I CORINTHIANS 5 - A LITTLE LEAVEN

Not long ago, I was playing Cards Christians Like,[1] with some friends. One of the cards mentioned Covenant Eyes[2] and the person reading it did not understand the reference. After a brief explanation I read their expression and, on their behalf, jokingly blurted out “OH, we’re talking about Porn now!” The room exploded with uncomfortable laughter, as everyone processed the audible use of the “P” word. It wasn’t a Bible study or accountability group, so why would someone be ok talking about that among a co-ed group of Christians? This is the reality for many believers today. Despite the overwhelming plague of sexual sin, Christians still don’t like talking about it outside of very specific settings. We don’t want to deal with it. And if we can ignore it, we can pretend things are ok. We can be proud of our righteousness.

             The Corinthian church was dealing with the same issue when Paul wrote his first letter to them. Sexual sin had invaded the fellowship, and the church was content to ignore it. In chapter 5, Paul addressed it head-on, making it clear that the church needed to bring this sin into the light. The rebels would need to either repent or be removed from fellowship. The Corinthians did not want this private sin exposed, for fear it would ruin the public image they were so proud of. Paul knew it was ruining something far more important though. It was infecting their souls, polluting their relationships with God and one another, and hampering their ability to effectively make disciples. “A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough.”

             To show the world the life we have in Christ, we must be willing to expose our sins to the light and then deal with them. We must become accustomed to talking about all sexual sins, and publicly offer paths of restoration. We also need to display that these sins are not an acceptable side-effect of being human. We have been called to walk in the light, and the world must see that we are uncomfortably different. Only in addressing our own broken parts can we show others the healing that is available in Christ. I am grateful for Covenant Eyes and Accountable2You,[3] and for men like Jordan Brown and Michael Hasty who lead others in sexual purity. May we all, men and women, be so bold in openly standing for purity, so that no leaven is able to grow in our fellowship.
 
   [1] https://cardschristianslike.com/
   [2] https://www.covenanteyes.com/
   [3] https://accountable2you.com/