22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. ~ Romans 6:22
We are no longer slaves to sin. We cannot have one foot in the church and one foot in the world. But someone will say, “You can’t judge me! Only God can judge me.” But let me ask you, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water” (James 3:11-12). Therefore, how can we know if the water is fresh or salt if we don’t make a judgment call? How can we know if the fruits are olives, grapes, or figs? Again, we have to make a judgment call.
That is one of the most misinterpreted verses in all of Scripture. The verse is not telling us to stop calling sin, sin; otherwise, Scripture would contradict itself, and Scripture never contradicts itself. John said that if we see our brother in sin, we are to show him his sin using Scripture; we are not to pass judgment on him/her. Leave that for God. That’s His job. When we do that, we put ourselves in God’s seat (1 John 5:16).
Paul advocated for restoration in gentleness by correcting your brother when you see him in sin (Galatians 6:1). Jesus advocated for the same thing in Matthew 18:15-17. We have now been set free from the bondage of sin, so why do we allow pride to keep us from accepting correction? Solomon wrote that the person who hates correction is stupid (Proverbs 12:1). According to Solomon, stupidity has taken over not just the Church but the entire world. Pride is the root of stupidity that rejects and hates correction. Correction isn’t about you; it’s about building a better Temple for God to dwell in. We are the Temple of God now. Therefore, how can we expect God to dwell in a temple that is weak and run down by sin?
Our actions define who we are, and if our actions don’t match the Word of God, we should all pray that the LORD fill us with conviction and surround us with people who love us enough to show us a more accurate way to live as Priscilla and Aquila did for Apollos.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Be Stupid.
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