If we love those believers who are sinning, we follow the Biblical mandate to discipline them by putting them out until they confess. When they do that, then they can be restored as though they never sinned. However, if they confess and continue in sin then they are not repentant and must remain out of fellowship. Remaining in sin makes a confession meaningless and trite. Only through brokenness can someone be restored to fellowship and only through brokenness will they turn from their sin to not repeat it again.
Hebrews 12:6 "5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; 6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?…"
Matthew 18:15-17 "15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and [p]a tax collector."
God clearly instructs us not to have fellowship with those who claim to be Christians and live in sin continually. It is possible that the one who fights to defend their sin, will not stop and exact revenge against those who confront them, have never been born again. They are to be treated as an unbeliever, avoid them because they claim their sin is acceptable. Remember that our actions reveal who we are inside. When there is no shame for sin, then we know the Holy Spirit is not living in someone who is not ashamed of their sin. These people are pretenders and they are in gatherings everywhere.
2 Corinthians 6:14-17
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."
Just recently I was told about people who were attending a local church, a pedophile with two women and a child. The pedophile is divorced and living in sin with one of the women. He uses filthy language, demands complete obedience while acting perversely. My question is this; "why is that man not being put out of the gathering." He is an abomination and sadly a wicked example to others in that body. How can godly people sit in the pews not saying a word, while that man is there? How can that man go week after week, feel comfortable while others show kindness to him?
This is the wicked state of our churches today, at least in this area. Somewhere the parishioners got the idea that demonstrating grace and mercy had to do with tolerating sin with a big smile on ones face, as though it is not happening.
Grace is not extended to those who refuse to confess their sin! Mercy is not extended to the unrepentant. The state of things in our churches shows that we have perverted the meaning of grace and mercy. These terms are being used to overlook and wink at sin in the body.
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, that is grace, but we have to want to be cleansed to receive it. No one will be offered grace unless we desire to be changed into a new creation by Christ.
No one will be offered mercy unless they trust Christ.
What mercy and grace are not!!!!
MERCY AND GRACE ARE NOT ACCEPTING SIN, WINKING AT SIN OR ENDORSING SIN IN THE BODY.
Galatians 5:19-21 "19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 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."
Colossians 3:5-6 "5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."
God does not overlook and wink at sin and neither should we. If we love our brother, if we love the unbeliever, we point out the sin, explain the consequences of it and remove ourselves if the parties involved will not repent.
The "just forgive them" mantra is a lazy way of dealing with offenses. It is easier to ignore sin than to deal with it. There is a good chance others in the gathering will be angry with us for dealing with sin. We may be ignored, left out of things, demeaned in gossip, because we called out those who are in sin to repentance. Most people who ignore sin, do it because they fear the wrath of man. We have more fear of man's wrath in the body of Christ than we have fear of God. We have placed men, feelings and happiness above God and His righteousness.
When we do things out of fear of man rather than fear of God, we partake in the sin, even if we are not going the sin ourselves, we are approving, through our silence, the sin that others do.
Proverbs 29:24-26 "…24 He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
Leviticus 5:1 "Now if a person sins after he hears a public adjuration to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt."
Ephesians 5:11-12 "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret."
Titus 1:10-13 "For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith."
James 5:20 "let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Ezekiel 3:18-19 "If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul."
Isaiah 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."
11. James 4:4 "You adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility with God? So whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God."
The "just love them" mantra is paganistic and unBiblical. It cares nothing about the spiritual or eternal state of another human being. Let's be diligent to obey God, put away any fear of man, while concerning ourselves with what pleases our God.
