Has the church lost its way?

By Tanya Holmes

Amidst the split of the Anglican Church over the ordination of an openly gay Bishop in late 2008 and the imposition of lawlessness and sin on our nation, the church must be called to arms and to our knees in prayer. After the November 4 general election in three states — Arizona, California, and Florida — voters who stood for righteousness walked away from the polls in victory. But those who supported the same-sex agenda were not satisfied that the people of California had spoken in favor of what is holy and right concerning the sanctity of marriage.

Some states fight for what is right

Several states since 2006 have passed legislation to uphold the sanctity of marriage and combat the homosexual, same-sex agenda. Many of these states amended their constitutions by clarifying a marriage union as being a union between one man and one woman. On the November 7, 2006, general election ballot, the Wisconsin Question One read": Question One would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman and prohibit recognition of any legal status similar to marriage for people of same sex or different marriages." The proposition passed, with 1,264,310 in favor of it, while 86 voted against it. This is just one of the many the victories won by states and by proponents of righteousness. Even in this victory, the church is in a crisis, and its greatest battle is for its life. This outright attack on the sanctity of marriage is an affront to believers everywhere. The marriage bed is holy.

"But from the beginning of time God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife. And they shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh." (Mark 10: 6-8)

Apostle Paul admonishes the church on sin

The church has lost its way. Has the church also lost its mind? The Bible tells us that we have the mind of Christ.

"But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ." (I Corinthians 2:15-16)

As believers we should have the mind of Christ. But not only has the church lost its mind, it has lost its ability to judge spiritually between right and wrong. Jesus left the Holy Spirit to comfort us, but also to reprove the world of sin. When believers in churches have remained silent when their wicked members have continued in abominations and sin, the church has made a grievous error.

The Apostle Paul preached against sin within the church. He addressed sexual immorality in many of his letters to several churches. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes:

"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so named among you the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife."

"And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from you."

"For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present in spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ."

"To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved....

"Your glorying is not good. Know you that a little leaven leavened the whole lump?"

"Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." (I Corinthians 1: 1-7)

The Apostle Paul instructs the church clearly to get rid of the fornicators. There was a man who was having sex with his father's wife. The believers were silent about this pagan act. Taking the wife of one's father was a much weightier sin. In fact, it was considered a wickedness.

"None of you shall approach to any that are near kin to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord."(Leviticus 18:6-8)

Paul was concerned that this man's wickedness would eventually draw the entire church into sin. By ignoring the man's sin, the believers at Corinth would lose their purity and affect their witness to others.

Paul was concerned for the purity of the church at Corinth. In other words, Paul was saying that the man's sin would cause others to stumble and fall to sin. His sin would lower the moral standard of the believers. Instead of the members leading this man into repentance, Paul argues that the opposite would happen. The sinful behavior of this man would lead others to sin or lead others to tolerate the sin. Paul was indeed right.

Apostle Paul's message still applies

Today, many "saints" religiously attend carnal churches and are aware of the sin within them, just as the Corinthians were aware of the members who sinned within the church. Yet, many churches have not listened to Paul's message, and as a result, the church is consumed with unrepentant sinners and abominable acts.

These sins polarize and paralyze the church.

The church has long forgotten this message from the Apostle and is in complete rebellion to what Paul instructed. Like the believers at Corinth, many Christians have ignored Paul's call to staying holy and pure. Fellowship with just a little sin leads to more sin.

Look at the church today. Since Christians have not dealt with the sin when we ought, we are now the ones being put out of our local churches as we try to escape the "leaven that has now leavened the whole bread."

The church needs to be purged today

The Apostle Paul said, turn these people over to Satan! Remove them from the church! "Put away from yourselves that wicked person!"

We must do it now. If you are a Christian in a church like the church Paul admonished, you should join other members to purge your church.

The removal of the unrepentant sinner should be done as a correction for the sinner and to maintain the purity and truth in the church. Correction is always good for the sinner to call him to live holy. It should be done in love. The church must remove those evil among us.

Paul was not leaving this responsibility to the pastors only. He was addressing the members of the church as well, and his message holds true for Christians everywhere. Paul says Christians must remove all the past sins as well as the wicked person from the church.

Church affects society

It is not that the church hates the sinners, but we are supposed to hate the sin. (Revelations 21:8)

The church's approach to sin has contributed to the social and political climate in our nation: everywhere we look, we find respected Americans and celebrated heroes being caught doing wrong. Many of us have watched in shame and sorrow as these respected Americans have fallen from grace. We have also witnessed many of our politicians and spiritual leaders fall from grace, because they, too, were caught doing wrong. It is sin.

Many of us have fallen from the grace of God. If it were not for Jesus' saving grace and mercy, where would we be?

Reclaiming our standard of holiness

The church is the spiritual and moral standard by which we all measure our lives. Whether it is admitted by them, many in the world do indeed measure their morality by the church. This is a good thing. This is a bad thing, however, if the church itself is corrupt. We must reclaim our standard of holiness. We can only do this by purging the church of sin. There are three main steps that Christians should consider: 1) for the sake of the sinner, there should be some correction given; 2) for the sake of the purity and truth of the church, there should be an excommunication of the unrepentant; and 3) for the sake of our witness to the world, there should be a clear moral standard of the church that demonstrates holiness.

Jesus our Example of Holiness

As Jesus was our perfect example, we are to be that example to the world. Let us all repent. God is not happy with the church. He is tired of no order, no discipline, and the acceptance of sin. He is calling the church to get right in this hour. The church must return to the basic tenets of Christianity brought to earth by the One who knew no sin, Jesus the Christ. We must acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit in all this. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin. If we say we have the mind of Christ, we will also be an opponent to sin. If we have the spirit of Christ, we will walk in holiness. If we fall to sin, we have no doubt lost our way. Jesus himself said that "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by me." As evil escalates in the days to come, let us not be overtaken by false doctrine and false prophets. Let us not lose our way, the Way — Jesus the Christ.

© Tanya Holmes