Sunday: Dissonance Between Faith and Practice
Daily Lesson for Sunday 19th of July 2026
Throughout Christian history, theologians, pastors, and laypeople have studied the New Testament in order to determine what the church should look like. We marvel, for instance, at the church of Acts. But we quickly lose sight of one significant element: people have problems. It seems that we can also read the New Testament to see what the Bible says about what a church should not look like. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians are a good starting point.
Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. What scandalous situation does Paul describe in this passage, and why is it so disturbing?
The expression “his father’s wife” (1 Corinthians 5:1) suggests that Paul refers to the incestuous relationship between a man and his stepmother. This situation was probably reported “by those of Chloe’s household” (1 Corinthians 1:11, NKJV). Incest was reputed as such a terrible sin that it was “not tolerated even among pagans” (1 Corinthians 5:1, ESV). And yet, it is now happening in an early Christian church? Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 show that he is in shock at the report that a church member was doing this.
Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com
However, this bad situation gets worse. Paul is more stunned when realizing that, rather than feeling sorry about the situation, the Corinthians were even proud of themselves for tolerating such a sin (1 Corinthians 5:1-2, NIV). Thus, he intends to correct not only the immoral man but also the church for its apparent dissonance between faith and practice. In fact, Paul makes it clear constantly that the church’s indulgent attitude toward the incestuous man demanded a correction. But being proud of such a sexual scandal, and even boasting of it (1 Corinthians 5:2,6)! This was too much for Paul to bear. What was wrong with these people?
We don’t have an explanation for why the church in Corinth was so tolerant of the incestuous man. Perhaps he was a wealthy member from whom the church benefited? Or, maybe, because “all things are lawful” (1 Corinthians 6:12), they didn’t deem it the way that they should have. We just don’t know.
Whatever the true reasons, they became blind to a flagrant violation of the Scriptures (Leviticus 18:7-8). And they were even proud of it.
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What things are clearly condemned in Scripture that we, as a church, are in danger of tolerating, all in the name of “love” and “acceptance”? |
The issue in Corinth was not just the sin, it was that the Church membership did nothing about it and even used it as an example of tolerance. Paul was quite straightforward in his approach:
Note that in throwing the sinner out of the congregation, there is also the purpose of hoping for his salvation. It was not to be a revenge attack.
We should remind ourselves that this Corinthian situation was open and being boasted about. In our modern complex world, immorality often occurs behind closed doors and in secret, perpetrated by people in positions of power and responsibility. I can think of several cases in the span of my own working experience where the immorality has been exposed years after it happened.
The big issue our modern churches have to face is that the enquiries into institutional sexual abuse have shown that institutions have systematically covered such immorality in an attempt to give the church the appearance of purity. Perpetrators were moved on rather than being dismissed. And while many of the investigations have concentrated on the larger “other” churches, we should remind ourselves that our own record is not all that different. Nowadays, churches have to work within a legal framework set by the government.
What is the takeaway from the Corinthian situation? Don’t tolerate open sin, and work towards the salvation of those involved. Work within the legal framework and do not try to act as a private detective based on inference and hearsay.
” Don’t tolerate open sin 🤔🤔” so shall we tolerate the closed 🤷🤷 ?? Whether open or closed sin, sin is sin, there’s no big sin nor small sin , for he who said ” Don’t kill, he also said don’t commit adultery, James 2:9-11″. Very unfortunate dat we tend to categorise sin into small, big, open , closed, minor,etc, the lesson is calling for total eradicating/ addressing of sin whether open , closed, small or big, backbiting, adultery, fornication, stealing, covetness, disrespect etc
The point I was making is that much of the sin we are talking about is not visible, or becomes visible years later. For example, I learned third-hand 35 years later about a school situation that had occured where I had taught. It was not a case of tolerating it. I simply had no knowledge of it because the perpertrator had kept it very secret. And that is the nature on much of the immoral activity in the Church environment – we simply do not have the evidence at the time.
