Tag: discipline

  • How Dare You Defer Discipline 1 Corinthians 6

    How Dare You Defer Discipline 1 Corinthians 6

    Church discipline continues to be the focus of the Apostle’s letter.

    Previously Paul spoke of Judgment between Christ and Satan, but by discipline the Apostle does not mean judgement of Corinthians who do not identify with Christ Jesus. So now Paul INSISTS that the Corinthians judge a fellow church member in this case of moral sin.

    Church Discipline in Moral matters

    Dare G5111 any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust and not before the saints?

    1 Corinthians 6:1 King James Version – Paul’s challenge to judge our fellow believers rather than defer any matter of church discipline to a civil court.

    common era justice mediated as a discipline of civil law discipline deferred to comprise - arbitration hearing

    Strong language from the writ of Judgment by Christ’s Apostle to the gentiles!

    But note Paul’s comparison of the civil court – (Roman law for Corinthians, even as civil common pleas law is practiced in the US and by other Common Era courts).

    The Apostle directs the Corinthians to remain within the jurisdiction of God’s Law indicting common justice as law before the unjust .

    τολμάω - From tolma (boldness, probably itself from the base of τέλος (G5056) through the idea of extreme conduct)

    Paul applies his authoritative instruction of church discipline to what he has just stated.

    It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.

    Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 5:12 New Living Translation

    Clear instruction to the church! Yet how many Common Era christian churches will obey God's word in this?

    God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:13 NIV


    κρίνωkrinō  – go to Law

    The Apostle presents a case to the Corinthian Church supporting his judgement that THEY should judge their own members and therefore become accountable to the Lord God rather than the civil courts.

    * krinō is a case study in itself in the context of the Gospel and how Jesus Christ instructed disciples and saints to use judgement and discernment differently than the world. Study its linked definitions and see what I mean. God-willing, I may return to it.

    1 Corinthians 6:

    ‘HOW DARE YOU!’ or ‘Dare any of you,’ say some more authoritative English translations.

    Now the Apostle will introduce his gentle case to the saints of the Corinthian Church.

    Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? – Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 6:2a NLT

    'But wait!' Paul might quickly follow. 'Not yet and here's why:'

    And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? – 1 Corinthians 6:2b NLT


    Let's glance at a perhaps more palatable explanation from the International Children’s Bible *additional link to the NIRV

    You should be ashamed! Why do you not let God’s people decide who is right? 2 Surely you know that God’s people will judge the world. So if you are to judge the world, then surely you are able to judge small things as well. 3 You know that in the future we will judge angels. So surely we can judge things in this life.

    4 So if you have disagreements that must be judged, why do you take them to those who are not part of the church? They mean nothing to the church. 5 I say this to shame you.

    a Plea for Church Discipline

    Surely there is someone among you wise enough to judge a complaint between two brothers in Christ.

    6 But now one brother goes to court against another brother. And you let men who are not believers judge their case!


    But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

    1 Corinthians 6:6 NIV

    It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.

    1 Corinthians 5:1 NIV

    Spoiled Fruit of deferred Church Discipline

    Will a pagan court, a jury of those condoning and practicing such fornication (porneia) not equate Christ’s saints to common practices of those who worship their self-gratifying gods of the flesh?


    7 When you take another believer to court, you have lost the battle already. Why not be treated wrongly? Why not be cheated?


    The Apostle asks: Are you NOT willing to suffer injustice by the hand of a fellow saint as witness of Jesus' love?

    8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong.

    'Christians,' they say, 'they're not so saintly, but openly sinful, just like us.'

    And you do it to your brothers and sisters.

    Who has died to the flesh?

    9 Don’t you know that people who do wrong will not receive God’s kingdom? Don’t be fooled…

    • 11.. You were made holy.
    • You were made right with God.
    • All of this was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
    • It was also done by the Spirit of our God.
    Paul lists additional sins to this single case of one man of the Corinthian Church.
    • (9) Those who commit sexual sins will not receive the kingdom.
    • Neither will those who worship statues of gods
    • or commit adultery.
    • Neither will men who sleep with other men.
    • 10 Neither will thieves
    • or those who always want more and more.
    • Neither will those who are often drunk
    • or tell lies
    • or cheat.

    • People who live like that will not receive God’s kingdom.

    11 Some of you used to do those things. But your sins were washed away.


    Discipline and discernment – Growing up in Christ

    Later in his letter Paul will instruct the Corinthian saints:

    When I was a child, I talked like a child,

    I thought like a child,

    I reasoned like a child.

