Living In Sin

Posted on by korgrocker

“I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 NLT

What a mess! A man in Corinth, presumably a member of the Corinthian church, had remarried and introduced another wife and mother to a family that included at least one male child, and this boy, now a man, and his new stepmother were having a sexual relationship. And not one apparently undertaken behind closed doors and in secret. The whole church knew about it, and the scandal was such that news of it reached Paul in Ephesus. Worse, the Corinthian church apparently condoned it. First of all, this was a situation that the Jews took extremely seriously, as we read in Leviticus 20:11, “If a man violates his father by having sex with one of his father’s wives, both the man and the woman must be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offence”. In other words, in the days when this was written by Moses, stoning to death would have resulted. What was happening in Corinth was an incestuous relationship, and even the secular standards of those days in the Greek culture did not think this right. From a Christian perspective, this was a terrible situation because any sexual relationship outside of marriage was considered a sin. 

In Genesis 2:24, the basis of marriage was laid down as God’s order for husband and wife relationships. “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one”. The writer to the Hebrews was also very clear about any sexual relationship outside marriage. Hebrews 13:4, “Give honour to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery”. This man in the Corinthian church was committing adultery with his stepmother, and Paul was angered enough to write to the people there. Adultery is defined as voluntary sexual activity between a married person and someone other than his or her spouse. It is included in what the Bible calls sexual immorality, and there are plenty of verses that warn against getting involved with such a sin. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6, “God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honour— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before“.  

Jesus upheld the Law concerning adultery, but He went further in His definition of adultery. He said, “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Jesus called out the men in these verses, but it equally applies to women as well. And He went on to include divorce in His definition of adultery. “But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery” (Matthew 5:32). But in these 21st Century days of provocative dressing, it is very hard for believing men and women to follow Jesus’ teaching and we need to call upon the help of the Holy Spirit to keep us pure and holy before God.

God gave us very strict laws about any form of sexual immorality, and that hasn’t changed since the days of Creation. So, it is a damning indictment of the Corinthian church that they allowed an adulterous and immoral sexual relationship to flourish within their midst. Paul was quite right to call it out and deal with it. His remedy was for the man to be removed from the church.

For Christians today, “living in sin” is prohibited. It is joked about in our society, but in reality, it is a serious situation. Records of marriages in recent years show that over 90% of them were between couples who were previously “living in sin”, perhaps indicating that such relationships outside of marriage have become socially acceptable in our secular societies. So what happens when one of these cohabiting couples comes to church, wants to become members, and the congregation finds out? There has to be an acceptance of them in love, of course (not accepting what they are doing, though), but the pastoral team will embark on a course of correction, involving repentance and restoration to the way God has ordained. But with an adulterous relationship that involves a couple who refuse to change their ways, there is no alternative but to ask them to leave the church or fellowship. Sad, but that is what our faith teaches.

As with any sin, restoration to a position of righteousness and holiness comes through repentance involving turning away from committing the sin any more. In Ephesians 4:30, Paul wrote, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption“. Just a few verses before, Paul also wrote,“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:21-24). In God, we are a new creation, living for Him. This life is a training ground for what is to come. We can’t get to Heaven with one foot in the kingdom of the world and the other in the Kingdom of God. Look what Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

But as with any sin, we pilgrims are always on the alert. Our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, and leading people, even believers, into sexual sins is one of his weapons. Remember the snake in the Garden – “surely God didn’t say …”?

Father God. We repent of all our sins, sexual or otherwise. And for those who are weaker in the faith and caught up in situations seemingly beyond their control, we pray for opportunities to help them and restore them to Your ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Adultery (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.””
John 8:1-11 NLT

Imagine the scene. The crowd of people around Jesus moved back to allow a group of religious leaders – we don’t know how many – to enter the space in front of Jesus and publicly display a woman who they accused of being “caught in the act of adultery”. Hands full of stones, they dragged the poor woman into Jesus’ presence, right while He was teaching the crowd. They were trying to trap Jesus and draw Him into their legalistic and unloving world, a world where laws and rules were the only arbiter of human behaviour. A world where more and more rules were invented to attempt to cover all eventualities. We pilgrims can only look on through the lens of time and feel sorry for the woman. The public humiliation. The fear gripping her heart. Surrounded by cruel and brutal men. Knowing that she had committed a forbidden act. No opportunity to present a mitigating defence. No mercy available.

The religious leaders demanded an answer from Jesus, but He was doodling something in the dust on the Temple floor. They were persistent, probably thinking we’ve got Him now, but Jesus stood up and, in a few words, put His finger on the real issue. He acknowledged what was written in the Law, but He then went on to expose the leaders’ hypocrisy. How many of them had been involved in a similar situation to the adulterous man, conspicuous by his absence from the scene? How many of them had sins committed in the past that were still hanging heavily on their consciences? Jesus said, “let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone“. Perhaps the religious leaders realised that they too deserved punishment for the sins that they had committed.

We read about what happened next. Jesus had returned to doodling in the dust. The crowd was quiet, mesmerised by the scene before them. Those at the back straining to see what was going on. Perhaps in the quiet the woman’s sobbing would have been heard by all. But then a series of thuds were heard, the sounds made by rocks being dropped on to the Temple floor. Footsteps then shuffled off into the distance. Jesus looked up and saw that only the woman remained. Her accusers, those brutal and harsh leaders, had disappeared. “Where have your accusers gone”, Jesus asked the woman. “Are there any left who condemn you?” What follows shows the incredible love that Jesus had, and still has, for sinners. He showed His love to the woman by the word “Go”, and then told her to stop sinning. She was free to return to wherever she had come from. I wonder what was going on inside of her? Relief must have flooded over her. The tears that had previously been running down her face started to dry. The crowd parted to let her go about her business.

