Christian accountability has been a subject that has been on my heart a lot lately, and one that is very tough to discuss. No one likes to talk about sin, no one wants to be judged, no one wants to be told their doing something wrong. And honestly, no one really wants to judge someone else. It's just awkward. To be truthful, it is much easier to let a brother or sister go on sinning, than to address it and risk losing a friendship. But this attitude is altogether unbiblical, and very dangerous.

Paul addresses this issue in 1 Corinthians 5 because the Corinthian church had a misunderstanding about how to deal with sin (in particular, the sin of incest). Paul instructed them to:

1) Deliver the offender to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that they may be saved in the ultimate judgment of Jesus Christ. Talk about tough love! (verse 5)
2) Not have fellowship or even take a meal with a believer who was living in sin. (verse 11)

Why so strict? Because, as Paul states in verse 6, a little sin can bring down many believers.

Sin is such a serious offense that it took the crucifixion of Jesus to pay the price of it. For those of us who are now made new in Christ, to go back and live in sin makes a mockery of what Jesus has done. He requires purity and righteous living from us. To ignore the sinful lifestyle of a brother or sister is unloving and dangerous because that person is in a precarious spot before the Lord (1 Cor. 6:9-10). I'm not saying there is never a time to show grace, because there most definitely is. But in this passage Paul mentions specific lifestyles of fallen believers that we are to stay away from which include sexual immorality, covetousness, idolatry, reviling, drunkeness and extortion. I believe he has listed these because they are the most infectious to the Body of Christ. And it's not just the lifestyle he is requiring them to stay away from, but also the believers living in those lifestyles.

Obviously people have slip-ups here or there. But when it comes to a brother or sister who is actively pursuing a lifestyle of sin, we must deal with that, and Paul makes it clear that it should be dealt with severely. There are ground rules about how to deal with sin, and should always be done in love, with the goal of restoration. I don't believe we are called to walk around church looking for every little thing each person has done wrong, and accusing them. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, but there should be conviction, godly sorrow and repentance from sin.

I know so many people who have walked away from the Lord whose motto seems to be "stop judging me." 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 is my response to that:

"For what [have] I [to do] with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person.'"

This is God's Word, not mine. We judge those on the inside (believers), and not those on the outside (non-believers). And not because we are bitter, angry or "holier than thou;" but because of our love for the soul of every individual, including those who have walked away from the Lord. It takes wisdom, love and grace to address a brother or sister who is walking in sin. But just because it is a tough issue, doesn't mean we ignore it altogether.