2002-09-11
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
I am led to continue sharing what God has to say about righteousness, the breastplate of God's full armor from EPH 6:14. In a section of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes about immorality in the church. He takes up the example of a man who had been sleeping with his stepmother, because of the extreme unrighteousness of this act. However, the principle in God's teaching in 1 COR 5: 5 most certainly applies to other cases of immorality in the church no matter what time in mankind's history. "...You are to hand this man over to Satan for his body to be destroyed, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord." In this case, it was pretty clear that the stepmother was not a believer and therefore, didn't come under the jurisdiction of the church. Verse (2) of this passage gives us a picture of the church not taking the proper attitude of humiliation before the Lord. "You are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who had done this deed might be taken away from among you." Paul, although absent in body from the Corinthian believers, he told them he was with them in spirit and that in the name of Christ, he had passed the judgment already stated in (5). This was in direct contrast to their attitude, which had nothing to do with being led by Christ. It is understood that the Lord Jesus had already given authority to the church and the apostles to exercise discipline in all such cases. That is why Paul is able to say in (4), that "I meet with you in my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus present with us..."
There is some disagreement among theologians as to the meaning of 1 COR 5: 5, however, I believe the gist of it is to take up the issue of excommunication and what it is meant to accomplish. Some feel that the right to excommunicate a person from the fellowship of the church was something given only to the original apostles as a special privilege. I disagree with that and go back to the point that responsible church leaders are called to their positions by the Lord and are led in what they do the whole time by the Lord. That is why it is so critical that, like Christ, they are in constant communication with God as they discharge their duties. Excommunication has clearly been presented as an option only after the process in which a caring friend has spoken to the offender privately, then at least two elders have done so privately, then the offender has been brought before a meeting of the elders, and finally (if he refuses to repent), he is removed from the fellowship of the church community by excommunication [MT 18: 15-18]. My understanding of 1 COR 5: 5 is that excommunication is not intended to be permanent, but instead, intended to bring the individual to brokenness before God, so that he can repent and be returned to the fellowship of the church. Then in the Day of the Lord, he can be saved. It must be understood that discipline does not alter God's love, as seen in God's promise to David in PS 89: 31-33, "If they disregard My instructions and do not keep My commandments, then I will punish them for their sins; I will make them suffer for their wrongs. But I will not stop loving David or fail to keep My promise to him."
Where there is any public discipline involved, God makes His will very clear in 1 TIM 5: 18-20 in which an old, respected practice of Judaism found in DT 17: 6 is recalled. For the Scripture [DT 25: 4] says, 'Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain,' and 'A worker should be given his pay.' Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or more witnesses [DT 17: 6]. Rebuke publicly all those who commit sins, so that the rest may be afraid." Righteously applied discipline within the community of believers has been a teaching of God's from the very beginning. One story I recall that demonstrates this is that of the prophetess Miriam [the older sister of Moses] in NU 12: 1-16, which I hope you will read. She spoke against Moses for marrying a Cushite [Ethiopian] woman. This displeased God, who allowed her to break out in the white rash commonly referred to as leprosy. Miriam was expelled from the camp for a week. Moses offered an intercessory prayer for his sister. During that time, she was brought to brokenness and forgiven by God. At the end of the week, Miriam was readmitted to the camp. It was clear that God didn't intend to destroy Miriam, as the camp didn't move for the entire week that she was cast out of it. All He wanted to do was to punish her. There is nothing in this story, or any of the others in either the OT or the NT about God's discipline, in which one can find any inconsistency in His teaching on this subject.
We need only look at the patience God has shown us in our individual lives to know that His will is to see as many people as possible brought to real faith, willing to repent, and thus, saved for eternal joy and fellowship with Him. Each of us should consider God's patience with us in our own lives, how He would want us to behave toward someone who is committing a sin, if we are leaders, how we might discharge our duties in line with His will, and how we might obey Christ's command in JN 13: 34-35 to love one another.
PRAYER: O Lord, You are our Father, and we are Your children. We must acknowledge Your superior wisdom in all things and at times, bow to Your corrective action. That is not always easy for us, and sometimes we rebel. This is particularly true when we don't understand Your "big picture" lessons, and we fail to place our full trust in You. 2 TIM 3: 16-17 is a passage You bring to our minds. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instructions for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed." More than that, we must understand that in the circumstances of our lives, You have commanded us to turn first to You for direction and correction. PS 32: 8, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." PS 37: 23-24, "The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." Your great desire is that we should turn to You in prayer. PS 55 :1, "O Lord, hear me praying; listen to my plea, O God my King, for I will never pray to anyone but You." Those words are etched in our hearts, Dearest Abba, because we know that You are the only real source of wisdom and peace that we have. You led to Psalmist to say in PS 146: 8, "The Lord loves the righteous," and in PS 55: 22, "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved." Your mercy and compassion for those who love You is unparalleled, even though to demonstrate Your righteousness, it must have limits. "PS 116:5, The Lord is kind and does what is right; our God is merciful." We come before You as sinners in desperate need of Your hand in our lives and to humbly offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ's holy name, we pray. Amen.
God has a great deal to say on righteousness, so I am led to continue sharing it in tomorrow's message. The time we are spending on this important topic is not wasted. I know in my heart that God wants us to understand as much as we can about His teachings, because it will strengthen our faith in Him and lead us to take action that carries us along that narrow, hard road to eternal life. Our natural selves desire to rebel against discipline, particularly if it is in an area where we are rationalizing sin. However, God's great motivation in everything He does is love. That's why Christ spoke so often of our need to learn what love is and to act in a loving way toward others. Love blesses our lives, and everyone who has obedient faith in Christ can experience it in his own life. He can also bring it into the lives of others around him. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn