Condemning Sin

TITLE: Condemning Sin
DATE:  July 25, 2019
TEXT:. James 5: 19-20 ESV -  19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed.

Not so long ago a lady asked me about church discipline, the Office of the Keys and why the church goes after sinners to make them feel ‘second rate.’

 That day I spent considerable time tying to convince her that the church goes after unrepented of sin, and not the sinner.  I tried to help her understand that while the Lord wants repentant hearts, He also wants His people to have a clear conscience and be able to hold up they heads. Using a number of illustrations, I did my best to answer her questions.

When I finished I saw from the expression on her face that I had failed miserably.

When she said, “Well, it’s OK, Pastor, I really wasn’t all that bothered by the question”, I knew just how far I had missed giving her a truly satisfactory answer. I also promised myself that I would, if I ever had the chance, try again.

A recent story in the news offers me that chance. The story began with the Congolese Minister of Health explaining how, for the first time, in the person of a pastor who had toured the worst area of Ebola infestation, the illness had been brought back on a packed bus to the 2,000,000-citizen regional capital of Goma.

He also told how travelers on the bus who had been exposed to the virus had gone their ways exposing even more people.
The last part of the Minister’s Report was designed to calm the fears of the public. He told how:

1. The pastor had been quickly taken from the city and placed in an Ebola treatment camp.
2. The bus passengers had all been located and vaccinated.
3. The people the passengers had visited were also treated
4. He concluded by saying he was quite confident in his belief that the virus had been successfully contained.

All this the government had done (1)to help those who had the disease and (2) to stop the illness from spreading.

Those are exactly the same reasons the church takes a stand against unrepented of sin. Anyone who reads the Scripture knows there are sins a Christian can remain involved with which will jeopardize his relationship with the Lord, and rob him of the hope of heaven. These sins which God condemns  we must also condemn. This we do in the hope that it will bring about a repentant heart.

But there is another reason we condemn sin.

If we let a damning sin go unchallenged, it is natural for others to think such wrongful action is acceptable. In such a way the sin spreads, just like a virus. The church challenges ongoing sins, because we love the Savior and wish to share His blood-bought forgiveness with all.  

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, all of us are sinners, but, by Your grace, we are repentant and forgiven sinners. Help us restore those amongst us who are unable to recognize the danger of their transgressions and lead them to the Christ who offers forgiveness and hope. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen. 

The devotion for today was inspired by various recent news articles. For further reading you may wish to go to this address: and the article written by .the Editors of Newser on July 15, 2019. Your may see the article hereL https://www.newser.com/story/277804/first-ebola-case-confirmed-in-city-of-2m.html
The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html