Tag: Sin

What Ephesians 5 actually means when it says sexual immorality must not be named among believers

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JEFF TURNER

Ephesians 5:3 says that sexual immorality and greed must not even be named among believers, and one reader took that to mean that Christians struggling with sexual sin should not talk about it with others. But the verse is not about silence; it is about identity. Paul’s point is that these sins should have no place among God’s people, not that the topic is off limits in a context of genuine care and accountability.

Confessing sin to a trusted fellow believer is encouraged throughout scripture, and receiving support and prayer from others is part of what it means to live in Christian community. The verse in Ephesians is calling believers to a standard of holiness where sexual immorality simply does not characterise who they are. It is not a prohibition against the kind of honest, private conversations that help people find freedom from sin. At the same time, there is no need to share every ugly detail publicly; the goal is mutual support and accountability, not a full rehearsal of everything done in darkness.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.

James 5:16

The weight of seeing and rejecting truth

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JEFF TURNER

When reading the Gospels, one might imagine what it would have been like to witness the works of Jesus Christ in person. Seeing His miracles with their own eyes may seem like it would make belief easier. Yet the words recorded in Gospel of John 15 give a different perspective. Jesus explained that those who saw His works and still rejected Him carried a deeper level of guilt.

This does not mean that people who had not seen those miracles were free from sin. Every person is born with a sinful nature and continues to commit sin in daily life. The point being made is more specific. Those who witnessed His works and still turned away became guilty of a greater offence, which is the direct rejection of Him.

This rejection is not a small matter. It is one of the most serious sins because it involves turning away from clear truth. When someone fully understands who Christ is and still refuses Him, the weight of that decision is very great.

The teaching found in Hebrews adds to this understanding. It explains that there is a stronger judgment for those who treat the message of Christ with contempt. To know the gospel, to understand it, and then to reject it brings a heavier outcome than ignorance alone.

In this sense, hearing the message carries responsibility. A person who has never heard is still accountable for sin, but the one who has heard clearly and refused faces a more serious judgment.

And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, will receive many blows, but the one who did not know it, and committed acts deserving of a beating, will receive only a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Luke 12:47–48

When a nation turns away

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JEFF TURNER

When looking at the spiritual direction of a nation, certain patterns can be seen over time. Sometimes, there are signs that reflect a shift away from belief in God. Some begin to debate if God is not real or does not matter.

Another concern is the growing acceptance of behaviours the Bible says are sinful. These changes bring to mind the teaching found in Romans 1. The passage speaks about God allowing people to follow their own sinful desires, leading to impurity, shameful actions, and a mind that no longer thinks clearly about right and wrong.

The phrase “God gave them over,” which appears several times in Romans, carries an important meaning. It was used in a legal sense to describe someone who had been judged guilty and then handed over to face the result of that judgment. In this biblical context, it shows that God allows a nation to move forward in its chosen path when it rejects Him.

This pattern has been repeated many times throughout history. People begin with a knowledge of God, but they choose to turn away from that truth. Instead, they create their own beliefs and follow their own desires. There is also a clear order in this decline. It begins with general sexual sin, then moves into homosexuality, and finally leads to a state where the mind is no longer able to judge rightly.

When a society starts to accept and even celebrate these things, it becomes a sign that judgment is already taking place. It is not only about future consequences but about what is happening in the present. The condition of the culture shows the result of turning away from God.

In light of this, the proper response is not only concern but also prayer. There is a need to ask God for mercy and to seek a renewal of the message of the gospel. A change in direction can only come through His grace.

 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

Ephesians 4:18–19

When the church must Act in discipline

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JEFF TURNER

The Bible gives clear steps for dealing with a believer who falls into sin. We are told to love that person and to pray for them. We are also called to correct and guide them. These actions seem natural to many Christians. But there is another instruction that may sound severe.

In First Epistle to the Corinthians chapter 5, Paul writes that when someone who claims to be a believer refuses to turn from sin, the church must hand that person over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. These words can seem hard to accept, yet they are written plainly in Scripture.

I believe Paul is speaking about removing that person from the fellowship of the church. To be part of the church is to live within its care, teaching, and protection. When someone is put outside of that circle, they are no longer sheltered in the same way. Paul explains this by saying that a little leaven spreads through the whole batch of dough. In simple terms, one sinful influence can affect many others. Like a spoiled apple left in a box, the damage does not stay in one place.

There are times when people argue that such a person should remain in the church so they can be shown patience and kindness. Love and patience do matter. The church should correct gently at first. However, when a person’s sin begins to spread and harm others, and when that person will not repent, stronger action is required. If the behaviour continues without change, the church must remove the person from fellowship.

Church discipline is not meant to be cruel. It serves two purposes. First, it guards the church from harmful influence. Second, it may lead the sinner to face the weight of their actions and turn back to God. The goal is both protection and restoration.

Scripture also teaches, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” Epistle to the Galatians 6:1

Understanding sin in the Christian life

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JEFF TURNER

When Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, he addressed problems of fighting and jealousy among them. He told them they were acting in a fleshly way. Some readers have taken this to mean there are two types of Christians. They think some believers are spiritual while others are carnal Christians who are saved but don’t grow spiritually. I think this understanding misses Paul’s actual message.

The word carnal simply means sinful. The root of the word is the same as flesh. It describes an action, not a permanent state. When someone says they are a carnal Christian, they are really saying they are a sinning Christian, as if this were an acceptable identity. This contradicts the basic meaning of Christianity itself. Jesus came to save people from their sins. This includes both the punishment that sin brings and the control that sin has over a person’s life.

When someone becomes a Christian, sin no longer has power over them. They have been set free from its grip. However, Christians still commit sinful acts because they live in bodies that are not yet fully redeemed. Believers have a new nature inside an old body. They are waiting for the day when Christ returns and their bodies are made new. Until then, Christians will sometimes think and act in sinful ways because of the old nature that remains.

The answer is not to accept sin as normal. Instead, Christians should recognize their sins, turn away from them, and receive the forgiveness God offers.