandate
:1—“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, & such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father’s wife!”
Though the the sin of incest was shocking enough, what was even more shocking was that the church chose to accommodate it.”—MNTC/ECNT
“Actually reported”— cf. 1:11
Commonly known by those both inside & outside the church!
“Sexual Immorality”(porneia)—is a “flexible term” which widely encompasses all that God has revealed is illicit or forbidden in the realm of sexuality.—ECNT
“A man”—
Paul does not name the person...for various reasons:
1)As he is concerned for the rescue of the final outcome of his spirit/soul(:5)...
& possibly:
1a)As the attachment of the name could be wrongly attributed & misapplied to other members of his family.
1b)As such an attachment could possibly so deeply scar the indicted that the church’s action could be taken as personal rather than spiritual.
2)As the church where the actual problem lies will itself grow in its faith thru Paul’s handling of their situation.
Or it could simply be that Paul had foresight thru the Spirit, to provide a blank-slate, uncorrupted, & de-culturalized indictment of the same problem among Christians wherever & whenever they my be. The application is universal.
Thus the Church always carries with it the potential to be tainted with sin, as it also always carries potential to override sin’s influence by faith & empowerment in Christ Jesus.
“As is not even named among the Gentiles--”—
This serves to awaken the Corinthian church to the fact that “even “ pagan “Gentiles” aren’t party to such sexual sin.
In fact, by virtue of pagan(“Gentile”) convictions regarding family(that God has placed in their hearts), even they(those who do not recognize God directly) view such behavior as perversely despicable!
If your lifestyle dishonors & ‘spits in God’s eye’ then it would behoove you to surrender & change that aberrant aspect of your lifestyle in order to be reconciled to God, would it not?!
“That a man has his father’s wife!”—
“Use of the present tense infinitive[“has”] suggests an ongoing, habitual relationship”—NAC
Neither the father nor the step-mother are dealt with. This suggests that the couple is either divorced or that the father is dead.
This scenario also suggests that the step-mother is not a believer.—NAC/MNTC
Lev. 18:6-11—‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the LORD. ‘The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. ‘The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father--she is your sister--you shall not uncover her nakedness.”
Deut. 22:30—“A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor uncover his father’s bed.”
Our American society needs to know that mother is always Mother & Father is always father, Brothers & Sisters are always brothers & sisters, Family is always family. To confuse &/or abuse those standing relationships undermines God’s work.
This is one of the reasons Christians get irate over governmentally sanctioned changes to God’s design for family!
“Actually/Commonly”—olwv—Adverb—1) Wholly, altogether. Strong—Completely, i.e. Altogether; by analogy--Everywhere; negatively--Not by any means. Used 4X.
From—olov—Adj.—a primary word; “Whole” or “All”, i.e. Complete(in extent, amount, time or degree), especially(neuter) as noun or adverb.
“Reported”—akouw—1) To be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf; 2) To hear, 2b) To attend to, consider what is or has been said, 2c) To understand, perceive the sense of what is said; 3) To hear something. Strong—a primary verb; To hear(in various senses).
“Sexual immorality”2X(See :9, 10, 11—pornov)—porneia—Noun Fem.—1) Illicit sexual intercourse—1a) Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc., 1b) Sexual intercourse with close relatives; Lev. 18, 1c) Sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman; Mr 10:11,12; 2) metaph.--The worship of idols—2a) Of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols. Strong—Harlotry(including adultery & incest); figuratively--Idolatry.
“Among”—en—Prep.—1) In, by, with etc. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position (in place, time or state), & (by implication)instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[Into] & ek[From/Out of]); “In,” at, (up-)on, by, etc..
“Such”(See :5—“Such a one”)—toioutov—Adj.—1) Such as this, of this kind or sort. Strong—Truly this, i.e. Of this sort(to denote character or individuality).
