PSA Lesson 8

The Scriptures do teach that there are certain specific sins that we as believers should never commit or associate ourselves with those who commit these sins. For example we read in I Corinthians 5:11, “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner – not even to eat with such a person.” What it means to not eat with such a person is to not be in fellowship with them. This is known as Church discipline, should someone in the Church commit any of those things on an ongoing basis and not repent, then they are to be put out of the fellowship of believers. Again, we read in the next chapter, I Corinthians 6:9-10, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” It does not require a lot of thinking or logic to understand then that the priest of the Lord will not behave in that manner according to those things listed. Therefore, not only would one not expect to see a believer, a priest of the Lord, doing those things but it would seem logical that the Lord’s priest would be seen as making a stand against those things. Unfortunately, the answer of the ungodly is not repentance from such sins but rather lashing out with name calling and slander.

One of the ongoing arguments is that as the Lord’s priest make a stand against such things as homosexuality and the whole of the LGBTQ agenda, then we are seen as hateful of them as people. It is unfortunate that they are incapable of understanding the difference between hating the sin and yet loving the sinner. Our Lord God loves the sinner, “God so loved the world” but still hates the sin as we saw in the text just quoted above. Should a person continue to refuse the grace of God and rather pursue that life style of sin, then there will be an eternal separation from God for that person which will also be very painful.

For our thinking in terms of a positive spiritual attitude it means that we pursue the will of God for our lives, seek to live in the light as He is in the light and then those things of the darkness will be kept outside and will not be a part of our lives. The positive statement is to be holy as He is holy, the negative statement is do not do those sinful things. The best way to not do sinful things is to focus on the doing of the positive. The priest of the Lord is positive and is holy.