From Forward Day by Day
1 Corinthians 5:3-4 I have already pronounced judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing.
A couple fell in love over a scolding. They were attending an event with a foolish and irritating person. The woman started subtly mocking the annoying person. The man looked the woman in the eye and said, “You are better than this.” She felt that she had met her match in that moment: the man saw her potential and demanded she live up to it.
Paul encourages Christians to judge one another and even to drive some unrepentant sinners out of the church. While I disagree wholeheartedly with the approach of kicking people out of church, I can see a place for a community of Christians compassionately supporting one another in making ethical decisions. The idea of living in such a community sounds useful, if the motivation were loving and the advice were given humbly and kindly. We must take care though to always resist the temptation to indulge in self-righteousness and pronounce judgment.
