Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 144
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
5:1–6:5
I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on
among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man
in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of
yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you
should remove this man from your fellowship.
Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit.
And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man
in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I
will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus.
Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his
sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the
Lord returns.
Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like
a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the
old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you
will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you
really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us
celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but
with the new bread of sincerity and truth.
When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who
indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge
in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would
have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not
to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual
sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats
people. Don’t even eat with such people.
It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will
judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove
the evil person from among you.”
When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file
a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it
to other believers! Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge
the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide
even these little things among yourselves? Don’t you realize that we will
judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in
this life. If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside
judges who are not respected by the church? I am saying this to shame
you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide
