Thursday, March 31, 2016

What To Do When Another Christian Sins

My Utmost For His Highest
 
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. —1 John 5:16
 
“If we are not heedful and pay no attention to the way the Spirit of God works in us, we will become spiritual hypocrites. We see where other people are failing, and then we take our discernment and turn it into comments of ridicule and criticism, instead of turning it into intercession on their behalf. God reveals this truth about others to us not through the sharpness of our minds but through the direct penetration of His Spirit. If we are not attentive, we will be completely unaware of the source of the discernment God has given us, becoming critical of others and forgetting that God says, “…he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.” Be careful that you don’t become a hypocrite by spending all your time trying to get others right with God before you worship Him yourself.”  CHAMBERS
 
There are some things in the Bible that are unclear .. and have been for centuries.  What John means by a sin not leading to death is one of those.  There are opinions about what sin that might be, but it is unclear.  There are three things that the Bible is clear concerning 1 John 5:16.  First is that a Believer cannot lose their salvation.  The Bible is clear that we cannot. (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13, John 10:28-29)  Second, is that we should pray for each other (James 5:16) and not judge and condemn each other (Matthew 7:1).  And third, is that we are to encourage each other to live a life of faithfulness toward God.  (Hebrews 3:13)
 
When you see another Christian sinning, recognition of the sin is not judgement .. it’s discernment.  What you choose to do with that discernment will either be an act of obedience or sin.  That’s right.  If you choose to judge and condemn, you are acting contrary to the Word which means that you are sinning.  The Bible does not say that you are to enable continued sin in the Believer’s life.  Looking past the sin.  Making excuses for the sin, never leads to forgiveness and healing, just more sin.  And if the person is not a believer?  Their sin is part of who they are.  What they need is Jesus.  So often Christians treat a lost person as if they are born again, when they are not.  That is a clear indication that the Christian does not understand the injustice they are doing to that lost person.  That does not mean that we should not be kind.  What it does mean is that we should not make excuses for people who are not Christians because we like being around them.  To embrace them and their lifestyle is to embrace sin.  Jesus walked among and ate with sinners, but was unblemished.  He did not make excuses for their sinful nature, but came to die for their salvation.  He came to minister to those people.  More often than not what happens to Christians is not ministry to the lost person, but rather gradually living as they live and doing as they do. (but that is another devotional topic)  Pray for each other … Encourage each other … Show the world your love for each other in the process   ELGIN
 
Charley Elgin

No comments: