2 Corinthians 7

V. 12-13, To open your eyes

In these two verse Paul address the reason that he addressed some of the tough issues he had to address with the church of Corinth in his first epistle to them. Most commentators believe that he is specifically addressing the issues of sexual sin that was brought up 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Paul wanted them to know that he didn’t write the things he wrote to condemn the one who was sinning or to get retribution for the ones who had been harmed by the sin. He was simply fulfilling his pastoral duties toward the congregation by not letting sinful behavior go unchecked. It was his responsibility to ensure that everyone knew what was happening was wrong and that it was unacceptable for the Body of Christ. When sin in the church goes un-checked by the spiritual leadership then it slowly becomes accepted by all and Paul wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

We sincerely need more of this in our modern churches, spiritual leaders who hold the congregation accountable to the word of God. It is something that doesn’t need to be done out of anger or spite, it needs to be done with great love and care, but we cannot continue to ignore sin in the body of Christ. If we do not correct sinful behavior within the church, then it will continue to grow and spread as we can now see in our modern churches. Jesus is coming back for a bride (the church) without blemish and we should live our lives in accordance with this standard. Leaders need to be bold and confident when lovingly correcting those who may be straying from the faith in order to ensure that everyone knows such behavior is not acceptable in the Body of Christ.