I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
I despise the “Culture War” mentality among the Christian community. Christians were not commissioned to make the world a more moral place, not even to make the world a better place. We were commissioned to go into all the world and make disciples.
The Culture War tries to enforce a morality on worldly people, without really giving them reason to change their hearts first. Now, I am not saying that I am against laws, morals, or standards for society. On the contrary, I think the Ten Commandments (which has been the basis for all good law for all societies) should continue to be the basis for all law for society; these standards keep societies orderly and keep people alive so that they can find God. I am not talking about that; I refer to something slightly different when I say the Culture War.
This passage in Corinthians makes it clear that our mission as Christians isn’t to moral-ify the culture. Instead, we are to “give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope” that is within us… “having a good conscience.” (1 Peter 3)
It seems like the Christian community has turned everything upside down. Nowadays, Christians are just as worldy as the world- the divorce rates, humanistic worldview, promiscuity rates for the church are the same as for the world. And yet, when Christians sin, their evil behavior is excused as “bad judgment” or “a mistake.” And all the while, Christians are expending incredible energies in anti-gay-marriage parades. It’s totally opposite what the scriptures tell us to do. Our mission isn’t to banish gay marriage or abortion from the world. Our mission is to give people a REASON for the HOPE that is in us. This change is something to be worked out from the heart. We are supposed to be salt and light, but we are also supposed to be judging those on the inside, not the outside.
And God will judge those who refuse to repent and choose to remain on the outside.
It’s just like that.
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March 18, 2009 at 1:50 pm
My late-brother-in-law hated the bumper sticker “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” He was right. We as Christians may goof, but Christian or not can be forgiven.
I love this post!
March 18, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Amen, Sister! When I think of the things I did before I was saved, I want to crawl under a rock. No person on this earth could have “guilt-tripped” me into doing any different. But when the Holy Spirit took up residence in my heart, I couldn’t wait to change.
As you write of judging those inside instead of outside, I realized that identifying the two is a major obstacle. So many claim to be Christians, and yet their lives do not show it. So we must go with Paul’s phrase about “anyone named a brother.” If they identify themselves as Christians, other Christians have not only the right, but the obligation, to call them back to the faith. If they won’t, then we are obligated to separate ourselves from them.
My circle of Christian friends seems to grow smaller every day.
March 18, 2009 at 11:49 pm
i agree with u
March 19, 2009 at 2:35 pm
GREAT post! I think you’ve inspired me to do a take on this soon … which will mean a blog post, after a very long “blogernation.” Heh. 0:)
I also need to do TWFW … thanks for reminding me!
March 20, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I completely agree about the culture war. I get email updates from a very big name Christian organization - they frequently send out requests for people to write letters or boycott a certain business whose policies don’t 100% mesh with Christian values. While I think it can be noble to avoid doing business with sinful companies (i.e. Don’t drink your afternoon tea at the saloon), it seems foolish to try and force morality on everyone coming and going. If they aren’t Christians, why should we demand that they behave as if they are?
I got an email from this same organization last week requesting letters to be written to a television station protesting a recent program that was aired - the program was wrought with immoral subject matter. I was shocked, appalled, to see that this CHRISTIAN organization emailed thousands of people (who are all, I would assume, fellow Christians) with EXPLICIT details about what words and images were in this program. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Then I had to wonder which CHRISTIAN (I assume) member of the staff watches these immoral programs to find out what is on them.
Somewhere a line has been crossed.
Am I the crazy one?