Am I my brother's keeper?

Preface

For some, surely an exhaustive list comes to mind when you read or hear about a problem that is plaguing the church today. As reformed believers and church reformers, the modern global church often thinks of us as the inevitable pessimists we can tend to be, sometimes. All the reformed church can possibly talk about is what is wrong and never what is right in Christ's body. Or so it can seem at times. So, before I continue down this road, and expose a "clandestine" problem that is plaguing the church today (most likely, even plaguing your own local congregation in one form or another), I want to remind us who the Head of the church is and in whom salvation of sinners individually and the church corporately lies:

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Eph. 1:16-23

We are members of Christ's church, sustained by the power of God and not by the will of men. Therefore, lest we be tempted to view the church institutionally rather than spiritually, I wish to begin by laying this problem at the throne of grace. God has willed this problem to inebriate the church in one form or another according to His righteous plan and will, but I pray, nevertheless, that He might use me, a reckless deviant from the truth who was drawn by name from the pit that I had fallen into head-first by the effectual calling of my gracious Lord and Savior, the Great Shepherd of the flock, Christ Jesus.

Lest we be tempted to grumble like the Israelites in the wilderness, provoking God in His infinite wisdom to account for the state of the church today, we must rest assured that Christ is head over all things to the church, and that He is certainly "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." The state of the church today is precisely where the Lord wills it, and may we recognize that the same spiritual suffering that sanctifies the saint individually is at work in the "washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:26-27). As the Christian life is marked with suffering and trial, so must we recognize that the true church of Christ will always be marked by a constant struggle to uphold the truth and defend the faith. May Christ ultimately be glorified in the short-comings and failures of His church, for no matter how many sinful men abuse the church from within or without, Christ Jesus is forever Lord and there is no violation of this heavenly institution which our Lord and Savior cannot utterly erase and cleanse from sin by His shed blood upon the cross.

With this said, I want it to be recognized that I do not desire to write about yet another problem in the church that is hopeless and risks the church's utter destruction. At the same time, I want to emphasize the perilous path the church ventures down as long as the problem that I desire to expose is not corporately mortified. The individual sins of each member of the body has a detrimental effect upon the whole body. As the Apostle Paul relays, "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Cor. 12:26). It is my hope and prayer that we would all sooner rejoice together than suffer together. It is my prayer that the following series of blogs will not only cause many saints to individually and humbly seek the Lord's forgiveness for their sins but also that the corporate communion of the saints would welcome back and embrace those who were once lost and now have been found as was the prodigal son.

It is my desire that hypocrites like I once was (and can tend to be) would not only be exposed, but that they would be convicted of their sins, that they would mortify the deeds of their flesh by faith, and that the church would actively involve itself in their preservation by faith as well. The church is spoken of as an individual consisting of many members rather than many individuals making up a corporation. Therefore, each member is not an individual amidst many others but is a member of the individual church itself. Therefore, accountability is not only influential but is necessary within the church, because whether we like to admit it or not, the Christian walk of our brother and sister directly influences our walk with the Lord as well. We are not all disconnected ligaments, tendons, and sinews of the body that just sit upon each other. We are not like a towering skyscraper that looms over the city below having been built by just resting steel upon steel without weld or screw so that the smallest wind at the top sends the whole structure plummeting to the earth. No, we are all connected. The tendons connect muscle to muscle as the ligaments connect muscle to bone. The church functions much the same way, as Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 12. One muscle of the body cannot move on its own without involving the other muscles that surround it. Therefore, one member of the body cannot struggle without involving all those who surround him or her.

Have you recognized this in your own congregation? Have you noticed that the struggles of one member becomes the struggle of every member? As one muscle moves another, like dominoes, the chain reaction surges through the whole body until every member in the church feels pulled in one direction or another. Therefore, we can see how important it is that we not only pray for our brother or sister in the Lord, but that we seek to encourage them in their Christian walk as much as we can. One person's sin problem is not just that one person's problem. It affects us all. If your brother or sister is struggling with sin then you too are struggling with that sin as well. We are not only connected but intertwined together as the body of Christ. In this sense, accountability is necessary within the church. When was the last time you asked someone how their walk in the Lord is going? Or if you have been asked that question, how honest were you with the person who asked you? Am I my brother's keeper? We are not responsible for our brother's and sister's sins, but at some point we must ask, "If I am not part of the solution to their problem then must I inevitably become a cause of their continued struggle?" As long as they struggle, you too will struggle.

