Bible Reflections From Scripture Union Volume OneSample

Get Rid of the Old Yeast! Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 1 Corinthians 5:6 Paul warns the church against mixing and mingling in any way with people who call themselves ‘believers’ of the Gospel, but who choose to perpetually live in sin. Keeping company will inevitably affect our walk and relationship with God. In this account of an incestuous man, what is unusual is that though Paul speaks little of the ‘sin’ and the ‘sinner’, he is greatly concerned with the attitude and reaction of the church. The Corinthian church excused the sin (when even pagans would not). What caused even more concern was that they were arrogant about it. The problem is not simply a careless attitude toward sin, but their boastful attitude, presumably leading to justification and condoning of the practice. What is at stake is ultimately the attitude of the Corinthian church to sin. More importantly, will the church continue in its present ‘spirituality’–one that tolerates such sin? Our church today needs to relearn measures of discipline that involve the whole church (especially when the sin is known by all), measures that are remedial and reconciliatory (not judgmental). The church must know how to act when the sin impacts the community. In an age where standards are modified to fit one’s present purposes, we need to remember that Christ died for us not simply to give us sure passage to heaven. He died that we might conform to His image. Individually and corporately, we are to express the character of God by the way we live in the world. Do we look more like our surroundings or do we look more like our Lord Jesus?