I have defined lesser sins as those that are not so obvious. Many may not call them sin, but Jesus was very clear that even lesser sins are just as damning as the more obvious ones. One of my most faithful readers, Rich, commented on this in my last post. In Matt 5:22-30 records the words of Jesus as he explains the spiritual nature of sin. Impure thoughts lead to guilt, and yet many will say that they haven't sinned because they have not acted on their thoughts.
I think it is fair to ask if Christians should get caught up in testing each other. It could quit easily turn into a "holy er than thow" contest, which is not edifying, nor does it glorify God. Even so I can't help but to remember that Christians are to be proclaimers of the gospel, and when do we stop proclaiming the gospel? NEVER! We must recognise that the gospel is the thread that ties the whole of scripture together. So then, to continue from my last post, what is the best way to confront a professing Christian who is in denial about their lesser sin? Proclaim the gospel. We may never know the true condition of a man's heart, but if his life shows little or no evidence of regeneration, we can't go wrong by continuing to clearly explain the plite of man, and his redemption through the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Sin is evidence of our fallen condition and a constant reminder that human kind is in-capable of fulfilling our obligation to the law of God. We are totally depraved, in that, we are dead in our sin and only God can breath life into our spiritual being. Once God begins that work, we are in-capable of resisting Him. The flash flood of His new birth will overwhelm us, and will pour out of us as we become saturated by it. If we aren't dripping drops of righteousness everywhere we go, then how can we claim to be born again?
Where does church discipline fit in with all of this?
More next time
David
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3 comments:
What is(are) the purpose(es?) of confronting another believer who is living in sin? To be God's instrument in restoring a believer? To protect the body of Christ and its witness to the world? Or are those reasons irrelevant? Is it just a matter of simple obedience?
Whichever is the case, it seems that a study of each passage that deals with confronting a believer in sin or initiating church discipline needs to be done to adequately explore your question.
Would you care to share some of the main points that emerged from your men's Bible study discussion?
sappy,
I would love to participate in a bible study about church discipline in the context of lesser sin. Unfortunately I don't have the time to blog that kind of in depth study. The two main points in our home group study were the common misconceptions about the title "Disciple" and the common misapplications of discipleship training for more mature Christians. One misconception, IE you become a true disciple only after you become more mature or "sanctified."
Thoughts for further discussion:
Should Christians and churches take into consideration different levels of sanctification in deciding when church discipline should be exercised for the "less overt" sins?
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