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Our family works with women living in sexual sin (at the abortion mills). We have hosted them in our home (and yes, ate with them), but when they choose to reject Christ and to *continue* to willfully live in sin...that's where we cannot yoke with them. That's where the *bond* MUST be broken, according to Scripture. Sound harsh? Look at the Scriptures below and see where Jesus' compassion alligns with His commands and warnings...
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (NIV): Do not be yoked together [associate; befriend] with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship (associate) can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
Matthew 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.
Acts 13:51-52 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
..... to shake the dust of any city of Israel from off one's clothes or feet was an emblematical action, signifying a renunciation of all further connection with them, and placing them on a level with the cities of the Heathen. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
Ephesians 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (reprehend severely; rebuke; convict).
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred (hostility) toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy (hostile) of God.
[Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world] How strange it is that people professing Christianity can suppose that with a worldly spirit, worldly companions, and their lives governed by worldly maxims, they can be in the favour of God, or ever get to the kingdom of heaven! When the world gets into the church, the church becomes a painted sepulcher; its spiritual vitality being extinct. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
Regarding associations with perpetual sinners who call themselves believers....
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 "I have written you in my letter not to associate (keep company or be intimate) with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat (directly translated that we are to not eat, "not even in a continue negation"). What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel (remove) the wicked man from among you.'
It is vitally important to understand that we are not to judge those who are outside the church (non-professing Christians), but we are to remove those who practice homosexuality from our Church body (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). We cannot "police" the homosexuals (that's not our job), but we can remove them from our presence, as stated in the aforementioned verses.
Psalm 1:1 - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
Psalm 26:4-7 I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked. I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works.
Proverb 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
This is crucial........
1 Cor. 15:33 "Do not be deceived (led astray): ‘Bad company (companionship) corrupts good character (habits, customs).'"
There is no difficulty in this saying; he who frequents the company of bad or corrupt men will soon be as they are. He may be sound in the faith, and have the life and power of godliness, and at first frequent their company only for the sake of their pleasing conversation, or their literary accomplishments: and he may think his faith proof against their infidelity; but he will soon find, by means of their glozing speeches, his faith weakened; and when once he gets under the empire of doubt, unbelief will soon prevail; his bad company will corrupt his morals. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
When comments have been said to me about how Jesus hung out with and associate with unbelievers and those in sexual sin, I urge them to look at his friendships with them. My friend had an excellent response...
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (NIV): Do not be yoked together [associate; befriend] with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship (associate) can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
Matthew 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.
Acts 13:51-52 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
..... to shake the dust of any city of Israel from off one's clothes or feet was an emblematical action, signifying a renunciation of all further connection with them, and placing them on a level with the cities of the Heathen. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
Ephesians 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (reprehend severely; rebuke; convict).
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred (hostility) toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy (hostile) of God.
[Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world] How strange it is that people professing Christianity can suppose that with a worldly spirit, worldly companions, and their lives governed by worldly maxims, they can be in the favour of God, or ever get to the kingdom of heaven! When the world gets into the church, the church becomes a painted sepulcher; its spiritual vitality being extinct. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
Regarding associations with perpetual sinners who call themselves believers....
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 "I have written you in my letter not to associate (keep company or be intimate) with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat (directly translated that we are to not eat, "not even in a continue negation"). What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel (remove) the wicked man from among you.'
It is vitally important to understand that we are not to judge those who are outside the church (non-professing Christians), but we are to remove those who practice homosexuality from our Church body (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). We cannot "police" the homosexuals (that's not our job), but we can remove them from our presence, as stated in the aforementioned verses.
Psalm 1:1 - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
Psalm 26:4-7 I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites. I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked. I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works.
Proverb 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
This is crucial........
1 Cor. 15:33 "Do not be deceived (led astray): ‘Bad company (companionship) corrupts good character (habits, customs).'"
There is no difficulty in this saying; he who frequents the company of bad or corrupt men will soon be as they are. He may be sound in the faith, and have the life and power of godliness, and at first frequent their company only for the sake of their pleasing conversation, or their literary accomplishments: and he may think his faith proof against their infidelity; but he will soon find, by means of their glozing speeches, his faith weakened; and when once he gets under the empire of doubt, unbelief will soon prevail; his bad company will corrupt his morals. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
When comments have been said to me about how Jesus hung out with and associate with unbelievers and those in sexual sin, I urge them to look at his friendships with them. My friend had an excellent response...
