Although the Church should be a safe place and there are indeed many godly believers present in every Bible teaching church, one has to admit that there are unsafe people present in every church. This is certainly not a new thought. In the first century church, there were many outstanding Christians, but there were also individuals who were causing trouble in the church.
Throughout the New Testament, we are encouraged to be on or guard against these types of people. Although, we should love everyone and treat all individuals as our neighbor, we are commanded to avoid certain types of Christians. This thought might seem strange to some and so we must search the scriptures to see if it is a biblically correct one. Let’s see the types of Christians, the word of God commands us to avoid.
(In this blog post I will only deal with one type of Christian to avoid, but this thought will be continued so make sure to subscribe and stay tuned).
Avoid a Christian who is sexually immoral
Before I even jump into an explanation let us see what God’s Word says for ourselves. 1 Corinthians 5:11 says:
“But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral.....”
There it is!!! We are told in clear, unequivocal terms not to associate with anyone who says ‘I am a Christian’ (brother) and at the same time is sexually immoral. This same verse continues and says “with such a person do not even eat”.
Before we jump into this verse, let us first examine what it means to be sexually immoral.
What is sexual immorality?
God designed sex for a man and his wife. Let me say that again! God designed sex for a man and his wife. In God’s eyes, he expects husbands to be having sexual relations with their own wives and vice versa. Any sexual act outside of the marital union is immoral - it is absolutely wrong. So, broadly speaking, sexual immorality refers to sexual relations between unmarried individuals.
It is imperative that we understand that God expects his children, (those who have repented of their sins and have put their faith in Jesus Christ), to walk in sexual purity. Look at what 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 declares:
“It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;”
From this short passage we read that God expects his children to grow in holiness (sanctification), avoid sexual sin and learn to control themselves sexually. But look at what God says of the pagans (those who don’t know Jesus) - they live in passionate lust. One powerful sign that someone doesn’t know God is - a lifestyle of sexual immorality.
God expects that those who belong to him; those whose bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit; those who have put their trust in Jesus - He expects them to walk in SEXUAL PURITY!!!!!
Unfortunately, there are many professing Christians who are living in and practicing sexual sin. They go to church, sing in praise and worship, lift up hands and even teach Sunday school (some of them) and then continue in a life of sexual sin. So what do we do, when we come across a professing believer who is involved in sexual sin?
Now let me make this clear. Our first step is not to cut anyone off..... nor is this our last step. Our first step is to lovingly correct the professing believer. That’s what the Bible tells us!
Luke 17:3 says:
“.......If your brother sins, rebuke him....”
"If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” (Mathew 18:15)
Our first step involves confronting the believer in sin and showing him from the word of God that he is walking in a manner contrary to God’s Word. Our aim
of-course is to win our brother back to a loving relationship with the Lord.
It must be stated again and again, that our rebuke is done in a godly and loving manner. We are not going to put him before the congregation and embarrass him. That’s not what God is about. God is about restoring the brother, and a part of restoration involves discipline. We are going to rebuke (give strong correction to) the brother because we care about him/her and we want him/her out of sin and back in loving fellowship with the savior, Jesus.
Now, it is possible that after correcting the brother he/she still persists in sexual sin. The professing Christian, who after being encouraged to leave a life of sexual sin, and he/she continues to persist in sexual sin, that professing Christian should be avoided.
The Bible tells us why we avoid him/her as well. Look at what it says:
“Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed.”
(2 Thessalonians 3:14)
Avoiding a professing believer, because of unrepentant sin is a form of discipline. It should cause the backslidden believer to think about his actions and repent of his/her sin. As Christians, our hearts desire is for every believer to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, but when repeated and unrepentant sexual sin occurs in the life of a believer we are called to take disciplinary action and this involves not associating with the unrepentant believer.
Why avoid the person who says ‘I am a Christian’ but continues to walk in a manner contrary to God’s Word?
Look at what 1 Corinthians 15:33 says:
“Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character”.
Sinful behavior doesn’t stay in one person, it has a way of spreading and corrupting others. This is exactly what the devil would love - for other believers to be corrupted by sexual sin. He would love if sexual sin was the norm for the body of Christ, but it will never be.
If you have found yourself wrapped up in sexual sin, please don’t persist in it. There is a way out of every sin - look at what 1 Corinthians 10:13 declares:
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it”
God’s Word makes it clear to us that there is always a way out of sin. As a matter of fact, it is God who provides the way out.
If you need help to get out of sexual sin or a sexual addiction or anything of the sort get your hands on 21 Days To Sexual Purity. It is a biblically based devotional jam packed with practical information that will help you to get out of sexual sin and walk in purity before the Lord.
