Episode 1256: How does the Lord deal with sinning Believers? Part 1

Hello everyone. In tonight's Bible study we continue to look into the letter the Lord wrote to the church at Pergamos.

In our previous episode we concluded the commendations the Lord gave to the church. Tonight we look at the condemnations that the Lord have against His church.

Why would the Lord have to condemn the behavior of members of His body? Because they were compromising with sin and the Lord will not tolerate such behavior.

Do you not remember what is written?
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NKJV)
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENS THE WHOLE LUMP? 7 Therefore PURGE OUT THE OLD LEAVEN, that you may be a new lump, SINCE YOU TRULY ARE UNLEAVENED. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Galatians 5:7-10 (NKJV)
7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 A LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENS THE WHOLE LUMP. 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

So what was happening in the church? They were adding leaven to their worship of and service to the One True Holy and Living God, the Lord of host. The LORD God says, I am not having it!

For His children, the Lord rebukes, chasten, then scorges. What does that mean? It means that some are weak - suffer some form of loss whether loss of job, family, reputation, etc. It means that some are sick - their health declines some slowly and others rapidly. It means that some are dead - to keep His children from falling back into sin and blaspheming His name, the Lord takes the believer home prematurely.

1 Corinthians 11:30-32 (NKJV)
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

There is sin that a believer can commit which leads to the believer's death.
1 John 5:16-17 (NKJV)
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Another thing that God condemns is these people in the assembly who holds fast to false doctrine revealing that they are not believers but tares. Believers do not HOLD onto false doctrine. God said that His children are lovers of the truth.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV)

Their Conversion
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is IN TRUTH, the word of God, WHICH ALSO EFFECTIVELY WORKS IN YOU WHO BELIEVE.

The difference between believers and unbelievers is that believers love the truth of God's word while unbelievers do not love the truth which is God's word.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-14 (NKJV)
First the unbeliever:
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Now for the believer:
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you see the difference?

Tonight's study is 1 hour and 24 minutes in duration. I have broken it into nine segments. This is segment 1 of 9 titled How does the Lord deal with sinning Believers? Part 1