The Narrow Path Ministries

To Steve, if you're not too busy, and anyone who cares to comment,

In 1 Corinthians 5 it talks about the church distancing themselves from a professing believer in blatent, unrepentant sin. I was wondering exactly what this means. Does this mean that as an individual you are not to be friends with them or is it talking about no longer accepting them as a Christian member of a church or fellowship? Also at what point is someone a professing believer? A great deal of people may consider themselves Christians or even casually say that Jesus is a hero of theirs. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks.

this is a good question, especially this part:

at what point is someone a professing believer?

we certainly dont want ot be shunning non-christians!

TK

Because life was very different in biblical times, I think we need to understand that Christians all fellowshipped together like a family back then so “shunning” was meant to have the effect of pressuring on the person to realize his sin. In hopes of bringing him back to God.

Not sure how we manage the same thing in most America cities today.

kallin1986 wrote:Does this mean that as an individual you are not to be friends with them or is it talking about no longer accepting them as a Christian member of a church or fellowship?

I'll take a swipe at it Kallin...

In Matt 18, Jesus describes a process that we are to implement on how to reconcile with a brother who has sinned against us. It isn't exactly the same thing that happened in 1 Cor. 5, but it might be considered similar.

In Matt 18, if the sinning brother did not respond to our individual approach, the approach of 2 or 3 witnesses, and then to the entire church, Jesus said to consider that person a "heathen and a tax collector."

Probably most of Jesus' listeners kept a healthy distance from the tax collector and heathen (Gentile). I believe that that is what Jesus is implying in the Matt 18 passage - that we disassociate ourselves from the sinning brother.

I think the principle is pretty much the same in 1 Cor 5. Paul said that he already judged this person (vs. 3) - in other words they don't have to follow the Matt 18 course of confrontation. He said that Christians are not to "even eat with such a person." I think that is pretty consistent with Jesus' words in Matt 18 of treating them as a tax collector and heathen.

kallin1986 wrote:Also at what point is someone a professing believer? A great deal of people may consider themselves Christians or even casually say that Jesus is a hero of theirs. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks.

I am guessing that this question has to do with the person whose walk with the Lord is not as clear to us. Well, I suppose if they consider themselves a believer we are still to confront them about the open sin that they are living in. Hopefully, if they are serious about walking with the Lord they will repent.

If they aren't walking with the Lord in the first place, it doesn't matter, because we can't hold non-Christians to the same standard as Christians.

... anyway, that's my thought.

peace,

dane