What's Wrong With The American Church?

Transcription

1 What's Wrong With The American Church? Dan Corner Permission to reproduce this article is hereby granted, but only in its entirety, including author's name and ministry and without any alterations. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 is a startling chapter which shows problems they had in the early church as well as, in part, what is wrong with the American Church of the 21st century. Scripture shows there how to deal with immorality problems in a way unlike would be done today. We will see that the early church practiced church discipline in the form of excommunication, which is absent in our day. Also, the true, original grace message as opposed to the satanic counterfeit of our day is revealed in this chapter. Let's look at these verses carefully: 1 Cor 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. **fornication (porneia) is the Greek word used in v. 1 and translated sexual immorality. This word includes adultery since that is what the married woman was committing, as well as her step-son. Her husband ("the injured party") seems to have been alive: So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. (2 Cor. 7:12) This same Greek word for fornication is found elsewhere: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21) It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thess 4:3-8) **In 1 Cor. 5:1, the step-son's sin of fornication was not hidden, but openly known before the whole congregation.

2 **The man alone was attending the Corinthian congregation. (If the woman was there, she would have been expelled also.) 1 Cor 5:2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? ** Paul scolds them for (1) the way they did and didn't react towards this open sin and (2) for not putting that sexually immoral man out of their fellowship. 1 Cor 5:3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. **No further details need to be known. The man was guilty of sexual immorality and that is enough for him to be excommunicated from the Christian congregation. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." (2 Tim 2:19) 1 Cor 5:4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 1 Cor 5:5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. ** As a corporate body, they were to "hand [the guilty man] over to Satan." The purpose of this is shown to be so that his sinful nature (sarx) [not body, soma] will be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. Hence, his spirit was NOT saved at that moment, in contrast to what the vast majority of pastors and evangelists in our day are teaching by way of eternal security, the perseverance of the saints or "once saved always saved" (OSAS). These are 3 different labels for the same heresy that originated with Satan in Eden. It seems that 99.99% of all OSAS teachers say this sexually immoral man of 1 Cor. 5, who was doing sin of a kind that does not occur even among pagans, was a Christian! In other words, they are teaching there are 2 types of sexually immorally people one type saved because he once had a moment of faith and the other lost because he never had a moment of faith, but both acting equally vile and wicked! This is the bottom line conclusion of this lie from the devil, which they are teaching as grace and sometimes as the gospel. Also, OSAS changes the holy image of being a Christian into one that allows for wickedness. (Hence, some people are wrongly thinking: If he could do it and remain saved, so can I. If sexual immorality won't damn me, then drunkenness or suicide won't either. Hence, pandora's box is opened by OSAS.) **John Calvin taught this sexually immoral man of 1 Cor. 5 was saved. **Again, the Greek word is sarx NOT soma (body). Sarx is also found in the following passage: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and

3 envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21) Paul did not want his physical body destroyed, like some understand this passage. In part, we know this because in 2 Cor. 2 that same man was still alive after he was handed over to Satan and then repented: If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. (2 Cor 2:5-8) **Again, remember how 1 Cor. 5:4,5 inform Christians how to deal with sexual sin in the life of a professing Christian! It was clearly different than how a person who was never saved is to be dealt with. **Other people were handed over to Satan besides the unnamed man of 1 Cor. 5! holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. (1 Tim 1:19,20) **Paul's judgment regarding treatment of the sexually immoral man and those who blaspheme was not the same as we would read in the Old Testament: If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. (Deut 22:22) anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death. (Lev 24:16) **Under the New Testament, both of those cases are to be handed over to the devil instead of being put to death, as in Moses' day. From this we, therefore, can conclude that John Calvin was certainly wrong in putting Michael Servetus to death over doctrinal issues, especially by burning him at the stake with green wood. 1 Cor 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? **The Corinthian congregation was "boasting" and Paul warned them of this danger! He said a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. The little yeast was their boasting! So even such can be spiritually dangerous for the Christian. No sin is insignificant and completely harmless. This same expression is found elsewhere: A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough (Gal. 5:9). 1 Cor 5:7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. **It was their responsibility to change and get the boasting out of their lives.

4 1 Cor 5:8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. **Christians are to be that bread of sincerity and truth. Elsewhere Paul wrote: But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Eph 5:3,4) 1 Cor 5:9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people **Since the statement not to associate with sexually immoral people is not found in this epistle, we can only assume that Paul wrote them at least one other time before this epistle, where that is stated. This means there are lost writings from people who wrote inspired Scripture. Another one is referred to at Col. 4:16: After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. 1 Cor 5:10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 1 Cor 5:11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. **calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral can also refer back to verse 1. This is a very important detail, that is, he was professing to be a Christian. **Verses 9 through 11 together show that it is a commandment for Christians not to associate, even to the point of eating, with a person who claims to be a Christian, but is sinning that way. No such command is given for such people who don't claim to be Christians. Jesus ate with unsaved people for evangelistic reasons only. 1 Cor 5:12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? **Clearly Christians are commanded to judge those inside a Christian assembly! 1 Cor 5:13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." **John Calvin, and other OSAS teachers, have taught this man was a Christian, even though he was in unrepentant sexual sin, doing what even pagans don't do! This is in clear contrast to Paul's description of him. That sexually immoral man, who professed salvation, is identified by the Apostle Paul as wicked and consequently is not saved at that point, even though he might have been in the past!

5 ** The same Greek word for wicked, as in 1 Cor. 5:13 is poneros and found in the following passages: So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, Mat 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Mat 13:49) Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: (Mat 18:32) His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strowed: (Mat 25:26) (The destiny of the person in Matthew 25:26 is weeping and gnashing of teeth in outer darkness. v. 30. That alone shows the wicked are unsaved.) His master replied, I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? (Luke 19:22) And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. (2 Thess 3:2) Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. (2 John 11) The Wicked are Without Salvation Even in the Old Testament, the context of the various Scriptures show that the wicked are always without salvation: For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psa 1:6) You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. (Psa 5:4) In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. (Psa 10:4) Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"? (Psa 10:13) The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. (Psa 11:5) On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face. (Psa 11:6,7) Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. (Psa 34:21)

6 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. (Psa 36:1) A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. (Psa 37:10) All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes. (Psa 119:119) **Furthermore, we know the man guilty of sexual immorality in 1 Cor. 5 is unsaved based on other Scriptures, like Rev. 21:8: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. In Conclusion The apostate American "church" of our day would (1) never expel the known wicked (or sexually immoral) man from their fellowship; (2) never refuse to eat or associate with people who profess salvation but are listed in 1 Cor. 5:11 the sexually immoral, the greedy, swindlers or idolaters; (3) never consider that man wicked or unsaved, as Paul the real grace teacher did, because they are teaching the heresy of eternal security and (4) never corporately hand the sexually immoral man over to the devil. (They think that has been done away with.) Other Observations **Based on the man's present behavior, Paul knew the man was wicked! **Paul, the servant of God, knew all sexually immoral people are wicked (unsaved) unlike the eternal security teachers! This is true, even if he is supposed to be just a baby Christian. Moreover, Paul was open and bold about stating that that man was unsaved (wicked), unlike present-day so-called spiritual leaders who know OSAS is unscriptural and dangerous, but are afraid to clearly preach against it. (The OSAS teachers are not afraid to openly preach their poison before all the people they can.) **If Paul would have chosen not to do anything about this open immorality in the congregation, that would have been to the spiritual harm of the unsaved man, as well as to the whole congregation and the holy image of being a true Christian. No Eternal Security Visit our favorite apologetics website.