We’ve been looking at why Paul takes sin so seriously in this chapter of 1 Corinthians. It can cause serious damage in the church. Paul wants sin cleaned out. This chapter rubs against everything we see as normal and right in our culture. It’s not politically correct to tell someone they’re sinning, let alone kick them out for doing something wrong. And, as Christians, we often look to the several Bible passages that tell us not to judge each other.
So, which is it? Do we judge or not?
Open up your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 5:12–13.
12It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
Paul’s words at the end of this chapter can be confusing. He tells the Corinthians to judge each other on their sin. But Paul said the Corinthians weren’t supposed to judge at the beginning of chapter 4. So when is it okay to judge?
The Greek word for “judge,” krinō, carries legal undertones, much like our word does in English. It means to determine if something is right or wrong or if a person is guilty or not guilty. One way to think about the word krinō is as arriving at a verdict. We sometimes read the word “judge” and think about being critical of someone or condemning them, whether through our thoughts or words. But Paul’s simply talking about figuring out what is right or wrong by God’s standards. In this case, the church should consider if the man in question is acting in accordance with God’s law or not.
When Paul tells the Corinthians not to judge in the previous chapter of 1 Corinthians 4, he’s saying they shouldn’t try to determine the validity of his apostolic ministry because God’s the one to do that. He’s not talking about judging sin. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul’s saying the church should be aware of and proactive against habitual sin in its members.
As members of God’s family, we have to take care of each other. That means we do everything we can to make sure the whole family stays healthy. Kicking someone out of the church can seem harsh to us. But it’s one of the ways the church can stay healthy. And it’s often the only way someone can realize the consequence of their sin and turn back to God.
You might recall Jesus’s words about judging others:
1“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. 6“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
Matthew 7:1–6 (NLT)
He says to make sure you deal with your own problems before pointing them out in other people. His words apply here. We shouldn’t go around condemning other Christians for their sin when we have unrepentant sin in our own lives. Calling out sin should always begin in us.
That doesn’t mean we’re the first ones to call out other people’s sin. Rather, we open ourselves up to the judgment of others. We live transparently. We create so much stress for ourselves by trying to hide our sin. But if we’re open about our struggles, we can live free—free from the burden of hiding it and free from the guilt and shame of it.
Imagine what your life could be like if you were completely transparent about your sin. Sure, it’d be scary at first. But you’d never have to worry about being caught. You’d never be caught off guard if someone called you out on your sin. You’d be free.
Take a moment to reflect on this question:
What’s keeping you from living in transparency now?
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
We had a very interesting discussion in our small group last night about if Paul is unloving and ineffective to this man or not. One of our peers found this helpful article on that point: https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/1-corinthians-5-necessary-loving-not-associate-eat-certain-christians/
I’m the same as mike of if I lived a transparent life I would scared of what the people around me saw and what God saw. I struggle with prideful thoughts and sometimes have sinful thoughts. It’s something I recently had a conversation with someonr about. Anyone can look good on the outside but only you and God know what’s going on in the inside b
Living transparently means we are honest with God, with ourselves, and with others about our struggles. We are vulnerable in our sharing ask for support and accountability. We need to rely on God and trust He is bigger than our sin and rely on His strength to overcome it. We remove ourselves from dangerous situations that are not good for us. We replace our sins with things that connect us closer to God and others. What keeps us from being transparent is the fear of judgement, guilt and shame. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and if we truly believe that truth we focus on His strength to overcome our sin and focus on walking with Him daily. And as Paul said we’re not judging to be critical but to discern what is right and wrong but to abide in His goodness.