What does the Word say?

solo66 man · Feb 19, 2002

We all know at least one who refuses to listen to even the irrefutable truth and turns a deaf ear to the only written Word of God. Should we continue to associate with that one?
According to the Apostle Paul in a letter to the
Corinthians, we should not.

In 1 Corinthians 5: he says

4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,

5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast , the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--

10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

11 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.

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

solo66 man · Feb 19, 2002

1 Corinthians 5:

Hmmmm

Optimus_P · Feb 19, 2002

BUT Christ said love your neighbor. This was a direct order for the Lord. Peter has said a large number of things, which are also important. But remember, we should pray for those who set out to hurt/kill us and to turn the other cheak.

That is also saying to effect dont assosicate w/ sinners. but i would say dont be cohurst from the truth, follow what the Lord says above all, befriend even the stranger and the alien and leave the judgeing to the Judge.

solo66 man · Feb 20, 2002

Remember, we are to follow the whole word of God. All the Bible is the Word; not only what Jesus said. And remember also, Jesus
handed Peter over to Satan to be sifted.
Because we hand them over to Satan to be sifted does not mean we stop loving them nor do we stop praying for their salvation.
It is a last chance. It is for those who refuse to learn because they insist on listening to themselves and/or other things instead of the teaching that comes for God. They refuse to quit sinning.

edjones · Feb 20, 2002

Titus 3:10
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; ( or don't waste your time on him anymore )

*******************************************
Matthew 22
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

StogusMaximus · Feb 20, 2002

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14

There are people who think that the Great Commission means that we must bring the Word to everybody, and the everybody must be saved. I don't. I think our job is to spread the Word, to let people know about Jesus and the path to salvation. It is then up to them to either take that knowledge and seek and serve the Lord, or to turn their backs on Jesus. If they turn to Christ, then we should befriend them and nurture them, if they turn their backs, we should not associate with them. We have done our part by sharing the Word of God with them, and if they want no part of it, then there is no reason for us to be friends with them. Their choice to lead a sin filled life will only hurt us.

Optimus_P · Feb 20, 2002

Stogus i agree w/ part of what you say but let me ask you this.

by turning there back on Christ is in effect sinning, how many times should they be forgiven? befor you turn you back?

StogusMaximus · Feb 20, 2002

By turning their back on Christ they are sinning against God, and God will forgive them as soon as they turn their backs on sin and seek Christ.

As for us, they are not sinning against us, and I don't think we have anything to forgive them for. We should explain what God wants for them, we should explain what Jesus did for them. Once we have accomplished that we have done what God has asked us to do. If they decide to turn their back on Christ, it is not our place to forgive them for that. I think we should move on to teach others and encourage and nurture those who do accept Christ.

If a week or a year later that person who denied Christ, and whom you have turned your back on comes to you and says he wants to know Christ, you should take that person to your heart and share the Word of God with them.

Rob · Feb 20, 2002

Some people simply need to bottom out before they will see the light. We are to be the light of the world as Christians. We do that through our example more so than in anything we say. I found myself distanced from some friends after being saved. It was more a matter of me not wanting to be involved in the partying as much as anything. After a while they asked me about it and then I was able to witness to more open hearts. Had I gone out partying with them and tried to witness it would have been much less effective.

filosofer · Feb 20, 2002

And in line with Matthew 18, if the person is put "outside the fellowship" the person becomes part of the mission field.

Optimus_P · Feb 20, 2002

i think i prolly used poor wording in my last post stogus.

I think we should move on to teach others and encourage and nurture those who do accept Christ.

If a week or a year later that person who denied Christ, and whom you have turned your back on comes to you and says he wants to know Christ, you should take that person to your heart and share the Word of God with them.

This concept i do agree on. altho i do not know i would turn my back (to me that would be liek forsakeing them because they cant see what i see) I think you said it better here then what i was attempting to say tho.

Matthew 18:21-35 :: New American Standard Bible (NASB)
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, (20) how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to (21) seven times?"
22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to (22) seventy times seven.
23 "For this reason (23) the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to (24) settle accounts with his slaves.
24 "When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him [3] ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 "But since he (25) did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him (26) to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
26 "So the slave fell to the ground and (27) prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'
27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and (28) forgave him the debt.
28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred [4] denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'
29 "So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'
30 "But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.
31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.
32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 '(29) Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?'
34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
35 "(30) My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

StogusMaximus · Feb 20, 2002

Optimus_P,

I knew what you were saying, and I knew you were thinking of Matthew 18:21-23.

Peter was asking how many times we forgive somebody who sins against us. The answer is we should always forgive. Yet by this person turning his back to Christ, he is sinning against God and it is up to Him to forgive this person, and that will not happen until that person turns to Christ and asks for forgiveness.

Optimus_P · Feb 20, 2002

back to the topic at hand tho.

solo i have a friend that is adamently is agenst religion, and has public spoken out agenst God to me.

I listen to his words, but i dont follow what he says. All i can do is be a liveing proof that God does exhist and he works GREAT wonders. through example i could hopefully sway him to reconsider his thoughts. Not that i am sin free but monkey see monkey do. ya know what i mean.

solo66 man · Feb 20, 2002

The monkey see monkey do part is why Paul admonishes us not to hang out with those who reject God or Christ. The idea is you reject the rejector and thereby cause him to reexamine his ways.

MatthewDiscipleofGod · Feb 20, 2002

Yeah this part of God's word is hard to follow. To serperate yourself from a person that lives that type of lifestyle listed in the passage and rejects God. Specially if you were born again have currently have some close Athiest friends who do some of those things. One of my closest friends still falls into this catagory. I been asking God on what to do, it's so hard to listen to him when I have my own emotions making it's own noise. I know he can find God and I have been geting him to open up more and he is a good person beside some of the actions he partakes in. But I do agree with what Stogus has to say. It's just tuff to do for some us to do.

StogusMaximus · Feb 21, 2002

It is very hard to give up a friendship. I know because I have given up 3. I am basically friends with my wife and the Lord, everybody else I classify as co-workers or acquaintances. It is a difficult decision to abandon somebody, and I am not saying that you do it lightly, but examine your life, put your priorities in order. I looked at my life and saw that I was more apt to sin when I was hanging out with my friends. I also noticed that my friends were not interested in knowing Jesus. I admit that I did not immediately break off my friendships, but I slowly walked away. I am sad to say I don't think they have changed any, but I must admit that I have.

I don't know where I heard this explained before, but if you take a glass of water and a drop of dye and mix them. The water won't purify the dye, but the dye will contaminate the whole glass of water. You as a Christian are the water, your focus is on Christ, your friends living in sin are the dye. If you mix with them, you will most likely become colored water. The only way for them to turn from dye to water is when they hit bottom and realize they need Christ, at that point the Holy Spirit will turn their dye to water.

solo66 man · Feb 22, 2002

That is so correct Stogus, God wants us as unblemished lambs.
It is so hard to give up friends. I still miss a couple of them when I think of them. Then I pray a little for them.

solo66 man · Feb 23, 2002

We need to give them up for us and for them.

edjones · Feb 23, 2002

1 Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.

What does the Word say?

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