I have a couple of questions. It is my understanding that homosexuality is tolerated and even promoted in some quarters of the church as not being a sin. This in spite of the verse that says,
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, [10] nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV
Some of the sins listed here are visible. Some such as covetousness, are not visible. Pride would be another one. One question is, if individual whole churches accept homosexuality as not being a sin, whose responsibility is it to address it and what actions would be appropriate. Secondly, some would take the position that since we are all sinners (still with pride, covetousness, etc.), no one is qualified to “take up the first stone” to address the issue. Fornication is even a more common issue that very few appear interested in addressing. If the majority in a particular church is not inclined to deal with these types of issues it can be difficult for an individual to feel qualified to do so.
Thank you for these questions. I do so desperately wish someone would give us answers.
You wrote
Unfortunately the situation you describe is very real, including “gay” elders and at least one “gay” pastor (probably more). Also real is Ellen White seeing this:
If “the whole congregation” truly has the mindset you describe, no repetition of biblical truth would be welcome, as you appear to realize.
In such a situation, I believe that Christ’s counsel of Mark 6:11 applies. That means leaving the situation and moving on to a different location where God’s Spirit is welcome.
Since such a situation usually occurs in an urban area, it is highly likely that other Seventh-day Adventist congregations are located not too far distant.
If you feel that, in spite of the prevailing attitude, you might do some good, you can start by making friends of people who appear somewhat uncomfortable in their position- people who are struggling. Do a lot of listening before offering any counsel. In your interactions, make sure they know that God loves them and understands their needs. He is also more than enough to fill their love needs, without resorting to same-sex relationships. James reminds us that if we submit ourselves to God He will draw near to us. (James 4:6,7) Such a ministry required long-term commitment, and a lot of patience.
People struggling with same-sex attraction tend to be very defensive against advice from people who don’t share their attraction. So you will need much wisdom and prayer.
(I’m writing from my experience ministering to gay people myself. But that was before so many Adventists were “out and proud.” More people were genuinely struggling.)
Closed sin is not visible, so the question of whether we should tolerate closed sin is null. It can only deal with what can be seen. The church cannot go about an inquisition into people’s lives looking for closed sin. How would you propose to do that?
I am not advocating trying to deal with invisible sin in others. I am saying that since any of us can hide invisible sin, and may indeed be ignorant of it ourselves, it can make it more difficult to deal with visible sin in others since we are not innocent.
Mwesigwa, closed sin is generally not known. So we do tolerate it because we don’t know about it. Unless you plan to invade people’s houses looking for their closed sins, you can’t do much about that. For example, I see you mentioned coveting as a sin that should be addressed, but for the most part it actually can’t be addressed. It’s a sin of the mind and we can’t read people’s minds.
In a way, you are right that there are no “small” sins, but I think it is actually dangerous to treate all sins the same. Their consequences are not identical. Reading the laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we see different penalties for different wrongs. And we as church need to see different offenses in different ways. Just as an example, I would be horrified if the church treated a teenager who talked back to his/her parent in the same way as a teenager who was molesting a child at church.
The church should not excuse any sin and we should teach about all sins, even the “socially acceptable” ones. But the church must react the strongest to sins that damage the reputation of the church. They are the most serious because they prevent us from sharing the gospel. We see this in I Corinthians – Paul addresses many sins, but this incestuous situation is the one where he emphasizes removing the brother from the church.
Ok. I have knowledge of several situations in the church where majority of the church sided with the perpetrator. The reason ? Because he was an upstanding citizen and held an office in the church. In one case the perp was even incarcerated but the church still sided with him. I guess in the name of love and forgiveness, while the victim and the victim’s family were not believed and treated very differently. It extends to individual families as well- children are either not believed or it is swept under the rug. It happens a lot.
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate…” (1 Corinthians 5:1). Paul wrote these words because he wanted the Corinthian church to recognize the serious sin that had been tolerated within the body of Christ. We live in an age where social media, movies, and popular culture present pornography and sexual immorality as normal, acceptable, and even necessary—as though sexual indulgence were no different from eating and drinking, a biological necessity beyond moral restraint. However, God’s Word teaches otherwise. Paul expected the church to remain watchful, grieved by sin, and committed to addressing it rather than ignoring or excusing it. He did not dance around the problem or attempt to cover up the sin. Instead, he boldly declared that sexual immorality existed within the church at Corinth and called the believers to deal with it. When Paul uses the term sexual immorality, he refers to every form of unlawful sexual activity, including fornication, adultery, prostitution, and all forms of sexual impurity outside God’s design for marriage.
