KEEP CHEWING ON THESE 4 TRUTHS
Yesterday I wrapped up four weeks in 1 Corinthians 5, four weeks devoted to understanding more about church discipline. Undoubtedly it is one of the beautifully bold elements that makes the body of Christ counter-cultural.
As you (hopefully) recall, 1 Corinthians 5 is essentially four paragraphs that form the largest amount of direct teaching on this subject in the New Testament. To help us continue to meditate on those 13 verses, here are the paragraph divisions with the central truth that flows from each one. It is my prayer that we will continue to immerse ourselves in God’s Word, humbly embracing his directives for our life personally and our faith family collectively.
5:1-2 — “The road to becoming a humble, counter-culture church—distinction as God’s people and protection for God’s people—is paved with spiritual sorrow over sin.”
5:3-5 — “A counter-culture church loves and lives under authority, in community, and with action so that sin doesn’t win in the end.”
5:6-8 — “For the counter-culture church, who we actually are and what we actually do is reasoned from and rests on what Christ actually did: delivered us by his death.”
5:9-13 — “A counter-culture church may cease to call an unrepentant member ‘brother’ or ‘sister,’ but it can still call them friend.”
Let me encourage you to chew on these truths, digesting them theologically as well as applicationally, asking the Holy Spirit to empower you to put them into practice through obedience.
Additionally, here are some links to articles and podcasts on this topic that I have found beneficial. Admittedly, I might not agree with every single item or point, but I so appreciate the priority placed on the distinctive of discipline and how God uses it as an avenue of true Christian love within his body.
A Step-by-Step Primer for Church Discipline
What Does the Bible Say about Church Discipline?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/baptist-21/id1441454363?i=1000484922627
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/baptist-21/id1441454363?i=1000487094905
Enjoy these nuggets, and we’ll start carving up Ephesians 1-3 this Sunday in our new series, “Union with Christ: The Incredible Doctrine You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of.”
Pastor Todd