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Watch this nanosermon here:
Nanosermon Script:
Have you ever been told to keep your Christian opinions to yourself? And if so, maybe someone supported that with these verses from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, chapter five and verse twelve:
1Cor 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Now, you might think that on the basis of this word that you were right to keep your opinions to yourself, that Christians should never pass judgment or even mild criticism on what an unbeliever is doing. We’ll shut up and just leave it to God to deal with them.
Church discipline
But does that agree with scripture and is it what Paul means in this passage? Let’s answer the second question first and look at the context which is the whole of chapter five. Here’s the first verse:
1Cor 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
What does the law of God say? Paul will have known this word in Leviticus chapter eighteen:
Leviticus 18:8 The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.
And that is repeated three times more in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. It is adultery, incest and confusion between the generations rolled into one. The Corinthian believers were tolerating this situation. Paul was shocked. And he told them what to do, which was, kick this man out. You see, there has to be a measure of discipline, or the whole church will fall to pieces, not know what it stands for, and not be able to minister the love and grace of God at all.
State is a God-given sphere of government
But if the church is one sphere of God’s government, the state is another, separate sphere. Although both derive their authority from God, kings should not lord it over the church and clerics should not rule the state.
Paul wrote in Romans chapter thirteen about the civil structures God has put in place and he makes clear that civil rulers judge or should judge according to the laws of God. It is through those God delegates in this way that he judges those who are outside. Take a look at my Nanosermon ‘Ministers of God’.
In addition, Christians have a God-given duty to be prophetic. As I show in ‘A prophetic church’ on the Nanosermon channel, the Prophets form a fifth of the Bible.
We are mandated to be what the Lord Jesus described as salt and light in a corrupt and dark world, to speak his word and tell it as God sees it. That is not in any way to sit in judgment ourselves. It’s warning of the judgment of God and a calling to repentance.
Our prophetic duty
Our prophetic duty in no way contradicts what the Apostle is saying to the Corinthians about church discipline. He is simply telling them that he, personally, holds no office to sit in judgment on those outside the church.
But he does not say that a Christian may not be a magistrate, or a member of a state government, or a prophet. The prophets Nathan and Isaiah were both in government. John the Baptist held Herod to account for his sin. These are righteous, responsible and loving things to do.
To sum up, church discipline is vital, while elders should be familiar with the laws of God and the Gospel in order to know what is right and wrong and maintain order in the church. But don’t take that to mean you must keep your head down and never speak out against evil elsewhere. The dear apostle’s letter to the church in Corinth in no way absolves you from your Christian prophetic duty.
SCRIPT ENDS
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If you only start half-way through a year, it’s no matter. You’re going to want to read it again and again anyway, aren’t you? So don’t lose any time, start reading your Bible now and holding those in office to account before King Jesus.
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