When Sin Enters the Church

Bottom line

We need to be willing to hold each other to a higher standard.

Opening Line

How many people would be willing to have their browser history displayed on the screens for all to see?

Introduction

As I’m saying this but not with you, I assume that the reaction is a little mixed. There is probably a lot of nervous laughter. Some of you are nervous laughing because your browser history has something ridiculous in it and you would just be embarrassed for the church to see it. Others have something on there you know shouldn’t be there, and you would be embarassed for a whole other reason. Some of you are genuinely nervous laughing, and some of you are nervous laughing trying to save face.

Main Point

I ask this question because I recently saw this clip in the movie, Red Notice:

show clip

Now for those who haven’t seen the movie, this isn’t a pastor or anything. This is just a regular guy working for the government who would rather now have his family and peers see what he’s been looking at. The implication is that he recognizes that this is wrong.

I was also thinking about the Cold Play Kiss Cam incident. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, the latest scandal to go viral on the internet recently happened at a Cold Play concert. On this tour, the band will occasionally scan the crowd with the camera and try to get couples to kiss on the jumbo tron. Well one fateful night the camera caught a couple holding each other at the show. But instead of kissing each other, the quickly tried to hide their faces and get off camera. It turns out, the couple were coworkers, cheating on their respect spouses.

The interesting thing about the whole incident is that the universal reaction has been that what happened was wrong. It doesn’t matter if you go to church or not, general consensus in our over-sexualized society is that you shouldn’t cheat on your spouse. In a world where it feels like you can sleep with whoever and whenever you want, apparently there are restrictions.

Why it matters

The reason these things are rolling around my head this morning is because of something Paul says at the beginning of Chapter 5

“something that even pagans don’t do.”

This got me thinking. When it comes to acceptable conduct, I would say there are three categories in our society.

1. Things everyone does

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

So there are things that is acceptable no matter what you believe about God and life. These are just good things for everyone.

2. Things that are unacceptable for believers

The second part of that one being that they are acceptable for those who don’t believe in Christ. This is a huge grey area and usually the realm of greatest amount of conflict in church. Churches don’t agree where the line is, so how in the world is the average believer supposed to know where the line is.

3. Things are wrong for everyone

Just like the first one, there are things in this world that should not be done, no matter what you believe about faith, life, and morality. These are just plain wrong, and it could be argued that this category is evidence of what Scripture calls, “God writing the law on everyone’s hearts.” Our conscience and the fact that some things are wrong no matter who you are, is one of the evidences of God creating us in his image.

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The question is, what happens when the things that should not be done, aka category 3, comes into the church? How should we handle these situations? Paul is going to give the Corinthians some strong instructions, and the challenge for us is to know how the church of the 21st century takes this teaching and applies it today.

With that, let’s dive in.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 5:1–2 NLT

I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

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So what is the issue Paul is addressing? A man is living in sin with his stepmother. To unpack that slightly in case someone is confused, the man’s dad has died, and the son is now sleeping with his dad’s wife. Can we agree that is just wrong?

But there is another issue here. The church is proud of itself. Why is it proud? The church is proud of the fact that they are showing grace to this man by allowing him to remain part of the church. They have an misunderstanding of how God’s grace actually works, and they are allowing this man to continue to act inappropriately.

1 Corinthians 5:3–5 NLT

Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.

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So how does Paul want this handled? He wants the church to call a meeting, come together, and remove him from the church. In chapter 3, Paul called the church, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to be holy. Since holiness is one of the standards, this sin had no place in the church. Since the majority of the letter up to this point is about unity, the church needed to be called together in order for the judgment to be passed, and unity to maintained.

Paul goes on

1 Corinthians 5:6–8 NLT

Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.

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Why is Paul dealing with this sin so severely? Because it is like a yeast. Throughout Scripture, yeast is almost always the image used to show the effect of sin in the body of Christ. A little yeast caused the whole dough to rise. A little sin spreads throughout the church and corrupts the whole body. How? Because if the church allows this to continue unchecked, maybe they will be ok with this sin, or that. Soon the whole stance of holiness is compromised because the one person’s actions influenced the minds and thoughts of everyone else. The person had to be removed for the sake of the body.

