Mon.’s Devo - Walking in Love and Purity

Read: 1 Corinthians 5-8
Obviously, the church at Corinth was full of sexual sin. Paul had heard that a man was having an affair with his step mother. How dysfunctional is that? Paul rebuked them for not putting him out of the church and turning him over to Satan so that his flesh would be destroyed but his spirit would be saved in the resurrection. This scripture sounds harsh but it should be a comfort for us who have lost friends and loved ones who were not walking with God at the time of their death. God is not linear like us so when a person comes to him in repentance any time during their lives, they are saved. If they walk in that salvation they will reap benefits on earth and rewards in heaven. If they don’t walk in it they will have trouble on earth and receive no rewards in heaven. Paul instructed the church at Corinth to disassociate with the later or that person would rub off on others in their walk. You can look at most youth groups to see this is true. Paul would have never made it in today’s churches. We would have accused him of not having grace. He would have accused us of being foolish.
In Chapter 6, Paul told them to stop suing their brothers in Christ. God is our judge. We are to forgive and let God justify. He gives a whole list of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul reminds us that we have been sanctified so we don’t have to walk in sin or let it have any power over us. He was especially speaking of sexual sins. Our bodies are members of Christ because he bought us with the price of his blood, therefore we are to honor our master. In Chapter 7, Paul gives us all the particulars of walking in purity.
In Chapter 8, Paul talks about the difference between being puffed up and pleasing yourself, or edifying and pleasing others. If what we do offends another in their faith we should abstain from doing it in their presence and pray about whether it is worth doing in private. Love lays down its life for another. It involves sacrifice.
Lord, help us to walk in love and purity.