We have previously seen that the Corinthians were blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. They had everything they needed. That means they should all be living in godliness and peace, right? While that should be what we see of them, there's one element we forget all too easily. That element is sin. Since the fall of Adam we have all had this nature which likes sin, which gravitates toward sin, which takes a perverse delight in doing things to others or enjoying it when bad things happen to other people. Different people show this in different ways, but we all have it. It's no different among the Corinthians.
Fact is, it doesn't really matter what the sin might be. The situation Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 5 is one which is rather obvious and which, as Paul says, wouldn't be tolerated in any civilized culture.What's the response to sin? There are really only a couple of acceptable responses. First, when confronted with sin we are to repent of it. We admit it is sin, confess that we actually were intimately involved in it, approach it with sorrow, ask God's forgiveness, and seek the forgiveness of others in the situation. We try not to be repeat offenders. That's the right answer. Sometimes we make it to that right answer. It helps if we have been practicing it with what we consider "little" sins. What about the right answer for a situation where someone is confronted with sin and does not repent? Paul says ultimately we aren't to associate with those people. This doesn't mean that we have absolutely nothing to do with them. But it does mean there is a place within churchly life for deciding that someone's sin has risen to a level where he will not be involved in the life of the Church like he would if he were repentant. This is for the good of the sinner, who may find a confrontation on that level provokes him to repentance and restoration.
These are some of the foundational tools of the Christian life in community. We often forget them. We often deny that we are sinful people. We choose to avoid being openly repentant of our sin. We tolerate sin which is not repented of and confessed in our midst. We fail to realize that one of the hallmarks of the identity as a Christian is that we are a people who understand sin and forgiveness. This short-circuits the entire Christian walk.
Let's try to recover the life of repentance and forgiveness that has historically set Christians apart from other cultures.
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