RushwaveChapter 6: The Church as a Holy Community (part 2)
from Church Vision, book 3 in the series The Christian Faith
God desires His people to have a healthy fear of Him: His displeasure of sin, and potential judgement for it. Scripture records a grave incident of God’s discipline against two people associated with the early church: Aninias and his wife Sapphira. Aninias publicly lied, and God chose to immediately strike Him dead. The result was “great fear came over all who heard of it” (Acts 6:5). A few hours later his wife Sapphira similarly lied, and God chose to immediately strike her dead also. The result again was “great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.” (Acts 7:11). Note the result was not just fear, but great fear.
It is important to understand it was God Himself who took steps to instill fear in this early church. One might think in these early stages the emphasis would be on God’s grace, love and mercy, and that certainly was an emphasis. But God also desired this believing community to have a reverent fear combined with that understanding of grace; an understanding that holiness and moral purity matters. And being part of this community of faith did not exempt one from God’s loving discipline.
It would be incorrect to conclude God’s act towards Aninias and Sapphira failed to demonstrate God’s mercy, patience and forbearance. Certainly there were other people within the community who had committed sins – perhaps sins not as blatant as that of Ananias and Sapphira, but they were guilty of sins nonetheless. And those people knew if God was to put to death all those who were guilty of sin, the church would have quickly become very small, and they themselves would be among those executed. So ultimately two people were judged, while thousands of others were the object of His patience and forbearance. Without question the “great fear” generated in the early church was rooted in the thought “We have sinned too, yet our lives have been spared. We had better not sin again, or God may choose to deal with us like He did with them ...” This type of fear of God is a healthy thing, and had a purifying effect on the church, which was God’s design.
An overt, unashamed sinful lifestyle is uncharacteristic of God’s people. Consider these passages. "immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 6:19-21. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
It is critical these verses be properly understood. These passages are simply trying to dispel the idea that a person with a sinful lifestyle is a genuine believer destined for heaven. Genuine believers are capable of committing all the sins cited here – they can experience a moral lapse and in a time of weakness get drunk, commit adultery, curse, and steal. But their hearts are torn in committing such acts – there is one part which finds pleasure or satisfaction, and another part that is greatly grieved and disturbed. They find themselves at constant war within, battling a set of desires and affections that are earthly and sinful, and another set of more dominant desires and affections that are heavenly and righteous. They find they cannot comfortably go on sinning, for their entire being revolts against it. They find it difficult to indulge in or be indifferent towards sin – it is unnatural to them.
It is a fundamental teaching of the Christian faith that a genuine profession of faith in Jesus Christ cannot be divorced from a godly, righteous life. Believers are commanded to avoid things such as sexual relations outside marriage, adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, pornography, resentment, selfishness, lying, cheating, drunkenness, gossip, stealing, cursing and the like because these activities are out of character with that inward, supernatural transformation of heart. Such activities are also inconsistent with a person who trusted in Jesus to be delivered from the bondage and judgement associated with those evil works. Scripture must define holiness, and not the culture in which one lives.
God’s displeasure for sin must be balanced with the truth of God’s patience, mercy and forgiveness. To a church that had recently undergone a very serious church split, John wrote “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness … I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 1:8-2:2. Believers will always fall short of perfection in one way or another. God knows that, and He is understanding. "Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." Psalm 103:13-14.
As was shown earlier with Aninias and Sapphira, God desires His people to have a healthy fear of Him. He responds “to those who fear him” with compassion, mercy and understanding like a loving father. He has made provision for our sins in Christ, and when believers confess their sins they are forgiven. And when they fall, they have one who is their Advocate in heaven: Jesus Christ the righteous.
So in summary the church community is to be a holy, godly community characterized by moral purity, goodness, righteousness, justice, and faithfulness. True, neither a local church nor any individual member in the local church will achieve moral perfection in this life – offenses, shortcomings, moral failings and sins will always be seen. But overall, or when looked at as a whole, God’s plan is the individual life of every believer, and by extension the entire church community, be characterized by goodness, holiness, and moral purity. There will be sin – but it is ultimately to be followed by repentance and mourning. There will be offenses – but they are to serve as the backdrop for forgiveness and reconciliation. There will be failings – but they are to the occasion to display grace and restore the fallen.
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