The Bible for Women

Weekly Devotional

Sisters in Sin

We live in a society that justifies sin. The reason our society justifies sin is because our society is worldly. Our world today does not use God's Word as a guide or a moral compass. Because we are being conditioned to our world, the world is creeping into the church and as a result we are justifying brothers and sisters in their sin in the church and we are doing nothing. Is this a new problem? Paul wrote to the Corinthians about this very problem in 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.

When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you."

This is a very difficult passage to study and to follow. We all know of those in our congregations who claim to be Christians and we know they are living in blatant sin. These words had to be just as difficult for the Christians in Corinth because these very brothers and sisters were their friends, their co-workers, their family members. Why does Paul warn us of these people? The reason is right in his command: because "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?"Our Christian friends and family members and sisters in Christ can influence our judgment. They can skew our belief system and can cause us to justify their sin the same way that they are justifying their sinful lifestyle. Ladies, we must be careful when encouraging our sisters in turning from sin. As we try to lovingly rebuke a sister in sin, we must be careful not to be influenced by Satan.

My son asked me the other day what Satan looked like. He asked if he was red and had horns and an evil face. I told him that underneath Satan probably has warts, and sores with pus running out all over his body. He is the ugliest thing we could imagine in our minds, but on the outside he is a beautiful person with charming words and we would never be able to recognize him as Satan. He is way too enticing. That is a picture of sin. On the outside it is beautiful and charming, but on the inside sin is ugly and has grave consequences in the end when one chooses it.

We must always try to bring a sister back to the fold if we are strong enough to resist the sin ourselves, but we must never fall victim to her lies of the justification of sin. Sometimes she doesn't realize she is lying. She doesn't realize she has fallen into Satan's trap. But when we are unable, and the elders are unable to retrieve her from her lifestyle, we must heed the words of Paul, as difficult as they may be. As Mary Howitt most poetically wrote in her poem,

"Alas,alas! how very soon this silly little fly,

Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;

With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,

Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue- Thinking only of her crested head-poor, foolish thing!

At last, up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast.

He dragged her up his winding stair into his dismal den,

Within his little parlor- but she ne'er came out again!"

The ultimate consequence of sin is an eternity in hell and hell is a very real and very unbearable place. On the day of judgment, God will not listen to our justifications of sin. He will only know that we turned from him to choose the enemy. Christ will turn his face from us and utter those words that will tear us from his arms forever, "Depart from me, I do not know you."

Let us be encouragements to our sisters and love them. Let us try to turn them back, but never be enticed by the flattering words of the devil who may be in the form of a fellow Christian. Let us be on guard!

May God bless your week. Margie