The Letter

Much to my amazement, my second letter gave peace to J.P. I was quite shocked that I was able to write so clearly in order that J.P see my viewpoint. Many of us have this false, liberal notion that making "peace" is the only way and that being "angry" or "judging" is sinful. I'll explain this.

When a man is in prison for a sin he's committed, and then claims an in-prison conversion to Christianity, does the prison thus let him go? Absolutely not. His sentence must be carried out lest he be in the presence of many innocents, not to mention the temptation to repeat his former crime, or worse. Time has the ability to fix things, wounds, hurts, pain, relationships, fury, desire to commit one sin or another, etc. Time and nothing to do causes one to think for a long time, as that is all there is to do.

So is the prison wrong in keeping this man behind bars when he's appeared to have a change of heart? I'm positive that we'd all agree a serial killer wouldn't have that chance and that we'd all want him to serve his time regardless of his heart. The courtroom has issued its decree and that man has to pay the consequences for his actions, regardless of a "sorry" or "I repent." Words play right along with the mask which we all wear, and, withal the heart always remains true.

In the case of this man at my church, the position he holds in conjunction to his sinful acts against me, moreover his sinful acts against the church, has put people of our congregation, youth, and any passerby at risk. He has not committed any illegal acts by no means, or at least the sins to which I'm currently referring. Notwithstanding, acts of sin on the spiritual and moral nature are of the church's concern. The man has admitted to the sin against me, but has not admitted to his more grievous sin, which concerns me enormously. I have proposed that we, the church, do as Paul did in 1Cr5 and 1Cr2 where the man who committed a sin was expelled from the church for a time. By the time of his second letter, Paul sends word that the man now is to be consoled and helped. In time, to be allowed back into the church. The time of these letters took a large allotment of time as there was no postal service in those days. It was all carried by one man across miles and miles of land.
Paul was concerned for the man's eternal soul but he states, "...hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord." 1Cr5:5 (NIV) Isn't that the opposite of what we tend to think today? The wishy-washy way of dealing with sin in our churches has got to stop! How do you think some churches now have "non-practicing gay pastors?"

Others are concerned with the following verses Jesus was recorded to have spoken:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Mat7:1 (NIV)
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Mat7:2 (NIV)
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke6:37 (NIV)

What is Paul saying?

"But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1Cr5:11-13

Paul gets more specific in what Jesus was saying. Also, if you look into the context of that particular time and place, for example in the 6th chapter of Luke, Jesus is talking about how we deal with those who hate us (being Christians) and is not referring to those who we necessarily enjoy the company with. He is telling us how to behave like Christians to the world so they do not see more sin than brokenness unto the Lord. Isn't it obvious that we should not only love those who love us, but to love those who despise us? Isn't it clear that we are responsible and accountable for one another inside the church? If you see your brother sin and falling further and further into the darkness of his heart, are you going to abandon him?

Jesus warns us about judging our brothers' as well, being that it's our responsibility to do so.

"He also told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?""

These are powerful words. So Jesus says, judge or you too will be judged. Paul's words, inspired by God, indicate that we are accountable for another inside the church, and God deals with those outside. Let God judge the world with people of the world, and God judge the church with people of the church. Those in the church who judge those outside the church, will be judged in the same manner. People are afraid to judge another, yet don't hesitate to gossip about each other! How irresponsible is this?! Be smart about this. When you recognize a sin in someone's life that you've gone through and triumphed, help your brother! However, if you are likewise going through the same sin and have yet to triumph, don't judge. I don't see anything wrong with helping each other be accountable, however.

"He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke6:48-49

We should have a better foundation than this. So many people are misinterpreting what the God-breathed Bible has to say! Life isn't as simple as the concepts are, withal people don't recognize the hard work that it takes to live and breath as a Christian is supposed to. Why do so many fail in this? They aren't willing to take the effort to know God intimately! How disappointing! I admit to this as well, being disappointed with myself for not feeling like taking the effort to fully grasp the scriptures, albeit youthfulness is on my side.

Judgement is meant for this man and he must receive the consequences for his actions, as they were serious. This man's actions are a more serious than the average kid who steals candy. All sin is sin so we are all worthy of eternal punishment, but God's grace has set us free and the Holy Spirit convicts us so that we may be capable of bettering our temples, at breaking our outer man. However, this does not mean that all sin must be dealt with equally. I personally wouldn't expel a child from church even if he continued to steal candy after being scolded for it.

To ensure that this man has truly repented for his actions, I strongly believe he must prove this outside the church where he cannot be of influence to those of us inside, as yeast which affects the entire batch of dough. This does not mean we excommunicate him, that we do not speak to him. Quite the contrary, I believe those of us grounded firmly in our understanding of the scriptures should care for him as a lost sheep. Should he prove his repentance over time, which is key as some people have been personally wounded by this man and it takes time to heal, then he should most definitely be received into the church once again.

I hope my point has been driven home. To some it has by my emails which took me hours to work on, this, has not been as well thought out as them. It's also more difficult to make a case when details of the situation are not known. Oh well. ^_^ Regardless, I feel that I have not written more clearly than I have since Sunday when the situation occurred. I feel God's hand in all of this, and I feel his presence through the letters I have been writing. It's really an amazing experience, and wouldn't be so bad if not for the sin I'm concerned with.