Jesus had dinner with "sinners", but they were not in His circle of "friends". There is a huge difference, IMHO. There is a distinction between interacting with homosexuals (or whichever other "sinner") and "yoking" yourself with them in a friendship that entails regular interaction. We are known by whom we associate with (sad, but true) and we are also influenced by whom we associate with. Do you want your kids hanging out with the kid who smokes and sneaks alcohol from their parents' cabinet? Or do you want your kids hanging out with the kid who - while they aren't perfect (because no one is) - does their best to make good choices? I know which one I want my kids hanging out with. I know that it has become politically correct to be "tolerant" of homosexuals (which is watering down the fact that according to the Bible, it is a sin, an abomination), and I AM "tolerant" of homosexuals (my SIL is a lesbian, and has been in a relationship with the same woman for over 10 years), but I am not going to befriend a homosexual. All of the examples (addiction to porn, lusting, having affairs) are done in secret. It isn't as though people engaging in those things show up at church with a sign around their neck saying "I'm a porn addict". Those examples are red herrings. If a man DID show up at church with a sign that said "I'm addicted to porn", I think that the article Lisa posted [HERE] would apply. But to answer your question about "how do we choose who is moral enough to keep company with", the answer is spelled out very clearly in several places in the Bible. I've already gotten long-winded, so I won't quote the scriptures or even post the references. Don't be deceived into thinking that you have to be "friends with" an immoral person in order to witness to them. You can be friendly, without being "friends". A former pastor of mine used to always say, if you're standing on a chair, it's much easier for someone to pull you off the chair, than it is for you to pull them up on it with you. - Kathy H.
Our family proclaims the truth to those we meet who are living in sexual sin. This can be done while still obeying the Scriptures. We encourage them, in love, to break free from sin (aborting their babies; continuing in sexual sin). We never know when someone will be called into eternity. There is no time to let those that we are supposed to love and care about feel comfortable in their sin. Jesus never made sinners feel comfortable to stay in their sin. He spoke the truth and yoked with those who sought forgiveness and repented from living in sin. When we meet young women at the abortion clinics, we meet their practical needs, present the Gospel, fulfill our promises to them and eventually move on if the Gospel has been rejected. We check in on them now and again and continue to minister to them. BUT...we never yoke together or befriend/hang out with, etc. Quite a difference there...
We *all* sin, but it's what we do to prevent that repetitive sin and Who we've accepted as covering for our sin that makes the difference.
We *all* sin, but it's what we do to prevent that repetitive sin and Who we've accepted as covering for our sin that makes the difference.
The Word is very clear on this. I cannot debate feelings (we all feel differently about many things...what we prefer to eat, what style home is our favorite, what clothes we prefer to wear, etc.). If you want to show me IN SCRIPTURE where it refutes the Scriptures I listed, I'd love to see it. For me...I take Scripture as it is.
4 comments:
Thank you so much for taking the time to share the scriptures on this matter, Lisa. God bless you as you love the perishing, in Word & deed, in Jesus' Name.
Thank you so much for this post! What a blessing to me at this moment in time. I have recently had to end 2 friendships based on this very topic. I (wrongly) had believed that I needed to stay friends with them so that I could be that Christian example and witness to them. I had agonized for months on end before I finally made that good, clean break. Thank you for the verses you posted, and the comment imbeded from your friend. It is just what I needed to sooth my heart and remind me that I had indeed, done the right thing.
I believe the part in 1 Cor. 5:19 that you chose to ignore by not highlighting would be my response to this thought. We are called to associate with the world otherwise how we they ever see Christ. Sometimes true change takes time as unbeliever sees Christ and his word lived out in our lives on a day to day basis. they most want what we have found in Christ. They will not want that if they think they have found a friend who suddenly drops them because they haven't immediately turned to Christ. They will now feel rejected by some who claimed to know Christ. I have seen this dangerous thought of separating from the ungodly (even believers who are "ungodly") and it only ever does more damage than good. We are called to love just as we would want to be loved and sometimes that takes time to win someone to Christ.
Katie, I think you were too quick to correct, and didn't read the entire post. I never said to drop out of the picture. I said, "We check in on them now and again and continue to minister to them. BUT...we never yoke together or befriend/hang out with, etc. Quite a difference there..."
Again, LOOK AT WHAT WE DO WITH OUR MINISTRY with those in sexual sins at the abortion mill. The above quote perfectly illustrates the BALLANCE we are to have with those who are rebellious and continue to live in such a way.
Thank you for your comment.
Lisa Metzger
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