With this in mind, I want to begin a series of blogs and "short" writings that focus on a problem that I am but all too acquainted with: sexual sins. I am willing to attest with some confidence that each and every congregation across this country has at least one member who is direly struggling with some sort of sexual sin (even within reformed churches). They struggle as an individual, and their struggle, whether known or not, becomes a struggle for the whole body. Whether it is pornography on the internet, premarital sexual relations, or an insatiable lust of the heart and flesh towards members of the opposite sex, I am willing to venture that this problem is a predominate cause of struggle amidst the Body of Christ today.

Sexual immorality within the church has become a taboo subject. The church as a whole would rather believe that we are devoid of these kinds of problems then recognize the influence these unabated problems are rendering within the church. When was the last time your pastor preached upon one of the numerous passages throughout the Scriptures that allude to the destructive power of sexual sins? Paul tells the believers in Corinth:

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."
1 Cor. 5:9-13

What does this passage have to do with a lack of pastoral teaching upon the subject of sexual immorality? Well, as a Christian struggling with sexual immorality, you might feel like you are fighting this battle alone, and if anyone in the church were to find out about your struggle with sexual sins then you would be purged from your very dear Christian family and that you would be disassociated from the church.

What about this passage from Ephesians:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
Eph. 5:1-11

Without Biblical exegesis of this passage, can you see how a Christian struggling with sexual sins could feel like they are out of place and must keep their sin hidden lest they be ejected from the church? If only they knew that these passages that would seem to remove them from the church truly mean to include them by calling them to repent, to put off the old self, and to put on the new self in Christ. Compare these passages with Paul's exhortation to Christian believers in Colossians:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Col. 3:1-8

How many pilgrims on their way have been discouraged by the church's avoidance of the subject of sexual immorality? Paul exhorts us to put to death or mortify these sins. That is to say, if you are struggling with these things then it is not because you are outside of Christ but because your sanctification has just begun. You once walked in these things when you were living in them, but now you must mortify them all. The church must recognize that the public profession of faith is not the culmination of the pilgrimage of faith but that it is merely the very establishment of it. When we hear our children or our new-found brother or sister stand before the congregation and give their public profession of faith, we must never hear it as the victory proclamation over sin but as the declaration of war with sin. Our baptism symbolizes our death to sin and our resurrection unto life in Christ. "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness." Now that you are hidden with Christ in God you are thoroughly equipped for the work of the Spirit in your life to put to death that which is earthly in you.

As I continue on in this series, I want accomplish two things. First, I want those in the church who are struggling with sexual sins to feel the weight of their sins, be convicted by the authoritative Word of God and a scriptural treatment of sexual immorality, and hopefully, turn from their walk in unrighteousness and cling ever more to the author and perfecter of their faith, Jesus Christ. Secondly, I want to encourage Christians everywhere to rethink their approach to sexual immorality within the church. I want to challenge Christians everywhere to consider what they should do if and when they find out their brother or sister is struggling with sexual sins. I want them to consider how they can approach and broach the subject with someone that they suspect might be struggling with sexual sins. I want to challenge parents to consider their covenant children's vulnerability to sexual sins and to consider whether they are relying upon faith or works to protect their children. I want to challenge covenant children and young adults to consider their vulnerability to sexual sins and to consider whether they too are relying upon faith or works to guard their hearts. Finally, I want to challenge young and older people in the church alike to consider their role in the life and faithful walk of a brother or sister that has confessed a struggle with sexual sins.

The question that lies ahead of us is not only will you hold your brother or sister accountable with their sinful struggles, but are you accountable for being your brother's or sister's keeper in this regard?

Next post: Sexual Sins: Spiritual Infidelity (1 Cor. 6:17-20)