Rising Above the Fog of This Sinful World

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 the wicked man from among you.”

 

St. Paul spoke the above verse to the Corinthians, as documented in today’s reading, 1 Corinthians 5:1-12.

 

It is rare for me to talk to a Christian who does not bemoan the moral deterioration of our world during the recent past. Christians are upset over the legalization of abortion. They are mad that our courts have defined an alternative definition of marriage. Many are irate that some of our civic leaders ignore our constitution and act unilaterally, while perhaps being more irate at many other civic leaders who refuse to speak out against such behavior. The list goes on.

 

Christians have a lot of reasons to be irate.

 

Paul’s words give us reason to pause and reflect. Our job is not to judge the world. That will happen on Judgment Day.

 

Our job is not to change the world. Satan is sometimes called the Prince of the World, and the world will follow Satan, its prince.

 

Our job is to share the Gospel with unbelievers. Armed with the Good News of Jesus Christ, we are to rescue people from Satan’s domain, not change Satan’s domain.

 

Paul gives us another responsibility. It is our job to ensure that the Earthly Kingdom of God, that is the Church here on Earth, is pure. The Church is holy; it is to stand out as being morally different than the rest of the world.

 

The Church is filled with sinners, so it is impossible for the church to be pure. That is not a license, however, to give up. Rather, Paul is telling the Church to obey and enforce God's Laws. Paul is not telling us we will not, or should not, sin. He really is telling us that it is a sin not to attempt to follow God’s Laws.

 

The Church is holy and is set apart. Christians must work for its purity.

 

The Church must be seen as rising above the fog of the sinful world.