Paul’s call to holiness was a call to guard and maintain the purity that Jesus Christ died to give His church. Since the church is the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit, it must never become a dwelling place for sexual immorality or any form of persistent, unrepentant sin. Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin (1 Corinthians 5:7). He did not save us so that we could return to the corruption from which He rescued us. Just as God called Israel to leave Egypt behind, Christ calls His people to leave their former sinful way of life behind and pursue holiness. As Scripture declares, “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy'” (1 Peter 1:15–16).
Critical Lessons for us today
1. If sin no longer shocks us, we have lost an important safeguard. When the church becomes comfortable with sin instead of grieving over it, spiritual sensitivity is weakened, and compromise soon follows.
2. We must stop calling sacred things common. Sexual intimacy is God’s holy gift for marriage and must be treated with reverence, purity, and honor—not with humor, cynicism, or casual acceptance.
3. We must reject the Corinthian bargain. The Corinthians took pride in their spiritual gifts while tolerating serious immorality. Spiritual gifts, numerical growth, or ministry success can never excuse disobedience or compromise with sin.
4. We must understand church discipline as an act of love. Biblical discipline is intended to restore the sinner, protect the purity of the church, and preserve the testimony of Christ. Unchecked sin never remains isolated; like leaven, it spreads and affects the entire body (1 Corinthians 5:6–8).
May we as the mordern church heed Paul’s warning by remaining vigilant, pursuing holiness, confronting sin with truth and love, and honoring the Lord who redeemed us with His precious blood.
How could the church possibly remain silent over a sin that could make the pagans spring into action (1 Cor. 5:1)? What made Paul even more upset was that the church was puffed up (proud) over their inaction (1 Cor.5:2). This is a very strange incident, but it has applications in our times. Possibly, how can this terrible inaction by the church be explained?
1. It is possible that some Corinthians did not understand or misunderstood Christian freedom. To them, being under grace meant you could do anything, and moral behaviour was not a major issue to them. “All things are lawful for me” (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23). Even nowadays, there are some people who claim that you can do all sorts of things because we are in the dispensation of grace. They use grace as a ticket to commit sin. “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15).
2. The Corinthian church was proud of its “tolerance”. They were arrogant about their ability to “tolerate” and “accept” a sinner and not being nonjudgmental. They prided themselves on being a tolerant church. This mentality is witnessed in our churches, where nothing is said against a blatant sinner in the name of not being judgmental. Paul voiced his disapproval to the church as much as to the individual. Paul was telling the church leadership that they had delegated authority from Jesus to voice their concerns for restoration.
It is important to remember that the church has a witness and testimony to give to the world. The church must represent Christ in character. The world sees open sin in the church and tarnishes the holy name of our Lord, the head of the church. In a loving and caring manner, the church has a collective responsibility to portray Christ to the world.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:14–16, NLT)
This lesson calls for genuine souls searching and sober reflections and as we study in our churches this sabbath, it should lead to sincere revival of the church if we must gain spiritual advantage, God’s abiding presence, spiritual and numeric growth and advancement and the assurance of salvation.
Pretence and stubbornness are the two ways we relate to sin in our lives if we must be sincere to ourselves and both are self deceitful and self destructive, let us not get lost on board a ship en-route to heaven and be jettisoned near it’s shores because of any of these. Sin whether open or closed lay bare before God and He is waiting patiently for a closed- door summit with Him to discuss the issue of sin in us bearing in mind that He alone can handle the issue with pity, compassion, redeeming love and the assurance of salvation if we keep our own side of the agreement by abiding in Him always.
May we hear God speak to us in this hymn;
SDAH 500
1
Take time to be holy,
Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His word.
Make friends of God’s children,
Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek.
2
Take time to be holy,
The world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret
With Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus,
Like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct
His likeness shall see.
3
Take time to be holy,
Let him be Thy guide,
And run not before Him,
Whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow,
Still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus,
Still trust in His word.
