I Corinthians 5:1 - Restraint and Guilt

I Corinthians 5:1 - It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.

Message: Restraint and Guilt

Time: Paul spent 18 months in Corinth and this is his 2nd letter to them (the first did not survive). He penned his letter in AD 55. There was quarrelling already in this church and deep divisions. Sin needs to be confronted and he did this boldly.

What the Lord is Saying:

As was seen in the previous lesson, the law is given for all, to restrain all from sin. Now we can't help but notice that this law of God has changed significantly, even in my lifetime. I can remember very few stores being open on Sunday. Thus, Sunday was thought to be a day of rest. And even stores were not open for 24 hours very often. But, all that has changed and there is rarely a day of rest when some stores are open on Christmas day. In addition, what has been defined as acceptable behavior has broadened.    

Homosexuality, sex before marriage, pornography, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana -- were all even 40 years ago considered taboo and yet now they are celebrated as acceptable behavior and the needle continues to move as we have individuals now choosing their own biological sex. 

Yet the needle has not moved all the way and we are still centered on certain restraints, like murder, hate, theft, incest, torture, and certain aspect of sexual immorality like forcing minors to engage in sexual acts. 

In today's passage from I Corinthians 5:1 is an example of a sin that even the pagan world thought was wrong -- a sexual relationship between a man and his stepmother after his father died or divorced her. And this is a sin that was being practiced among those that call themselves followers of God. Thus, an example of how their was a law even in the pagan world of what is acceptable and unacceptable. And the Christians were those ones not rightly applying God's word. I've seen this in my lifetime. I remember my father saying that my faith would be challenged more by attending the Christian university that I did than if I were to attend a secular university. And having worked for Christian businesses as well, I found that I was treated differently than if I had been working for a business not made up of Christians. And even in the church, rather than being different, often churches are no different than the world. 

Many non-Christians are good citizens, doing good things, having good morals. They love their children and see the problem of exposure to all that the world offers and often are in very close relationships with one another. This is a good thing. And yet the words of the Bible decry an outward only manifestation of the truth of God, stating that it must be an inward change. Doing good and being Godly are very different things. None of us are perfect and all of us still are sinners and are in need of a Savior to redeem us from ourselves and bring us into God's acceptance. 

Promise: The Law of God is meant to be a restraint, and the world is watching how Christians restrain themselves. Let us seek to use the Law of God as a restraint so that others may see Christ in all His glory. 

Prayer: O God, thank you for the truth of You and the morality that you have set up in this world. You are holy and you have called your people to holiness. Thank you that our country was founded on Godly principles and this world still in many ways follows these creeds. Thank you that this country started with the right foundation and even I can remember these practices in my lifetime. Sin remains a surprise in all of its forms, and I pray that mankind would be redeemed and the law of God would be recognized again as the standard to live by. Draw people to yourself and help me to practice my faith at all times in all settings, to give you glory and be a testimony of God's love and right ways. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts.