In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is communicating with a church after he has been informed of the sexual immorality going on within it. There was a man in their church who was living in sin with his stepmother. He advises them to call a meeting and “throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature [flesh] will be destroyed and he himself [spirit] will be saved on the day the Lord Jesus returns.” (1 Corinthians 5:5).
He goes on to say, “Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?” (1 Cor. 5:6). The bible tells us that bad company corrupts good character. Paul continues in his letter, “When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.” (1 Cor. 5:9-11).
If you are a Christian or know someone in your church who is still living in sin and stuck in their old ways, this message is for you. We as humans have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But when we are born again believers, we are to be transformed in the Spirit by the renewing of our minds (Eph. 4:23). At this point, God intends to pour new wine into us, but the old wineskin is not compatible with his wine. So, we must shed our old skin for God to begin his new work in us. We shouldn’t still be living in sin. If you are still struggling with sins like the ones in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, make a choice today to turn from it and begin to live in the Spirit. Make no mistake that the choice is yours alone to make (God won’t make it for you) and that if you are not of the Spirit, you are of the world. The bible calls us believers to not conform to the patterns of this world, not only so that you are set apart and that people can see the difference in you, but also because the world has a master and his name is Satan. So, if you are conforming to this world, is your master not Satan? You cannot serve two gods at once, so you are either serving one or the other, never both. This is why God spits out the lukewarm Christian, who is neither hot or cold (Rev. 3:16). If all this sounds like you, take heart, you can still make a choice. The way I see it, you are a slave either way; would you rather be a slave to sin (flesh, world, Satan) or to the Spirit? Only one of those options can edify your soul and bring life changing transformation. Romans 6:16 says, “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”
[I feel like I should include a quick message to the perfectionist in all of us: we are human, so we will all sin again and again. Don’t let this mindset of defeat, thinking that you will never be good enough, keep you from living for God. In this life, we will never be perfect and we will never be without sin. This is true. But Jesus died for that very reason, so, don’t try to be your own Messiah. Submit to the power of his grace, and rest in the assurance that his power is made perfect in our weaknesses. Jesus covers all our sin, and in him we are free!]
If you are a believer but still feel like a slave to your sins, reconsider who you are actually serving: God or flesh? It is never too late to choose God.
At the same time, God knows our hearts, and we cannot fool him with false repentance. I was once a “believer” who knew Jesus would forgive my sins but I fell into a few addictions that I felt had more control over me than my faith did. I struggled for many years in my refusal to be obedient to God’s word. This was not because I thought of myself a rebel, but just because it wasn’t easy. Serving your flesh is the easy route. There’s no doubt that serving God is difficult for us, who are sinful by nature. But, again, I had to make that choice: did I want to be a slave to sin or righteousness? I finally chose the latter and I have not turned back since. In fact, God has given me a strength to refuse temptation that I did not have previously! The key is to feed your spirit more often than you feed your flesh. How do you feed your spirit? Be in the word, spend time with God in prayer, listen to music and podcasts that edify your spirit, etc. There are so many ways to get more connected to God while simultaneously lessening the strength of the flesh’s hunger pains. But it takes making those small choices everyday to get there. God is just waiting for you to take that step of shedding your old skin so he can pour new wine into you!
(If you would like more information or guidance about this process, please message me privately).
To close, I will leave you with a few verses to meditate on.
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Philippians 3:12-14
“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:18-19
And some more…
https://www.openbible.info/topics/going_back_to_your_old_ways
https://www.openbible.info/topics/slave_to_sin
Letters To A King 