Association

Association.

To be a Christian Is to acknowledge that the earth is the Lord God’s and everything in it. It is his right to determine my behaviour and beliefs. Because of my failure to be holy as God is holy I need to repent of my rebellion against his rule and to turn from what he calls sin in all forms and to accept that Jesus, God in human form, sacrificed himself to death on a cross specifically to bear the blame and judgement I deserve.

This requires that I accept the salvation and the gift of eternal life he grants me then respond to the love he has shown me by loving him in return. If you love me, he said, keep my commands. (John 14:15)

Jesus commands are laid out in his teachings as recorded in the Gospels in the Bible and in the writings of the apostles he appointed in the books of the New Testament.

To avoid being a hypocrite I continue to accept these teachings as being as consistent and unchanging as the God, the Lord who is the same yesterday and today and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8). To do otherwise is to relapse into independence and rebellion against his lordship. In other words I do not seek to reinterpret Jesus teachings to suit myself or someone else but to accept them as what they clearly say.

The New Testament of the Bible has lists of behaviours that Christians are to avoid and, as if to emphasise this, repeats the lists in several forms. To follow these practices is inconsistent with being a Christian. They are repeated in many parts of the Bible as if to emphasise their importance. (See http://www.poweringon.com/myblog/readentry.php?rowid=957)

It is clear that no one can manage to meet these standards As it is written: ‘There is no-one righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10) and that is why Jesus came preaching, ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ (Mark 1:15) and his followers pass on the message, In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)

A Christian is someone who finds the need frequently to repent, to turn away from the things that separate them from the Kingdom of Heaven and seek to live according to Jesus’ teaching with the help of the Holy Spirit.

If a  person does not live by these teachings they should not call themselves a Christian. If they do not keep his commands they do not love Jesus.

Christians will inevitably meet, work, socialise, know, live with people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. To do otherwise you would have to leave this world (1 Corinthians 5:10), acknowledging What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?…God will judge those outside (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).

 It appears that God allows those who choose not to know or glorify God to do what they want - and bear the consequences - while he continues to extend his loving offer of forgiveness through Jesus. 

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. (Romans 1:21-24).

As Christians live in a community if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).

However, you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. Indeed, ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’ (1 Corinthians 5:13)

A group of people who love Jesus, their saviour and Lord, constitute a church. Someone who claims to love Jesus, too, cannot continue to flout Jesus commands. At least this is hypocrisy, at worst, outright rebellion.

Such a person should be urged to repent and cease those behaviours that are contrary to the teaching in the Bible. If they do not then christian believers are told not to associate with them, not to accept them as part of their fellowship, gathering, church. Perhaps they will realise their error, repent and be accepted not only by the church but also by their loving God.

There is a warning to a church that faces this sort of problem. Do not be proud, do not think you can distort scripture to justify your association with those who do not submit to Jesus. Even the smallest rationalisation can impact the whole church and its members.

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:6-7)

Real Life.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John1:8)

To be honest I have to say that I have sinned, and do sin. Jesus calls on me to repent and be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

This instruction from Jesus comes as a conclusion for his sermon on the mount. In this teaching Jesus sets the highest standards for Christian thinking, morals and behaviour, standards well above those most of us want to keep and very much well above those any of us keep. For example…

‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment…

’You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:21-22,27)

I fail to match the standards of these words of Jesus. I therefore repent of this sin and in so doing I must cease to be angry with a brother or sister which is tantamount to murder. I therefore repent of looking at a woman, or a man for that matter, lustfully, which is tantamount to being an adulterer. 

I seek to live as a repentant non-practicing murderer, a non-practicing adulterer, a non-practicing thief. I am not to practice many things I would like to do or am inclined to do.

God forces no one to submit to him and his right to rule. When someone ignores God’s standards and decides to make up their own it seems that God lets them go ahead: he gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts. 

I think I should do the same.

I live amicably with empathy and love with others who decide to live in ways that are not in accordance with the sermon on the mount, who live by moral standards which do not accord with those set by Jesus and his apostles. Their lifestyle, their beliefs are their choice. I accept the choices of others without choosing to follow them but rather to follow Jesus. 

Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them. (Romans 1:32)

What people deserve is a matter for God to judge. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?…God will judge those outside (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). I do not judge them, however it is unreasonable to ask me to approve of those who fail to keep God’s righteous decrees.

It is clear to me that I would be illogical  and hypocritical were I to practice any of those things listed in the New Testament as immoral or impure and call myself a Christian without repenting and ceasing those practices, steps required by Jesus for those who would be Christians.

While I simply accept and live with people who do not follow Jesus without necessarily giving approval of what they do I would love to help them understand the Gospel, to repent and believe in Jesus.