Rebuking immorality in church
Key Verses: 1, 5, 11,
What I find so revealing about the times in which we live is that they are so similar to so many other times in history. If this son were alive today, he would be on the afternoon talk shows making his circuit, and being rewarded for it! Maury Povich would be interviewing the whole family. He might even get his own TV series “The Exploits of ….” I our day there are those who even sleep with their own mother, not just their step-mother.
The Corinthian church thought they were being so progressive, so enlightened in their practices. But Paul says to kick him out of their fellowship in order that he might repent and be restored. There are some things that are wrong no matter what the circumstances. We don’t seem to like that reality, except when someone steps on our right to sin and then we raise the alarm bells. We need to have boundaries beyond which we do not cross. This is especially true in the church. When an obvious sin like this is allowed to continue and be known in the congregation, sin will increase just like yeast in bread. The only way to deal with sin is to cut it out.
This rarely happens these days. In our church-hopping, entertainment driven, take it or leave it, have it my way church culture we rarely impose church discipline. When someone claims to be a Jesus-follower and wants to be part of our fellowship, but won’t repent, we have an obligation to deny their continued entry. Their sin cannot be accepted as the new normal.
The Arnold Journey 