“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (I Cor 5:7).
We must cast out the unbeliever posing as the child of God. The gospel cannot be defiled, so we maintain the INTEGRITY of Christ, calling upon men to REPENT or give up the profession. Christ doesn’t save you your way and on your terms; either have His salvation, or you CAN’T claim His name among the saints.
The world is WICKED and to be loved, but sinners who profess Christ and live wickedly are to be cast out. No one should think, “I’m saved. I do enough. I live MOSTLY how God tells me, but in these areas, I will NOT repent”. We are to BOW to the Son of God’s love, and He DECLARES that His salvation saves.
Yes, we’re EVIL in self, but that isn’t all that we are. In fact, the evil in self and our utter helplessness against our foes DRIVES us to JUSTIFICATION by faith and the HELP of the Spirit. God is FOR us, and to say that He cannot save the believer’s walk and conduct is a denial of His power to forgive sins and save sinners. He does ALL that He says.
We know BELIEVERS fail, and we have our Samson, Solomon, and Lot. We know that Paul went back to Jerusalem, Peter went back to the law, and Mark went BACK from the ministry (Acts 21:4; Gal 2:11-14; Acts 15:38). Yet, the Lord stood by them all. Paul confessed himself a Pharisee to ease the fear of man, and yet the Lord Jesus enabled him to CONFESS Christ to his death (Acts 23:6).
Sinners and SAINTS are DIFFERENT. The sinner has no Savior; the believer does.
First, if we don’t deal with the sinner, then the licentious doctrine permeates the church, and we have a mind of, “Believe some facts, but don’t worry about the life”, and our gospel is VOID of holiness, which is VOID of Christ COMPLETELY, “Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (I Cor 5:6). No one who says, “I can’t, so I won’t” has inheritance in the kingdom. We BELIEVE God for the salvation of our lives by the power that He gives.
It is not that we can do anything, but that God can do the impossible. We CAN’T stay holy, can’t follow God, and CAN’T deny ourselves unto the death. Yet, God works this in all that believe. He pardons the sinners and gives STRENGTH to the faint. He unfolds our depravity, pardons the sins, and puts power into our hearts by the Spirit, which is His gift for Christ’s sake. So, it won’t matter how evil you are; it only matters that you believe, and if you do, sin shall not reign, repentance is given, and the man in error will run to God’s Son. The believer FEARS the consequences of sin and avoids it, fleeing to grace.
Secondly, we sincerely and truly believe the gospel; it is not a lie, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (I Cor 5:8). We are not those, like Judas, who kiss the Savior we betray. We are like Peter, convicted of God, promised salvation, and BELIEVING by grace.
Peter failed, but he loved the Son of God, as his life would show. Saints have failures, saints lie asleep, and saints are GUILTY of everything EXCEPT forsaking the Son of God and leaving Him. We are not JUDGING as we cast sinners out or warn the saints, we are doing them good and honoring the gospel. Love motivates us to care for men. We speak to him, bear patient with him, and cast him out in love, delivering “such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (I Cor 5:5).
“Repent, or else” is the message to the saints: you can’t be the SAME and say you’ve been born again.
Thirdly, do not have any fellowship with hypocrites and those that walk contrary to the gospel, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer [hateful speech], or a drunkard, or an extortioner [take by force]; with such a one no not to eat” (I Cor 5:11). We cast out those who won’t repent because we must not compromise God’s way to please men.
Don’t CARE what they say about you. It is FAR better to suffer for obedience than for your sin. It is better to be hated for your holiness than ridiculed for your sins. Don’t back up because man, churches, etc, will be offended. Live for Christ NO MATTER WHO it hurts. Let children, wives, servants, citizens, etc, be in subjection to authority, but let no one make you serve men instead of God (I Cor 7:23). Their FROWNS and applause mean nothing. Our concern is the glory of God in the gospel and the FRUIT of that message in men.
Lastly, the man who won’t repent is wicked, “put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (I Cor 5:13). He is not a brother who stumbles, a brother who needs more time, etc. He is EVIL to the core, hateful to God, selfish, and WICKED in every regard. It DOESN’T MATTER what else he says or what “fellowship” we’ve had with him in times past. If he REFUSES the gospel of grace (and that’s what he does by rejecting holiness), then he is not saved, as much as he worshiped Satan (Lev 17:7).