But the goal of the removal isn’t to punish, but to redeem. The hope of Paul is that by removing the person, he will face the consequences of his sin full on and repent. The goal isn’t destruction but redemption. The hope is that he puts his old nature on the cross and embrace the new life he has in Christ.

Then Paul doubles down on the standard of holiness that the church is supposed to have.

1 Corinthians 5:9–13 NLT

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

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That last line actually comes from Deut 17:7. In Deuteronomy the people were supposed to stone the evil person, but the point was still the same: the evil must be removed.

Paul differentiates between unbelievers and believers when it comes to passing judgment. Just to be clear, what Paul is talking about here is different than chapter 4. Chapter 4, Paul told the Corinthians not to judge a person’s ministry, that only God can do that. Here, we are talking about the sins a person commits.

When it comes to unbelievers, you cannot hold them to the standards of Scripture. Why? Because they don’t believe in the word of God. They do not have the same sense of right and wrong because the Spirit of God does not dwell within them the way it does a believer. So don’t hold unbelievers to these standards. You are still to interact with them because that is how they will see the power of God at work in your life.

HOWEVER, when it comes to fellow believers, the story changes. If you claim to be a believer and continue to indulge in the sins of the world, sexual sin, greed, idol worship, abusiveness, drunkard, or cheats people, these people are not actual believers and you are not even to associate with such people. Why? Because they have deceived themselves into believing this behavior is acceptable, and it is only a matter of time before you begin to think the same way.

So how does that apply to the church today, because Paul is using some pretty strong language here. Kicking people out of the church? Refusing to associate with certain people? Remember when we talked about the different preferences. Everyone affiliated with Peter the legalistic just got really excited!

Transition to Application

But how do we apply this? Where does grace come into this?

Main To Do

I would say that Paul’s teaching here is a reminder that the church needs to hold a high standard of holiness, and it needs to be united in maintaining that standard. So what does that mean? It means that when you become aware of someone’s struggle with sin, you need to address it with the love and grace of Christ. Matt 18:15-17

Matthew 18:15–17 NLT

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

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There needs to be a willingness with the church to address sins as they become known. Don’t go looking for people to fall, that’s just weird. However, thanks to social media, it is pretty easy to see how people are conducting themselves.

On the flip side, there also needs to be willingness to be approached, and this is where humility comes in. I’ll use myself as an example. I can be pretty sensitive about my size. Like most things in life, I can crack jokes about it, but when others start to comment, I can be quick to become offended. I have a few ideas why that it is. So I say that to let you know that I’m aware that things need to change, and I’m trying.

This is where prayer really needs to come into this. If you become aware of something that someone else is doing or has done, seek God’s wisdom on how to handle it. I would there are some that don’t realize what they’re doing is wrong. Some probably know and it is a struggle for them. Those two need a gentle encouragement. Then there will be those that know and don’t care. That is where Paul’s instruction comes in. If they know what they’re doing is wrong and they do it anyways, don’t associate with such people.

Why it matters

If the church can get this right, I believe this could be the catalyst to a lot of healing and renewal within the church. I believe the problem is that the church has dropped the ball here, and it has resulted in a lot of unhealth in the church.

Closing Line

When we talked about unity, I asked if you were willing to have hard conversations for the sake of unity. This morning I ask, are you willing to have hard conversations for the sake of holiness in the body?

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How can we actively encourage one another to uphold a higher standard of holiness within our church community?

In what ways can we gently address sin in each other's lives while maintaining grace and love?

What practical steps can we take to create an environment where difficult conversations about sin are welcomed?

How do you personally respond to being approached about your own struggles with sin?

What changes can we make in our church practices to ensure we maintain unity while also upholding God's standards?

How would you feel if someone confronted you about a sin they noticed in your life?

What are some ways you have seen friends hold each other accountable positively?

How can maintaining a high standard of holiness in our lives affect our friendships and relationships?

What steps can you take to approach a friend who may be struggling with sin?

Why is it important for the church to address sin among believers, according to the teachings from this message?