Most of the time when ‘sin’ is expounded upon and condemned by pronouncements of doom and hellfire by the clergy, missionaries and zealous believers alike, it usually has to do with those practices which are sometimes perceived as the most socially repulsive, heinous, and divisive such as abortion, incest or rape, homicide, and homosexuality (GLTB); to name a few. However, the sins in this study and for which most of the writings contained in the New Testament are those offenses which are practiced among Church-going, Bible-believing Christians.
I Corinthians 5: 9-10a, 11-13
I wrote to you in an epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean the sexually immoral people of this world . . .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 [a common meal??] with such a person. For what have I to do with those who are outside [the body of Christ]? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.
6: 9-11a
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 extortionists will inherit the kingdom of God, and such were some of you.
13b, 18
Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body (??), but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
I Corinthians 9: 27
But I discipline my body and bring it to subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
I Corinthians 12 20-21
For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, backbiting, whisperings [gossips??], conceits, tumults [fighting??]; lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and the lewdness which they have practiced [are practicing??].
Wrath - a desire or intent to punish or revenge.
Romans 13: 13
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry, and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife or envy.
Revel; carouse: 2; to take intense pleasure or satisfaction.
Carouse 1: to drink liquor freely or loosely.
Lewd (evil, wicked, obscene, vulgar) 2 a; sexually unchaste or licentious.
Licentious 1: lacking legal or moral restraints; esp.: disregarding sexual restraints.
Galatians 5: 19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envies, envy, [murder], drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
NOTE: It is very doubtful that the Apostle Paul would have written this letter to the unbeliever but rather as correction and disciplinary action for those who are believers.
Ephesians 4: 29a, 31; 5: 3a-5
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. . . Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, loud quarreling [clamor], and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, nor foolish talking, nor course jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetousness man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Wrath 1: strong vengeful anger or indignation.
Anger 1: a strong feeling or emotional state.
Malice 1: the desire to cause pain, misery, or distress to another.
Colossians 3: 5, 7-9a
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry; in which you once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourself are to put off all these; wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Blasphemy 1 a; the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God.
I Thessalonians 4: 3-5a
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust.
Titus 3: 3
For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
James 3: 14-15
But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.
4: 1-4a
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members [body]? You lust and you do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
I Peter 2: 1
For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles- When we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.
To reiterate, all of these aforementioned scriptural references have to do with reminding the believer that they are a new creation in Christ and as a result are to put away from themselves the deeds of the flesh, the sinful acts of their former selves before receiving the remission of sins through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. To wit, the members of the Church, Christ’s body need to take a good look within her own house first before judging those who are outside. It’s like the lyrics in a song by the 1960’s Soul Music group, ‘The Temptations’: “If you’re living in a glass house, don’t throw no stones.”
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
January 21, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
