And ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 1 Corinthians 5:2
I remember when I was a little boy, one of my younger brothers had broken one of the major rules of the household, and was taken into another room for punishment. As the board of education was employed, the rest of us could hear our brother’s cries of pain. One of my sisters began to laugh at the trouble he was in. Her laughter shocked me, because I could well remember the pain of similar punishment, and my conscience was no doubt causing me to realize that I could well be deserving of punishment, too. To me, my brother’s punishment was no time to joke or to mock, but a time to be very sorry for him. I think that is the attitude that Paul is referring to in today’s text, as he addresses the need for discipline in God’s Assembly.
Some of the people in Corinth were making light of a very serious sin in their midst. They failed to grasp the tragedy of the situation, its consequences on the Assembly testimony, and on the offending brother. Paul tells these people they should be in mourning instead of being puffed up. Why would they have been puffed up! What was there for them to be uppity about? Did they really think that they were immune to such behaviour? Or that they weren’t affected by it themselves? Did they think the sinful situation was outside of their area of concern? A few verses along, Paul reminds the Assembly that a little leaven contaminates the entire lump. This was a serious matter that required the entire Assembly’s attention and resolution. They all needed to repent and they all needed to act. They all needed to be aware that the Assembly is God’s, and not theirs.
Discipline in an Assembly is one of the great hallmarks that establishes the Assembly as distinct from any organization of earth. God’s order and Christ’s lordship are in effect. Otherwise, it is not of God. And the Lord Jesus is not present. Do we treasure the truth that God has committed to us? Do we appreciate that the Lord Jesus has been pleased to place His name with us? Is it our desire that His word be followed and that His will be honoured? If so, let us mourn over sin among us, for surely it grieves God’s heart also. -Jim MacIntosh