1 Corinthians Chapter 5: Verses 12-13 (NIV)
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 person from among you.”
I’m still stuck on the same theme this week, as its really striking a chord. These verses speak to me about not judging people who are outside the church. They are, after all, not claiming to follow Christ. But actually, I don’t feel that my place is to point the finger at anyone else within the church, either in my own, or in the wider church family. There may be a place where I need to bring something to a fellow believer’s attention, but only if I feel the Holy Spirit leading. My first and most important responsibility is to make sure that my own life is right with God. I may be the example of a Christian that will either lead someone to God, or turn them away. I was also struck by what Nicky Gumbel said in his own notes for today’s readings in his Bible in a Year reading programme.
“It has been said that everyone has three lives – a public life, a private life and a secret life. Holiness is about living an integrated life, rather than a dis -integrated one. Holiness is where there is no difference between our public, private and secret lives and no difference between what we profess and what we practice. Holiness is linked to wholeness. When God calls you to be holy, He is saying, ‘be wholly mine.’ That’s why putting our own house in order is so important. We are, after all as individual Christians, Temples of the Holy Spirit.
Dear Lord,
Help me to ensure that my life is wholly integrated and that I don’t try to live “separate lives” apart from You. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.