This posting serves as a follow-up to the previous study titled Religious Correctness.

One of professing Christendom’s major problems is that she routinely halts her Bible reading when Satan’s stop sign appears, which is always at the point where the “fine print” begins. In the business world there is a popular saying relative to legal documents, advertising, etc: “The devil is in the fine print.” Relative to the church and the Bible she claims to obey the statement would be “The devil pro- hibits the reading of the fine print.” Those who pay attention to the doctrines expressed by leaders within the Institutional Church will notice that they routinely end their quotes and Scripture readings at strategic locations–an act designed to shield themselves and/or their listeners from God’s double-edged Sword of Truth. One who reminds church people of the passages they leave out hear such responses as “I didn’t know that was in there.” “Well, that’s just not what I was always taught.” “It doesn’t matter because I’m saved.”

Let us now look at portions of the Word that address the Religious Correctness problem involving JUDGING, which the church condemns, and SEX SINS, to which she turns a blind eye. It is rare to find a church of any stripe in which there are not several adulterous unions in operation, some involving pastors. And with the push to view homosexuality and bisexuality as legitimate sexual preferences available to professing Christendom, Religious Sexual Correctness is quickly reaching its apex.

One of the favored passages of Scripture used by sin-excusers is Matthew 7:1-4. As is usually the case, these people stop reading at the point where their theology has supposedly been verified. In this case
Satan’s stop sign appears at the end of verse four. Most readers and speakers do not venture past verse one: “Judge not that ye be not judged.” Enough said; no need to continue. God has spoken loud and clear: “Do not judge.” The congregation then breathes a grateful “amen,” having once again been assured that they can stay their “I’m just a sinner saved by grace” course with impunity. Some do read the following three verses in which their listeners are told why they are forbidden to judge other people–they have sin in their lives. Common sense and church doctrine dictate that, all in the church being sinners, there is no one who can judge.

But if one studies the Scriptures diligently as we are commanded to do he will find that there is another verse in this passage relative to judging, one which is selectively ignored because it clarifies and places verses one through four in their proper context. The church rejects verse five for it commands the listener/reader to do what he has been told is impossible–GET SIN OUT OF HIS LIFE. “… THEN YOU WILL SEE CLEARLY TO TAKE THE MOAT OUT OF YOUR BROTHER’S EYE.” Did you get that? The church is not forbidden to judge those in her midst, rather she is commanded to do so, only from a position of righteousness. The church is quick to point out that, as one famous t.v. minister said: “The church is nothing more than a society of sinners.” Populated only by sinners, the church has no one qualified to pass judgment. Convenient, but Scripturally wrong–deadly wrong. By applying the God-dictated method for learning His Word, Will and Way as found in Isaiah 28:9,10,13 we remove the Satan-installed veil from the judgment question. In this passage God identifies those whom He can teach His Truth as saints who have been weaned from the religious breast (vs 9) and are mature enough to study His Word “… precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” In Hebrews 5:12-14 He describes those who refuse to follow His study rules as those who are still on the spiritual breast, in need of milk, not ready for strong meat, who are “… unskilled in the Word of righteousness”–they are spiritual infants. He goes on to describe mature saints as those who, being of full spiritual age, are able to distinguish between good and evil. In Hebrews 6:1,2 He instructs church people to stop dwelling on the elementary doctrines such as repentance, faith, baptism, final judgment, etc., which is what the church continues to dwell on. Note in verse one His command that we “… go on to perfection,” which the church claims not to be necessary in that Christ has already made us perfect. If this is the case, why does He command that those in God’s church “… GO ON TO” perfection? How does one go to where one already is?

With this in mind let us turn to First Corinthians 5:1-13 where Paul lists a number of sins for which one must be put out of the church, an act that requires judgment. The list includes immoral sex (adultery and homosexuality–see Romans 1:24,26,27/Jude 7/Exo. 20:14/Lev. 18:22). In Romans 1:18-31 Paul lists a number of sins for which one is “… deserving of death,” adultery and homosexuality being among them. A study revealed that men think of sex every five minutes on average, which explains why Satan is using sex as the primary item in his Religious Correctness strategy. Notice that in Romans 1:24-32 God views sex sins, murder and hating Him EQUALLY. Notice also that all who do those things are DESERVING OF DEATH. Notice also that Romans is in the NEW TESTAMENT.

Speaking through Paul in First Corinthians 5, God brings to naught the prohibition against judgment taking place in the church, noting that in this age those in the church are to judge those in the church, that He would judge those outside the church. He delivers the “We must not judge parishioners sex lives” notion a death blow with these words: “THEREFORE, PUT AWAY FROM YOURSELVES THAT EVIL PERSON”–referring to the man mentioned in 5:1 who had seduced his stepmother. Obviously, someone has to determine that what he had done was EVIL. This requires JUDGMENT. Judgment must be rendered relative to a basic standard of right and wrong. For true saints of God, that standard is THE HOLY BIBLE. Any other standard is authored by Satan. To be continued. L.J.