1 Corinthians 5:6
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
Paul’s analogy here is clear and easy to understand. Here is the problem with unconfessed and tolerated sin: it spreads and affects our whole being, our relationships with others, and the church. When sin within a church is not dealt with, it begins to pull others down with it. The word “little” stands out to me in this verse. How little is “little”? Even small sins and problems can fester and grow. I have seen small disputes among family members grow until those members are not talking anymore. This can go on for years. We will all have relationship problems, disagreements, and failures. There will be sin in the church as long as we are on this side of glory. We are imperfect creatures, prone to give in to temptation and sin. If we neglect the sin among us, we are only asking for problems. The easiest thing to do is to ignore the sin and tolerate wickedness in the church. We don’t like to rock the boat. We like to make everyone happy, especially if we are the pastor. As pastors, we are afraid to confront people because they may not come back, and it will affect our attendance (and income!). This is not pleasing to God. The most difficult thing is to confront sin, which means confronting sinful people. The integrity of the gospel and the future vitality of the church are at stake. I am not good at confrontation. I just wish everyone would get along and be good. But that is not the case. I must pray for courage and a loving heart before I confront sin in the church. This is so important for us as God’s holy people.
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