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| Are we to judge within the body of Christ |
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Are we to judge within the Body of Christ. Paul tells us, yes.
Eph 5:3But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints;
Eph 5:4 nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Eph 5:6Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them;
1Co 5:1 Everywhere it is heard that fornication is among you, and such fornication which is not named among the heathen, so as for one to have his father's wife.
1Co 5:2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that did this deed might be taken from your midst.
1Co 5:3 For as being absent in body, but being present in spirit, I have already judged the one who has worked out this thing, as if I were present:
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together with my spirit also, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 to deliver such a one to Satan for destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6 Your boast is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens all the lump?
1Co 5:7 Then purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.
1Co 5:8 So let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and of evil, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
1Co 5:9 I wrote to you in the letter not to associate with fornicators;
1Co 5:10 and not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or with plunderers, or with idolaters, since then you must go out of the world.
1Co 5:11But 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.
1Co 5:12 For what is it to me also to judge the ones outside? Do you not judge those inside?
1Co 5:13 But God will judge the ones outside. "And you shall put out from yourselves the evil one." Deut. 17:7
We are not to judge those that are not beleivers, because we are to bring them in to the fold for repentance and salvation, but when there are those that refuse to turn from sin, 1Ti 5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. we are to avoid them and put them out of the congregation. To turn them over to satan, because the Lord will use him to destroy them, until they are broken and ready to repent. If we let them stay in the congregation, they will only cause desention and problems. We as a body have become politically correct, instead of heavenly correct. We so afraid of offending someone, that we will allow them to come in and polute and contaminate our places of worship. If we continue we will be like Judah,
Eze 8:6 And He said to me, Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations which the house of Israel is doing here, that I should be far from My sanctuary? But you turn back and you shall see greater abominations.
Eze 8:7 And He brought me to the opening of the court. And I looked, and, behold, a single hole in the wall.
Eze 8:8 And He said to me, Son of man, dig now in the wall. And I dug in the wall; and, behold, an opening!
Eze 8:9 And He said to me, Go in and see the evil abominations that they are doing here.
Eze 8:10 And I went in and looked. And, behold, every form of creeping thing, and hateful beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel were carved on the wall all around.
Eze 8:11And seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, were standing among them. These were standing among them, and each man with his censer in his hand, and the odor of the cloud of incense going up.
Eze 8:12 And He said to me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the rooms of his image? For they are saying, Jehovah does not see us, Jehovah has forsaken the earth.
Eze 8:13 And He said to me, You turn back, you shall see greater abominations which they are doing.
Eze 8:14 And He brought me to the opening of the gate of the house of Jehovah, toward the north. And, behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
Eze 8:15 And He said to me, Have you seen, son of man? You turn again and you shall see greater abominations than these.
Eze 8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of Jehovah. And, behold, at the opening of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty five men with their backs to the temple of Jehovah, and their faces eastward. And they bowed themselves eastward to the sun.
Eze 8:17 And He said to me, Son of man, have you seen? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah from doing the abominations which they do here? For they have filled the land with violence and have returned to provoke Me to anger. And, behold, they are putting the branch to their nose!
Eze 8:18 And I also will deal with fury. My eye shall not spare, and I will not have pity. And though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.
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| To add a comment to "Are we to judge within the body of Christ" |
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| March 12, 2008 |
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| Gary, as you know brother, oh how God loves us. Yes, we are His hands and feet and eyes and ears; He is omnipotent and can use who He wants from His creation. I love how when He corrects us, it is in love and patience. We serve a wonderful God. Firm, yet gentle. Strong and also full of peace. Thankyou for sharing brother!~ Blessings and love~ |
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| March 12, 2008 |
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| But we must be careful, there is plenty of judging going on already in the body and often it fragments local congregations, and repels/repulses nonbelievers from us. Good point tho' Gary, we should not be tolerant of gross sins in our congregations. ~mike |
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| March 12, 2008 |
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| If a congregation fragments because you correct the sin, would this not be better that letting the sin fester and corrupt the whole? As to the un-believer, I would think that it shows integrity and truth, if we correct our own, instead of having someone from the outside see the corruption and tell others. |
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| March 12, 2008 |
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Sorry Gary, didn't have time to put down my full thought. The tendency seems to be over-judging. It is so easy to look at other believers and say "shouldn't you be doing this" and "you really shouldn't be doing that" - mainly in reference to grey areas. That is what I was referring to - which is why I did NOT say "never judge" but rather "be careful". God bless! |
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| March 12, 2008 |
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| God is a God of peace and unity. If after one has been corrected in love and the proper way; then they leave the church, the church is not responsible for one's actions. Is this what your thinking? My two cents~ love ya~ |
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| March 12, 2008 |
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True, it is the grey area's that are too often corrected, Paul made it simple though and even gave a list as to what to watch for. If a brother had the name of being one who went after the desires of the flesh, or had the desire for other people's property, or was in the way of using violent language, or being the worse for drink, or took by force what was not his, you might not keep company with such a one, or take food with him.
He also says:
Rom 16:17 And brothers I exhort you to watch those making divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them.
Rom 16:18 For such ones do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth speaking and flattering they deceive the hearts of those without guile.
Cheryl: If they repent and turn from their sin, we are to forgive them, and except them back into the fold. If they refuse to turn then we don't have ANYTHING to do with them, not even to eat with them.
As to being a God of peace and unity:
In Matthew He states that what we believe will divide people
Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. |
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