We pilgrims know that God loves sinners but hates the sin, and He provides the opportunity for everyone to be reconciled to Him by believing in His Son, Jesus. Jesus refused to condemn the woman, instead giving her an opportunity to embrace His grace and love.But do we pilgrims sometimes look on at another sinner and adopt a holier-than-though attitude? Do we forget that we too are sinners? It is no good thinking that our sins are not as bad as someone else’s. Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, ”For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard“. But with grateful hearts we echo what Paul wrote next, “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:24). Thanks to Jesus, we can stand before God with confidence that He died for us in our place, as a punishment for our sins.

Father God. On our knees in worship before You we express our gratitude for Your grace and mercy. Amen.

Adultery (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.””
John 8:1-11 NLT

Jesus returned to His accommodation on the Mount of Olives after His eventful last day at the Feast of Tabernacles. A day in which He had declared an invitation, “ … Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart’” (John 7:37b-38). A day during which He had nearly been arrested for blasphemy. A day when many in the crowd in the Temple started to declare that He was the Messiah. But John recorded that He was soon back in the Temple the next day and a crowd gathered around Him. In accordance with the Rabbinic custom of His day, Jesus then sat down and started to teach them. But the religious leaders had a disruptive plan, hoping to trap Jesus into committing an error that would give them another reason to arrest Him. How they managed it we don’t know, but somehow they found a woman “who had been caught in the act of adultery”, and they displayed her publicly right there in the Temple in front of Jesus.

As an aside, one person was conspicuously absent from the Pharisees’ plans – the man. The act of adultery takes two people, a man and a woman, to be accomplished, so where was the man? The Pharisees and the other religious leaders present quoted the Law of Moses from Deuteronomy 22:22, “If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil”. There is another verse in Leviticus 20:10, “If a man commits adultery with his neighbour’s wife, both the man and the woman who have committed adultery must be put to death”. The misogyny of the religious leaders was symptomatic of an age when women were considered little better than the farm animals in a man’s stable.

The religious leaders were trying to catch Jesus out, by putting Him in a no-win position. If He recommended that the woman was released, then He could have been accused once again of treating the Law of Moses with contempt. On the other hand, if He agreed with the leaders that the woman should be stoned then the Roman authorities, who exclusively had the mandate to administer a death sentence, might be upset and arrest Him. But what followed was a moment of reality to the accusers. They realised that they were all sinners, and had no mandate to judge another sinner. So when Jesus said to them that only the sinless had the authority to stone a sinner, they dropped their stones and walked away. Something powerful happened that day, even in the lives of the religious leaders who liked to display their personal righteousness before the people. Because of their public humiliation they now hated Jesus even more. But they had encountered the Son of God Himself, and perhaps received a glimpse into God’s heart of love and grace, contrasting their rigid and legalistic faith. Jesus said that His Kingdom was close at hand, and sadly the religious leaders possibly missed an opportunity to enter it.

Father God. We pray that Your Kingdom will come to this devil-ruled world. And soon. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The “Eye” Gate

Posted on by korgrocker

“They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.”
2 Peter 2:14 NLT

This is an uncomfortable verse, particularly for us men. Our eyes, rather what we see, can potentially lead us into sexual sin, because anything with visual appeal can tempt us. In the context of this verse in 2 Peter, he is referring to the visual appeal of a woman to a man, and how the initial glance can develop into something more extensive, intrusive, and even sinful. As we read in Genesis 2, under what seemed to be general anaesthetic, God removed one of Adam’s ribs and created a woman from it. And in Genesis 2:23 we read Adam’s response, ““At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’”” I think the Bible translators may have played down the excitement Adam felt when he saw his new companion! But as usual, our enemy, the devil, has come along and corrupted something that God intended for purity. 

The Bible has several examples of what Peter was warning against. We remember David, and his episode with Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 11:2, “Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath“. Overlooking the thought of why a woman was bathing in public, and at a time when he should have been out doing battle with his enemies, David was lingering at home with time on his hands. His initial and casual glance exploded into a web of deceit and the death of a good brave soldier. After Uriah’s (Bathsheba’s husband’s) death we read in 2 Samuel 11 27, “When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done“. God then sent the prophet Nathan to face David with his crime (a brave act because prophets usually didn’t survive for too long with such a confrontative word), to warn him that God had brought a curse over him and his household. 2 Samuel 12:10-12, “From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”” The child from the liaison with Bathsheba unfortunately died. David, full of remorse, wrote the Psalm we know so well. “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. … Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just” (Psalm 51:1,4). In this Psalm, the thing David feared most was a barrier between him and God. “Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me” was his prayer (Psalm 51:11). 

Jesus taught about the dangers of the lusts of the eyes. Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”‭‭ The Pharisees would have felt very righteous in themselves because they, rightly, could claim that they had never committed adultery. The seventh commandment, “You must not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) would have been very well known to them. But Jesus raised the bar to an extent that it would have brought condemnation to their doors. Even if they did not commit the act of adultery, did they perhaps have thoughts focused in that direction?

But fast forward to living in the 21st Century, with its easy access to all sorts of forbidden “fruits” via internet pornography sites and printed magazines. The Psalmist wrote a timeless verse, Psalm 119:9, “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.” A verse that applied in Old Testament days just as much as it does today, and a verse that applies to men of all ages, not just the young. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:22-24). There is a saying, regarding temptation, “You can’t stop birds flying over your head, but you can stop them nesting in your hair”. 

So what do we men do about the “lusts of our eyes”. As the Psalmist said, obedience to God and His Word is a good start, and the Holy Spirit will assist us on our journey. Jesus said in Matthew 5:29, “So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” A drastic solution? Perhaps, but it indicates something that God takes seriously.

Dear God, all we can do is cry out “Please Help”. Thank You. Amen.