From—toi—1) Certainly, truly. Strong—an enclitic particle of asseveration by way of contrast; In sooth—&—outov—Pronoun—The he(she or it), i.e. This or that (often with article repeated).
“Named”(See :4—onoma)—onomazw—1) To name—1a) To name, to utter, to make mention of the name, 1b) To name, 1c) to utter the name of a person or thing. Strong—To name, i.e. Assign an appellation; by extension--To utter, mention, profess. Used 10X.
“Gentiles”—eynov—1) A multitude(whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together—1a) A company, troop, swarm; 2) A multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus—2a) the human family; 3) A tribe, nation, people group; 4) in the OT--Foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles; 5) Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians. Eynov in the singular is a general term for nation, applied to any nation, even to the Jews. In the plural it ordinarily denotes all mankind aside from the Jews & in contrast with them, the Gentiles. Strong—A race(as of the same habit), i.e. A tribe; specially--A foreign(non-Jewish) one(usually by implication--Pagan).
“A Man”—tiv—Pronoun—1) A certain, a certain one; 2) Some, some time, a while. Strong—an enclitic indefinite pronoun; Some or any person or object.
“Has”—ecw—1) To have, i.e. to hold—1a) To have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have (hold) possession of the mind(refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as; 2) To have i.e. own, possess—2a) External things such as pertain to property or riches or furniture or utensils or goods or food etc., 2b) Used of those joined to any one by the bonds of natural blood or marriage or friendship or duty or law etc, of attendance or companionship; 3) To hold one's self or find one's self so & so, to be in such or such a condition; 4) To hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to. Strong—a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Father’s”—pathr—
“Wife”—gunh—1) A woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow; 2) A wife—2a) Of a betrothed woman. Strong—A woman; specially--A wife.
Argumentation:
Deut. 27:17—‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’”
Proverbs 22:28—“Do not remove the ancient landmark Which your fathers have set.”
Though these verses have to do with moving physical landmark, they can very readily illustrate the importance of maintaining the spiritual ‘boundaries’ God has set for His people!
1Cor. 4:1-2—“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ & stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
1Cor. 9:16-17—“For if I preach the gospel[old English word for ‘good news’], I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.”
Jn. 15:1-8—“I am the true vine, & My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; & every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. If you abide in Me, & My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Acts 24:14-16—[Paul confesses to Felix the governor of Judea]“—“But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law & in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just & the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God & men.”
Jn. 14:6—“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus is the baseline!
Acts 9:2; 18:25, 26; 24:14, 22; Rom. 3:17; 1Cor. 10:13; 2Pet. 2:2, 15—Christianity is called “The Way”.....because thru her is found the Way—“of the Lord,” “of God,” “of Salvation,” “of Peace,” “of Escape,” “of Truth,” “of Righteousness,” “of Life,” etc....It is absolutely life-changing!
!If you ‘skirt around’ the BASELINES which God has ordained, you will never find anything beyond the temporary manifestation of His way in your life!
Illustration:
We are not here to ‘entertain’ you or anyone else that may come!
Our teaching, preaching, praying, singing, giving, fellowships, ministries of every variety, etc....None of them are intended for entertainment, but rather for conviction in Christ Jesus!
Wearing a velcroed back brace while working for Flowers Baking Co./Taught me that with any lifting my back is protected if I make the effort to use the backbrace/BASELINES
Family car use by a teenager/Rules are laid out to him-her regarding its use/BASELINES
The lines in the highway/They mean something specific/Everyone is taught them/If we ignore them or excuse them for whatever reason, our lives & the lives of at least one other are placed in jeopardy!/BASELINES
Application:
?Your Church Skirt God’s BASELINES?
?Does Your Church Accommodate Sin?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Beehive-Church analogy—No Christian sympathizers within the flock—One blood family—Expand & multiply themselves continually, etc.
Action:
Sin Accommodating Churches skirt...
1. BASELINES(:1)
Pt. 1 only! Presented 11/01/2015am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave SE(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
