Daily Bread 5-28-16

1 Corinthians 5:11-13

11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within?

13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person.

ref. - Ro 16:17 - Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Gal 2:12 - For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

Mark 4:11 - And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.

Ecc. 12:14 - For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Paul was instructing the Corinthians on the conduct of a true believer. That being, how a true believer acts and what is within them. He is not speaking about people that are ignorant of the Gospel or the non-believer. He is speaking of the brothers who are calling themselves Christians and remaining willfully in sin. The world is full of people making excuses for their sin and marching on in them but, beware, my brothers, these are men who will cause confusion in your souls. They are like a storm that comes in and destroys what you have been given and then moves on to another target. We are instructed today to avoid these people and not to keep company with them. They have been given the understanding and yet have chosen to remain on a path of unrighteousness. This is far more dangerous than any other kind of person on earth. Pretty soon, we keep company with them, we will be thinking this; "If they are getting by with it and they are still living well then it must not be sin so I can do it too." This is exactly how the enemy attacks us from within and people like the Apostle Paul and even Spiritual leaders today have been put in front of us to warn us and keep us out of harms way. Now, if we choose to listen is good for us. But if we continue on in disobedience to what we are instructed pretty soon we will be in the same ditch. It is called a seared conscience or a reprobate mind. Pretty soon what we knew as sin will suddenly, in our minds, be acceptable. The other reason that we are to avoid them is so that they may realize that if they want to walk among God's people and truly be called brethren that they must flee from sin instead of embracing it. There is no place for sin in the Christians life and though we stumble sometimes we must continue letting God push it out of us. We are not pigs returning to the mud nor dogs returning to eat our own vomit. We are children of the King!! We were not created to live amongst the hypocrites but to dwell among the people as brethren in unity, separating ourselves from unrighteousness and showing the world the same thing that Jesus showed them two thousand years ago! You can't keep a God man down!! Have a great day!!