1 Corinthians 5:8-11
Ps Paul Cheng
Dear Bethelites,
In our previous pastoral chat, we had considered that (1) the leaven represents influence, (2) the leaven represents something of the past, and (3) the significance of the unleavened bread and the Passover. We ended by reminding ourselves that we were delivered from our sins by Christ our Passover and we have to be separated from our old life; we must not bring our old life of sin into our life with Christ.
1 Corinthians 5:8, Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
The Israelites celebrated the Old Testament Passover only once a year, as a reminder of the great deliverance from Egypt. We, Christians, are to celebrate the feast of Christ being our Passover continuously, every day, at every moment. The leaven of malice and wickedness speaks of sin, and the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth speaks of purity. We are to celebrate our Passover in Christ and remember our great deliverance, not with sin but purity. We do that by living a constant life devoted to purity; we are to let our every thought, plan, decision and intention be under the control of Christ. God wants us to be a pure chaste bride of Christ.
That is why it is important we must deal with sin very strongly, especially when it affects the church. Hence, 1 Corinthians 5:9, I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
To have company is to keep a close intimate relationship. Believers are not to keep close company with any fellow believers who persistently practice serious sins. If the sinning believer will not listen to the counsel and warning of two or three other believers, nor the church, they have to be put out of the fellowship - in other words, be excommunicated (c.f. Matthew 18:15-17). They should not be allowed to participate in the activities of the church; whether it be Sunday school, Bible studies and fellowship meetings. They should not have any leadership role. They should be totally cut off from both individual and corporate fellowship with other Christians. That is what excommunication means!
There should be no exception. Even if the unrepentant person is a close friend or a family member, he or she still must be put out. If that person is a true believer, he will not lose his salvation because of the sin. Hopefully, the loss of Christian fellowship and the pain of isolation will drive him to repentance.
The biblical reason why we do that is a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. It is like a person who has cancer but yet refuses to go to the doctor because he either stubbornly does not want to face the problem or he rejects any kind of treatment. If he waits too long, his whole body will be affected with the disease and it will be too late for any treatment. That is what sin will do to the church, and we do not want the church to be affected. No church is too healthy to resist contamination from persistent sin, and even the most spiritual person in the church is not exempted from being contaminated with sin.
Some people may be thinking, “You mean if I associate with the brother who is living an unrepentant adulterous life, I will be affected to be an adulterer like him. Or if I keep close company with the brother who is an alcoholic or a drug addict, will I be affected to be an alcoholic or drug addict? Surely, I am better than that, and I will not fall into that kind of sin.” Over the years, we have observed that the person who continues to keep close company with someone living in unrepentant sin, may not fall into the same sin as the person, but he or she will be corrupted in many other ways. For example, being influenced to think negatively, or having a bitter spirit, such as being angry and unhappy with the church. Or he or she may behave like the proud Corinthians and think of others not as loving as him or her, “See, all the others would not associate with him, but look at me, I am much more loving than all of them. I continue to associate and keep close company with him.” The devil is very subtle, and he knows how to corrupt and spread the germ of sin to the whole church.
But even if you are strong enough to resist being contaminated with the sin, what about your family and children? Do you not care if they may be influenced? Your children will grow up thinking that it is alright to keep a close relationship with a sinning-brethren, and it is the right thing to do. You are setting a precedent for your little ones to follow, which is contrary to the biblical separation that the Bible teaches.
1 Corinthians 5:10, Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
Apparently, the Corinthians had stopped having contact with the unbelievers instead of with unrepentant believers. But Paul was not referring to disassociating ourselves with the fornicators, covetous, extortioners or idolaters of this world. In other words, not having any contact with the unbelievers. That would be impossible, ye needs to go out of this world, or to leave this planet. That would mean none of us would be gainfully employed, because most if not all our colleagues are unbelievers. That is not what it means.
As Christians, we have to evangelize to the world. We are not to conform to the world, but we must be in the world to have contact with the unsaved people, or we could never evangelize to them. In His High priestly prayer, Jesus prayed, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil……As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world (John 17:15,18). We are to be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15). God intends for us to be in the world so that we can be the salt and the light of this world and bring the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world.
The sin outside the church is not as dangerous to the church as the sin within the church. When your son or daughter says to you, “Dad, mum, my classmates in school are doing all those kinds of terrible things?” It is much easier for you to explain to them that those are sinful activities and they must not be involved in those things. But when your son or daughter says to you, “Dad, mum, why is that uncle or auntie in the church, or that Sunday school teacher, saying all those terrible things?” You will find great difficulties to explain to them why the believers in the church are behaving as such. It is most confusing, don’t you think? If every member behaves as such, it will be impossible for the church to be a testimony to the unbelieving world.
Therefore, Paul urged the Corinthians to practise biblical separation, 1 Corinthians 5:11, But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
It is the man who is called a brother, someone who bears the name of a Christian, who is a threat to the spiritual welfare of the church that we are not to keep company with him. It does not mean that we condone the sins of the unbeliever who is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer (an abuser or slanderer), or a drunkard, or an extortioner (robber). Those are horrendous sins! It is expected of the unbeliever to live such a life. But it is totally contrary of the believer to behave as such. Church discipline and excommunication is not limited only to cases of extreme sin like in the case of the man who was sleeping with his own stepmother, but all these sins mentioned here are also included.
We are to withdraw ourselves from the unrepentant so-called believer. With such an one no not to eat means not to engage with that person in any social setting. The reason why we do that is because we do not want to give the impression of acceptance - that we are accepting of his or her sinful lifestyle. If that person is a true believer, our withdrawal will cause him or her to consider very seriously what has come in between our Christian fellowship. That is what sin would do to us; sin separates us from God and even from the people whom we love. Thus, church discipline, in the form of excommunication, though it may be painful, is the instrument to provoke such a one in love (if he is a true believer) that he may turn to God and return to the fellowship of the church. We must pray for their repentance - our doors are always open for them to repent and return to the church!
1 Corinthians 10:12, For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
We have no business to judge the unbelievers, those who are outside the church. We are to evangelise to the unbelievers but not to judge them. Most certainly, we have no business to discipline them. Matthew 18:15-17 cannot be applied to them! The only people we have any business to judge and discipline are the believers in the church.
God will judge the unbelievers who are outside the church and salvation. That is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Dear friend, church discipline is difficult and painful. It is not that we do not love the sinning believer, but the fact is that we love our Lord Jesus Christ, His Word and His church. The church is often described as a hospital for those who are wounded to be restored to good health and strength. That is a wonderful illustration. But the person must first be willing to be a patient of the hospital, and he must acknowledge that he is sick before he can be administered the right treatment. If the person does not want to recognise his or her sins, and does not hunger for righteousness, and is not willing to be helped, he or she has to put away, otherwise, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
In Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng