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HELEN SANDERS
4-8-2022
JUDGING
There is a lot of discussion about judging on the internet, in the church, on social media and in person. The most common thing said, “Who are you to judge someone?”
Let’s see what the scriptures have to say about it. In I Corinthians 5 Paul writes to the Church at Corinth about sin that had been going on in the church. A man was having sexual relations with his father’s wife. The church had done nothing about it. Perhaps because their sinful background was perverted, they brought their sexual perversions into the church. Regardless of the reason that they did not address this sin, Paul writes in verse 3, “For I verily, as absent in body (he was not there) but present in spirit (he fathered the church) have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed.”
There it is. In the church Paul judged the sin. He goes on to tell the church what to do about this sin in verses 4-5, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
This is a very strong instruction. They were to deliver this sinner to Satan so he could die. Yet, his spirit might be saved when the Lord returns. You see, this man had not repented of his sin because no one confronted him with it. They turned their eyes to the sin and allowed it to be in the church. Paul heard of this and wrote to put a stop to it.
The church put him out of their congregation as Paul had suggested. Then an amazing thing happened. In II Corinthians Paul again writes to the church. In chapter 2 Paul writes that the man had sorrowed. You see, godly sorrow worketh repentance. This man sorrowed over his sin when he was confronted with it. In verses 6-11 Paul writes, “Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. (Everyone turned their back on him.) So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive any thing (this man), I forgive also; (even though I’m not there) for if I forgive any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ (as Christ’s ambassador) Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
Paul let the church know that the man had repented of his sin, and they were to love him again and restore him. Satan wanted to destroy the man because they turned him over to Satan, but through repentance restoration came.
We are to judge sin in the body of Christ. We must do it scripturally, going first of all one on one to bring correction and restoration. Doing things the scriptural way will bring great joy when it is done right.
The other thing we must remember is all of those that have not received Christ are judged as sinners. They are lost and unless they get saved, they will stand before God at the Great White Throne JUDGMENT. We don’t judge the lost my friends. God has judged them, but we pray that they have godly sorrow over their sin and receive salvation.
The church, the body of Christ is to be presented to God without spot or blemish. It is our duty as Christians to judge sin in the church.
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