Separate Yourself!
Dr RJ Sing · 1 min read
“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. ”
“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Ezra realized that if he tolerated the mixture of Israelites with foreign wives, eventually the holy seed would be extinct and the Messiah would never come (Ezra 9:2).
Just as Ezra was appalled at the Israelites’ terrible breach of God’s law, Paul was equally horrified that sin had crept into the church at Corinth. He ordered the excommunication of the one who was in open, unrepentant sin, so the Body of Christ could participate in a pure Passover feast. Just a little bit of yeast will cause the dough to rise, and a little sin mixed into a church, will cause it to be filled with “malice and wickedness” (1 Corinthians 5:8). We must separate ourselves from any so-called “brother” who continues to sin through immorality, greed, thievery or idolatry. Separating ourselves is not just for our good, but for the good of the whole Church. The end result? The Church will be protected, and perhaps the offender will repent and “his spirit [will be] saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5).
From the November 2011 issue, themed “I Must Experience 1000 Times More”.
