#161 Discipling

1 Corinthians 5 has popped into my head a few different times over the past couple of months. In this Bible passage Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about the proper way to deal with a man who is pretty proudly and publicly do something that is sexually immoral. It's clear that Paul believes Christians should live differently than how the world around them lives. At the end of the chapter he instructs God's people to avoid individuals who claim to be Christian but live worldly lives. He also tells them not to worry about judging people outside of the church because that's God's job.

I keep thinking about this passage because I think we Christians in the U.S. today so often get Paul's instructions backwards. We think it's our job to judge and condemn everything our non-Christians neighbors do that is wrong. Sometimes we go so far as to not even associate with them. And often we are also reluctant to admit and call out sins within the church. We don't always like to hold each other accountable.

But here's the thing: accountability is part of what it means to belong to Jesus and be part of the body of Christ. We are Jesus' disciples. We need to engage in the process of discipling, being trained to follow and live for Jesus. We need to encourage one another in our Christians lives. We need to show one another what it looks like to imitate Jesus. And we also need to be called out when we do things that are wrong, when we fail to be like Christ. We need to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness and help. All of us need to continue to grow in Christ.

Now let me clear up a few things to try to make sure I'm understood. I'm not saying we Christians need to become hypercritical fault-finders. Jesus Himself warns us not to be too quick to judge others because we need to hold ourselves to the same standards. But we can't act like sin is okay. Sin is NOT okay. While humbly knowing and freely admitting our own sins, we need to be able to gently yet firmly point out sins in the church. We need to make ourselves mutually accountable. I'm also not saying we need to kick people out of the church if they're not perfect. I'm a sinner. All Christians are sinners. I'm far from perfect. All Christians are far from perfect. However, we should privately and lovingly call each other out. And, to follow the Bible's thinking, if some people say they're Christians but repeatedly feel no remorse for their sins and refuse to repent, then we should separate ourselves from them. Jesus says our faith should bear the fruit of good deeds; if we don't live like we belong to Christ, we probably don't belong to Christ. [On somewhat of a side note, I'm also not saying Christians can never say the behavior of non-Christians is wrong. Sometimes, especially when others are being harmed, we need to stand up and say God doesn't want us to do certain things. But we can't expect people who don't believe in Jesus to live as He teaches. Like Paul says, it's not our job to police non-Christians. We don't have authority over them.]

This idea of lifelong discipling is important for all Christians. I need to be held accountable and helped to grow. As unpleasant as it sounds to me, there's part of me that longs to have someone call me out when I do wrong because I need instruction and help if I'm going to become the kind of person Jesus calls me to be. And I think this idea of discipling is especially important when it comes to Christian leaders. (I'm a pastor, so that would include me.) Sometimes we Christians can seem much too eager to support and defend anyone who is (or even claims to be) a Christian. When Christian leaders sin, we need to be held accountable. We need to be held to at least the same standard as everybody else. Now accountability should be a private thing. Jesus says that when sin happens first one person should go to another person and point out the sin in private. That being said, I think that there are times when a Christian sins publicly that other Christians need to stand up and say, "This is not how we're supposed to act." Too often we rush in to defend and list off all these good things somebody else has done. Recognizing the good God helps us to do is important, but we who believe we are saved by grace shouldn't kid ourselves into thinking that we can just make our sins go away by doing enough good things, that God only cares about whether we've done more good than bad. (And it's good that He doesn't, because, spoiler alert, none of us have.)

Christians should not be in the business of riding high horses or covering up scandals. We should be in the business of proclaiming salvation in Jesus, salvation which involves both forgiveness and transformation. That involves confessing our sins (and, where possible, making restitution to those we've wronged), asking for help, and following Jesus' example. I need discipling. We all need discipling. Let's commit to the process.

Grace and peace,

BMH