Paul talks about the consequences of sin, both on ourselves and the ones around us, in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. You cannot sin without there being consequences.
1 Corinthians 5:3-5 “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
Verse 3 could have just as easily been said by our Lord Jesus Christ. He watches our lives; while He is not with us physically, He is with us in spirit. Paul has judged the person involved in immorality within the Corinthian church. The word Paul used for this judgment was krino. There is another well-known verse in the Bible where this particular word is used:
John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
When this verse in John says the person is “condemned”, the same Greek word krino is used to signify judgment.
Paul instructs the Corinthian church to take this person and remove him from their church. If after this removal this person did not repent of their sins, Satan would take hold and destry the flesh. Satan is referred to as a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. When we live in sin, God cannot protect us. The church cannot (or should not) protect us. We have made a personal decision and there is a consequence of it.
We do not sin in a vacuum. Sin impacts our lives and our families lives. Remember in the Old Testament how Achan disobeyed God and took some spoils after a great victory by Israel. But God departed not only Achan but the nation of Israel and they lost the next battle to little Ai. When you sin, you introduce sin into the church. And whether or not you intend it, sin taints the church and it hinders Gods work.
Let’s live our lives carefully; let’s keep in close contact with God and repent of our sins whenever we think we’ve done wrong. God is patient and reliable to forgive us of our sins. But God is hurt when we sin and allow it to dwell with us.
To learn more about 1 Corinthians 5, follow this link.
