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Purge The Evil Person From Among You |Blog #6|

  • Writer: pesanpesanco
    pesanpesanco
  • Jun 8, 2021
  • 7 min read

Updated: Jun 23, 2021


This has been a most peculiar week. As I'm struggling to face reality.🥺. Maybe that's why I couldn't write much here.. As Christians we strive to live a sanctified life and to be more like Jesus day-by-day. As recently I've learnt the importance off how our Lord emphasizes holiness. Yet it's one thing to be individually holy, yet what if we see our brother and sister in Christ falling? What's sad is knowing they are in this deep pit of sin. Or as Paul would infer as being 'sexually immoral':

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 ⛔🖤🧍

Not To Associate With Sexually Immoral People

The term 'sexually immoral' does not only mean adultery/fornication. It goes deeper than that. It's also being greedy in accumulating wealth, worshipping anything excessively as an idol, to be verbally abusive, partying while losing all inhibition, defrauding others into shams, etc. Then why the term sexually immoral? Because allegorically the Bible depicts Christ as /the groom and we His people as His bride. As His bride we are to be ready. Preparing ourselves in faithfulness and holiness for our short time on earth. Waiting patiently and diligently until we meet Him again..


Yet Paul here writes how "if" we applied this principle for everyone—no one would be spared judgment. And hence we 'would need to go out of the world' because this world is full off sexually immoral people. Interestingly Paul emphasized not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or in other words— Christians. The word "associate" comes from the Greek: sunanamignumi. That literally means to mix up together, to associate with, to mingle together or keep company with. When Paul writes to not associate, what he meant was too— keep distance. Do not be overly friendly or spend much time with them. Now reading this might be confusing. As didn't Jesus once said:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2 ⚖️🙅‍♂️

Jesus here implicitly spoke off the importance to not have a haughty attitude. That the only person who has the right to judge is our Father in Heaven. Yet why does He reveal another thing through Paul? Simply because Jesus knows how important it is to judge ourselves first and then to judge others. Continuing on in the next verses:

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5 🌳👁️

Jesus spoke off the idea to first take the log out or the "sin" being judged here. In a practical sense, we are called to self-evaluate for our own sins. To be critically judgmental towards ourselves in response to His commandments. Then and only then can we "see" or notice the speck that is in our brother's eye. As Peter would add:

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17 ⚖️⛪

So 'yes', we are to judge those off our Church. Because as His representatives we are all a part of the body off Christ. How our brother (or sister) in Christ professes His name and lives is integrally important. As Peter would say:

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of salvation. 1 Peter 2:12 👨‍⚖️☀️

When one part of the body of Christ struggles, we all struggle. When one part of the body of Christ is dishonorable, we all are dishonorable.😞. The reputation of Christ is as at stake here. Not that God needs us to defend Him. Yet this urgency is vital to point out and should not be ignored!

Purge The Evil Person From Among You

The distraught comes at the last part of Paul's rebuke. That has stricken me these last few days..😔 To purge the evil from the inside. What happens after we disassociate ourselves and our brother keeps on sinning? This phrase maybe linked to Phinehas's story:

While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”
And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. Numbers 25:1-9 😡🔱☠️

Reading this pericope made me shed a tear 😰. Father, thank You thank You thank You.. For using me these last few days to sense this urgency. When I saw my brother (or sister) continually fall these last few days— it riled me up. I was angry, disappointed, and scared. To know that how my brother like Israel strayed. To know that they kept on testing and testing Your anger O'Lord.



Not knowing that sin is a plague. A disease so viciously latent, it changes us to the core.



In those abominations, Your holy wrath is justified O'Lord. And having felt Your anger before— it's not pleasant at all. I felt that immense pressure that day.😱. Reading how Phinehas started to slaughter his people is not easy. Yet it needed to be done. How we have all strayed from our Lord! In our sins, purge us O'Lord.🔥. Cut our eyes that lusts. Dismember our hands that in vain commit sins. Our lying lips. All off us who continue to disillusion ourselves. Have mercy on us Father.. Please sway away Your anger. Sanctify us.

Reflection

Dear Lord, thank You for another crazy blessed week.🤗. Thank You for reminding me that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. For creating in me a sense of urgency. In more ways than not, we continually to disappoint You Father. Yet please instill in us a zeal just like Phinehas to know Your heart and to have courage to take action to ultimately do Your will:

And the LORD said to Moses: "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Numbers 25:10-11 😡↩️😠

Please Lord remind us that sin is a plague and dangerous.

Help us to not judge just as Jesus said, yet also paradoxically to not associate with our brother who is 'sexually immoral', and to finally give us a zeal like Phinehas who purged the evil person among us.


In my personal Bible Study, I'm currently reading Ezekiel who foresaw the righteously just punishment the Lord inflicted on Israel. It's really sad to see how many opportunities the Lord gave Israel. Yet ultimately even if the Lord is slow to anger, His patience has its limit. As in Ezekiel's time, Jerusalem was not spared and the Lord inflicted the four disasters acts of judgment: sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence. Yet you know what the Lord said?

They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord GOD." Ezekiel 14:23 🕊🤲✝️

The Lord gave hope. He spared some remnant off Jerusalem to one day return. How awesome is that! Father thank You, that even when we become 'sexually immoral' You rebuke us. In Your 'punishment' or even 'exodus' and 'pain', help us to trust You. Even if we don't understand now, at the end—You continue to preserve Your saints.🕊️. Please renew us today to discern from the evil brothers around us, to stand for Your truths, and to finally purge the evil.🔥. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.



Updated: June 8, 2021


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