The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5,
"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, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord."
In this well known circumstance, the church in Corinth had a believer who was bringing dishonor to both the Lord and his church. This was a man who was acting in a manner that would have been looked down upon even by those who were not saved. He represented moral depravity within the church and the church was actually proud of it!
One of the issues this brought was a practical repudiation and denial of the reality of redemption. Those who embrace Jesus Christ in faith are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who makes a "new man" out of us. As we are being changed from within, an outcome is a turn from sinful ways as the Holy Spirit bears fruit in our lives. But here is an aberration. This man is fully engaged in an immoral lifestyle to the misplaced "pride" of the church in Corinth!
As Paul makes clear in this chapter, this man was a member of the community of the redeemed, a brother in the Lord, and yet his life was an anomaly in that it didn't reflect his redemption and the reality of the Holy Spirit dwelling within him. As a non-normal situation within the church, the church needed to respond in a non-normal way to restore this brother and protect the glory of the Lord that was being challenged by the contradiction in this man's life: a virtual lifestyle statement that the Lord and the redemption that he provides has no impact on us even with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
In this well known circumstance, the church in Corinth had a believer who was bringing dishonor to both the Lord and his church. This was a man who was acting in a manner that would have been looked down upon even by those who were not saved. He represented moral depravity within the church and the church was actually proud of it!
One of the issues this brought was a practical repudiation and denial of the reality of redemption. Those who embrace Jesus Christ in faith are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who makes a "new man" out of us. As we are being changed from within, an outcome is a turn from sinful ways as the Holy Spirit bears fruit in our lives. But here is an aberration. This man is fully engaged in an immoral lifestyle to the misplaced "pride" of the church in Corinth!
As Paul makes clear in this chapter, this man was a member of the community of the redeemed, a brother in the Lord, and yet his life was an anomaly in that it didn't reflect his redemption and the reality of the Holy Spirit dwelling within him. As a non-normal situation within the church, the church needed to respond in a non-normal way to restore this brother and protect the glory of the Lord that was being challenged by the contradiction in this man's life: a virtual lifestyle statement that the Lord and the redemption that he provides has no impact on us even with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Paul responded - the church had to act!
But, and this is what grabs my heart this morning, the action the church is to take is that which brings about the best outcome for this brother. "Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord." Although this man was bringing disgrace to the church, to the bride of Christ, although he was in fact impugning the glory of the Lord, the action the church is asked to take is that which brings the best outcome for this man and does eventually result in his restoration to the church.
What I love so much about the Lord is that he is a people person. His love, his kindness, his mercy toward us, even when we struggle with sin is something that draws me close to his heart!
But, and this is what grabs my heart this morning, the action the church is to take is that which brings about the best outcome for this brother. "Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord." Although this man was bringing disgrace to the church, to the bride of Christ, although he was in fact impugning the glory of the Lord, the action the church is asked to take is that which brings the best outcome for this man and does eventually result in his restoration to the church.
What I love so much about the Lord is that he is a people person. His love, his kindness, his mercy toward us, even when we struggle with sin is something that draws me close to his heart!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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