4
Take time to be holy,
Be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive
Beneath His control.
Thus led by His spirit
To fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted
For service above.
Nothing can be hiding from Him who created the eyes and He frowns at stiff-nakedness.
Our good Lord delights to hear us out and fix things!!!!!
The lack of harmony was reported to Paul and Paul preached to the people of Corinth. He did it with tact, yet not condoning sin in the church, through his preaching. The chaff though oft tolerated in our church will be discarded when Christ comes in the air to reap the harvest. It is interesting that the dissonance was not revolving around a belief rather a breaking of Ten Commandments. The love should be expressed not in refraining from discipline, rather in loving them backing to the fold, and letting them back into the Adventist circle or inclusive clique, if you prefer. We must remember, forgiveness, repentance, then acceptance with open arms. I admired my father for disciplining us and the next day, or seventh day after, refraining from giving us the sermon over again. That is the way God our Father is with us. We should be that way with other members also.
Wheras incest and fornication are highlighted by Paul in this instance as grivous and sinful, they doesn’t excuse other sinful acts such as backbiting, lying, envy jealousy, disrespect and disobedience to parents and elderly, murder, failure to keep the sabbath, injustice etc. Humans are quick to discriminate among sins as some being more grivous than others but with God, all sins are equal. So, before we stone the fornicators and the incestuous, let’s address all that are sinful.
I don’t think all sins are equal in God’s eyes. All sins do separate us from God and in that sense they are equal. But they are not equal in consequence and should not be treated that way. If they were, why do you think God commanded the death penalty for some crimes and for others did not?
I actually become very angry when serious sins such as abusing children or other vulnerable people are equated with other actions. They are not identical in scope or degree at all. I am not saying that it’s okay to gossip or be disrespectful or lose your temper. It’s not and we should help people overcome these sins. But they are not equal to a child being molested or other abuse of vulnerable people. And when we say, as you do, “let’s address all that is sinful” what typically happens is we don’t address anything. It is impossible to discipline every sin in the church, so everything, including the grievous evil will be ignored. We’ve done that far too long and the church has suffered for it.
I understood 1 Cor 5:1-5 that the church should talk an action on sins.
Verse 5 emphasises of disfellowship of a member who indulges in an open sin and even proud of it.
The purpose of such discipline is to bring that person back to Christ.
My question is .
Can a church disfellowdhip a member because of preaching the straight truth?
Basing on these verses .
John 9:22
These words spake his parents , becsuse they feared the Jews : for the Jews had agreed already , that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
John 12:42
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
John 16:2
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. Is this genuine disfellowship?
Jason, you asked:
I fear that your question is a loaded question. I have seen situations where folk have insisted that their truth is the straight truth, while others in the church have disputed it. And at other times I have seen the truth used as a weapon. Speaking the truth comes with the requirement that it be used with wisdom, and in the church context, love.
Scripture says: “All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 timothy 3:12 I have found that wherever the truth, as it is in Jesus, is spoken, it often raises the ire of those who do not love Him and leads to the censure and rejection of those who do.
“1 Corinthians 5:5
[5]deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.””
A clearer explanation of this verse 🙏🙏🙏🙏
I just read from 3ABN Sabbath School notes the following. I hope that it helps our understanding of 1 Cor. 5:5.
Meaning: Removing from fellowship or leadership.
Clarification:
This is painful, this can be difficult, embarrassing, but sometimes it is necessary.
It is not punitive but redemptive. Paul desires the salvation of the offender.
Principle:
Protect the temple (church); love the person.
The correction should be guided by truth, love, restoration and salvation.
It seems to me that this exposure of sin of an adulterous level seems to apply to some, and not others in the Adventist faith. I have personally seen where pastors are not rebuked for open sin, but moved to other jobs or congregations. I have also seen SDA teachers being moved when adults affairs were made open to the public I’m asking if this exposing of open sin is only applicable to members in a church and not those in higher positions.