    When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

    1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV


    Continuing once more, beloved saints young or mature, from the International Children's Bible
    • 6:12 “I am allowed to do all things.”
      • But not all things are good for me to do.
    • “I am allowed to do all things.” [“I have the right to do anything.”]
      • But I must not do those things that will make me their slave.
        • [But I will not be controlled by anything.]
    • 13 “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach for food.”
      • Yes. But God [theos] will destroy them both.
    • The body is not for sexual immorality [fornication, G4202].
      • The body is for the Lord [kyrios] , and the Lord is for the body.

    Flee fornication. G4202 Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

    1 Corinthians 7:2 King James Version *G4202 – porneia

    Paul will add to this application for the saints of the Corinthian Church:

    Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, G4202 let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

    Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 7:2 KJV

    God raised the Lord Jesus

    By God’s power God raised the Lord Jesus from death.

    And God will also raise us from death.

    1 Corinthians 6:14 International Children’s Bible

    15 Surely you know that your bodies are parts of Christ himself.

    So I must never take parts of Christ and join them to a prostitute! 16 It is written in the Scriptures,

    “The two people will become one body.”[Genesis 2:24]

    Spoiled Fruit goes to Law

    Paul will next include more delicate matters concerning sexual behavior between men and women, but first the Apostle appeals to the church as members of a holy body, the Temple of God – ONE SPIRIT WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

    But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

    1 Corinthians 6:17 KJV

    Once more, from the International Children's Bible

    So run away from sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person does is outside the body.

    But those who are sexually immoral sin against their own bodies.

    19 You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in you. You have received the Holy Spirit from God. You do not own yourselves.

    20 You were bought by God for a price. So honor God with your bodies.


    NEXT: Married Life of the saints in Christ

    Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel

  • Understand today the discipline of the LORD your God

    Understand today the discipline of the LORD your God

    • Do YOU, (children) claiming God as your Father and Jesus Christ as YOUR Lord know this one?

    11:1 וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְשָׁמַרְתָּ מִשְׁמַרְתּוֹ וְחֻקֹּתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וּמִצְוֺתָיו כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃

    Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11 :: Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC)

    Keep in mind that I am not talking now to your children, who have never experienced the discipline of the LORD your God or seen his greatness and his strong hand and powerful arm.

    Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:2

    What is the difference between Discipline of the LORD & the Punishment of God?

    mount Ararat

    Water covers the earth!

    The LORD GOD wipes the slate clean! No more creatures on earth EXCEPT Noah.

    And that was not even punishment, but pure judgment of the created men and women, fallen deeply into sin.

    God’s created world may have had a flood or two in this past year of our Lord, BUT not like the first flood.

    Covenant of our Forefathers

    After the LORD cleanses creation, He makes a covenant with Abraham and gives His LAW through Moses.

    Moses also makes a covenant with the LORD on behalf of Israel:

    24:3 וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וַיְסַפֵּר לָעָם אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה וְאֵת כָּל־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וַיַּעַן כָּל־הָעָם קוֹל אֶחָד וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יְהוָה נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃

    Exodus 24:3b KJV – .. and all the people answered with one voice, and said, ‘All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.’.

    פָּקַד pâqad, paw-kad’; a primitive root; to visit (with friendly or hostile intent)

    • to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for

    “But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless on the day when I punish H6485, I will punish H6485 them for their sin.”

    Then the LORD struck the people with a plague, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

    Exodus 32:34-35 NASB20 – Strong’s H6485 = number (119x), visit (59x), punish (31x),

    This is punishment: that the Lord attends to His own and that our reckoning will be by the hand of our Creator and Heavenly Father, who must punish His children who break our promises and violate our covenant.

    Discipline of the LORDיָסַר

    • to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish

    “Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline H3256 you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. – Deuteronomy 4:36

    “So you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining H3256 you just as a man disciplines H3256 his son. Deuteronomy 8:5

    father and son reading Bible

    “.. but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.

    “You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today..

    Deuteronomy 11:8a

    Punishment of Godפָּקַד

    • visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children..
      • עָוֹן — ʿāôn – perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity

    ‘You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, inflicting H6485 the punishment of the fathers on the children, even on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

    Beware that your hearts are not easily deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods, and worship them.

    “Otherwise, the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the sky so that there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its produce; then you will quickly perish from the good land which the LORD is giving you.

    Deuteronomy 11:17 [11:16 quoted above]

    ‘You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, even on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me..

    Deuteronomy 5:9

    Will you receive the Discipline of the LORD our Father OR Punishment for your Sins?

    דברים 11

    מוּסָר:: From יָסַר (H3256)

    “Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline H4148 of the LORD your God—His greatness, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm.. but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord which He did.

    Deuteronomy 11:2,7 on the discipline of the LORD.NASB

    What is your Short Take on these Scriptures about Discipline and Punishment?
    
    Please add your COMMENT at the bottom of this post. - RH
Do you SHARE the Gospel by either email or text?