Lesson Nine: Sin and Christians Don’t Mix
For 2019, our theme is “Take it Home”. The last Wednesday of every month we cancel service and encourage every family to have a Family Bible Study night. Here’s the Bible study we provide for each family.
FOCUS VERSE
1 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
BEGINNING TOPIC
ILLUSTRATION. Ask everyone to brush their teeth before joining the Bible study. When they arrive, prepare a small cup of orange juice for each of them. Enjoy watching them drink with disgust on their face.
There are certain things that just don’t mix. A few examples are water and oil, light and darkness, and as you’ve already observed, toothpaste and orange juice. But a few serious examples of things that don’t mix are lies and truth, love and hate, and as our title says, sin and Christians.
Have you ever wondered why our family may seem different than your classmate’s or coworker’s family? Have you wondered why we act differently than they do? Or, why can’t we do some of the things they do? The reason is because sin and Christians don’t mix.
HISTORICAL SETTING
The church in Corinth existed in a grossly sinful atmosphere. Perhaps the most significant of the factors which comprised the atmosphere of Corinth was gross, unashamed immorality. Like our society today, that immoral behavior was generally considered to be acceptable. But if it isn’t acceptable according to the Bible, then it doesn’t matter if everyone else says it is. As Christians, we follow the opinions of the Bible and not the opinions of the world.
Even still, this sinful atmosphere continued to make its mark on the Corinthian church. Many of the problems they were having found their basis in the life of the city. The sin in the world started to mix with the church members.
There were groups that began to rebel against the teachings of Paul. Those groups were openly supporting the sin that had crept in the church. It became so divisive, that a letter was sent to Paul asking for his advice.
Some believe that 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 was Paul’s first response to the Corinthian church addressing the sin. Others believe this portion was written after the sin had been dealt with. Despite if these scriptures are the initial rebuke or a recap, Paul was still addressing the problem of Christians attempting to mix with a sinful atmosphere.
We are called to be separate and not to join in on the world’s sin. That is why we may look and act differently than our friends at school or work. As Christians, we are committed to living the way God wants us to live.
In all this, we must remember that we are not only being separated FROM the world, but separated TO Christ. As He promised, “I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.”
VERSES TO CONSIDER
1 Peter 1:16 commands, “be ye holy”. We must be holy because God is holy. To be close to God we must be like God. The word holy means “a consecrated thing, a dedicated thing, or something or someone hallowed.”
2 Corinthians 6:14 commands, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers”. To be yoked means to be bound together. It’s practical to avoid binding relationships with those that do not share our values and faith in the Bible.
CONCLUSION
The sodium laureth sulfate in the toothpaste is what makes orange juice taste so bad after brushing. It is the blood of Christ that has cleansed us from all unrighteousness that makes sin taste so bad after repenting.