How much cancer should we tolerate in our bodies? Sin is a spiritual cancer that will eventually take out the person that allows it to persist. Sadly the sin cancer often affects others not just the initial sinner. Satan has studied humanity enough to know where our every weakness lies. He knows that sin, like a wildfire, can burn down a church if allowed to persist. Fire in a fireplace, or on a stove can be a good thing. You can warm up the house, and cook your food. Yet even there it must be monitored to keep it from burning out of control.
I remember as a child how I nearly burned down the house. Myself and my siblings were upstairs in the bedroom, playing with a candle. I decided to hold the candle under the bed to provide light under the bed. The underside of the box springs caught on fire. We quietly rushed to get water from the bathroom and tried to extinguish the fire. It wasn’t working, the fire was spreading on the underside of the box springs. One of my siblings cried out down the stairs that the bed was on fire. My uncle who had been visiting bolted up the stairs turned over the bed, grabbed the burning boxsprings, hustled it down the stairs and threw it out into the yard. He had saved our house from burning because he took quick and decisive action while we kids were trying but failing to extinguish the flames. Needless to say, I was seriously disciplined and had some heat applied to my bottom side for playing with matches and causing a fire.
Decisive action must be taken to prevent the fire of sin from spreading. Proverbs 6:27-33 asks a couple straight on serious rhetorical question along with the consequences of serious lack of judgment. Sin cannot be coddled like kindling or it will develop into a conflagration that can burn down the entire church.
I already commented about whether a member of the organized church is ‘called-out’ about their sin for the benefit of assuring this person’s salvation, or to prevent the damage it will do to the ‘church’s reputation’ when left unchecked. ‘Sinners’ are within the church and all around us. Are we zealous, like Paul, when addressing the wrongs observed within as well as those outside the organized church? It appears to me that if a particular ‘sin’ is not present in a church member, we most likely would shake our head and not interfere with the life’s choices this person made.
I find the organized church to influence its members in positive and not so positive ways. In my opinion, the self-promoting, self-protective, self-righteous system of the organized church, when overly zealous, can easily become a bludgeon to its members, forcing its member’s adherence under the thread of expulsion or even death. The middle ages are an example of these excesses.
We have received wisdom:
1 John 3:5-6
“But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him.”
Rev.22:11
”He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”
Taking this to heart, ought we not inquire if the ‘sinner’ has personally met Jesus? When taking ‘sin’ and ‘sinning’ seriously, is there a difference if the sin is committed by a member of the church vs. by those still adrift in the sea of ignorance because they have not yet met Jesus Christ?
I often contemplate whether Christians have done themselves a disservice by having organized the Ecclesia into mega denominations/organizations. Instead of helping each other daily to maintain and apply faith for remaining one with Christ, we abdicate this responsibility to/by maintaining the ‘righteousness of the undefiled, organized church’ – prefering to judge each other based on the law instead of the Spirit of Christ which expresses loving concern.
The manner in which sin is addressed may differ according to whether it is public or private. A public sin may require public correction because its influence and consequences are public. A private sin may be addressed privately, even if it is known by the perpetrator and another uninvolved person. The goal should always be repentance, restoration, and the protection of others—not unnecessary exposure.
Jesus’ experience with Judas is instructive. Jesus knew that Judas was stealing from the money entrusted to the ministry. Yet Jesus did not publicly expose Judas or make his theft a public controversy. He continued to work with him and gave him opportunities to repent. But Jesus’ silence did not mean that Judas’s sin was acceptable.
Therefore, we should distinguish between the seriousness of sin and the method used to address it. Sin is never less sinful because it is hidden. But wisdom, love, justice, and the desire for restoration should guide how it is confronted.
I really like your comments which is very helpful and i wish to get more to help me in my spiritual growth.
Hi Brother Denish,
You absolutely can get more help with your spiritual growth. I would recommend that You start a small Bible study group, and you will see your spiritual growth take off.
God’s blessings to you and yours!
The pain and the devastation of the sin we perceive as unequal to the serious ones are as impactful as that of the seriou ones. God takes into account every pain caused by sin no matter the how big or small.
Thanks for your thought on the post.
Grounded in the Holy Spirit, the path can always be redirected. In matters of moral judgment, the best is to take it to the Lord and trust Him. God knows each one’s heart.