Church Is Messy: Church in the Wild - Sex, Judgment, and Church
In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea tackle one of the most uncomfortable passages in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 5. They discuss a shocking situation in the Corinthian church where a man was sleeping with his stepmother, and the congregation was doing nothing about it.
Rick and Svea explore the tension between creating a church where people feel safe in struggling with sin while still maintaining biblical standards. They unpack what it means to address sin within the church versus judging those outside it, and why Paul's instruction to "hand this man over to Satan" was actually an act of love aimed at restoration.
The conversation covers challenging questions like: How do we balance grace and accountability? What's the difference between being judgmental and exercising discernment? And how should Christians engage with cultural issues without becoming the "morality police"?
Whether you're wrestling with how to approach sin in your own life or wondering how the church should respond to difficult situations, this episode offers a thoughtful, grace-filled perspective on navigating one of Scripture's messiest passages.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Rick and Svea explore the tension between creating a church where people feel safe in struggling with sin while still maintaining biblical standards. They unpack what it means to address sin within the church versus judging those outside it, and why Paul's instruction to "hand this man over to Satan" was actually an act of love aimed at restoration.
The conversation covers challenging questions like: How do we balance grace and accountability? What's the difference between being judgmental and exercising discernment? And how should Christians engage with cultural issues without becoming the "morality police"?
Whether you're wrestling with how to approach sin in your own life or wondering how the church should respond to difficult situations, this episode offers a thoughtful, grace-filled perspective on navigating one of Scripture's messiest passages.
Topics discussed in this episode:
- 00:00 - Introduction & Overview of 1 Corinthians 5
- 01:14 - The Situation in Corinth
- 03:23 - Relevance to Modern Church Life
- 04:28 - Pastoral Heart & Balancing Grace with Truth
- 07:26 - "Lowered the Bar, Raised the Standard"
- 08:50 - Struggling vs. Stubbornly Entrenched in Sin
- 10:34 - "Who Rules" vs. "What Are the Rules"
- 12:55 - Addressing Sin Within vs. Outside the Church
- 14:25 - Wanting Good for Non-Believers Without Being Judgmental
- 17:03 - Judgment vs. Discernment
- 19:01 - Christians, Politics & Voting
- 20:00 - Roe v. Wade & Pro-Life Position
- 26:36 - Early Church Example: Infant Exposure in Rome
- 28:12 - Addressing Sin Among Believers
- 28:53 - "Hand This Man Over to Satan"
- 30:26 - Letting People Experience Consequences
- 31:04 - Wisdom Cannot Be Reduced to Rules
- 33:58 - "Don't Even Eat With Such People"
- 37:12 - The Agape Feast & Lord's Supper
- 40:02 - Creating a Safe Church for Struggling Believers
- 42:55 - How Church Discipline Works in Practice
- 46:53 - Preview of Next Episode
