Sabbath School Lesson 4 Summary – Sin in the Church | Q3 2026

SPEAKER A 00:00:00 - 00:01:02 Hello, I'm Rod Butler. Welcome to Let God Speak. In the secular world there is no sin, only mistakes, crimes, and ethical or social misbehaviours. A discussion of sin becomes an attack on personal liberties. The Christian church from the start struggled with the influence of outside culture normalising sin within the church. Stay with us as we discuss how the church today must align its practice With its faith to safeguard against this. Joining me on the panel today, we have Rosanna Laredo and John Kosmeier. Welcome. SPEAKER B 00:01:02 - 00:01:03 Thank you. SPEAKER A 00:01:03 - 00:01:38 Well, before we start our discussion, let's bow for prayer. Gracious Father, we want to thank you for the Word of God, the Bible, Lord. We thank you that it gives us advice and guidance in these very difficult times. We thank you for the message of 1 Corinthians and how Paul dealt with the situations that existed in Corinth. We ask, Lord, please be with us today. Give us the Holy Spirit to speak wisdom and to understand the issues. And may the viewers at home also understand how important it is to stay to the Word of God. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. SPEAKER C 00:01:38 - 00:01:39 Amen. SPEAKER A 00:01:39 - 00:02:41 Well, the church in Corinth faced a knowing-doing gap. And that's knowing God's standards, yet tolerating serious sin influenced by the surrounding culture. Paul tackles sexual immorality, church discipline, lawsuits among believers, and questions of marriage and singleness. These issues reveal how easily the world's values can creep into the church. God calls us to a higher standard rooted in our identity in Christ. Let's begin with the shocking report that opened Paul's corrective advice to the Corinthians. And I'm going to start by reading 1 Corinthians 5:1. And I've got a question for you, Rosanna. It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. Now, what scandalous situation does Paul describe here, and why is it so disturbing? SPEAKER C 00:02:41 - 00:03:17 Well, the Bible says it like it is. I mean, Paul describes this case where a man is in an immoral relationship with his own stepmother. This went beyond the case of the church cultural norms. It was not accepted by pagans and unbelievers either. It wasn't tolerated. I mean, this was bad. But what disturbed Paul even more was that the church had this arrogant pride in tolerating this known sin instead of mourning and removing the offender. He says next, and you are puffed up, in verse 2, and have not rather mourned that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. SPEAKER A 00:03:17 - 00:03:25 It's very serious. John, how does Paul instruct the church to deal with this, this situation? What's the ultimate goal here? SPEAKER B 00:03:25 - 00:04:09 If we read on further, and I'm reading from the New King James Version in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, starting from verse 3. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged as though I were present, him who has so done this deed. In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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. SPEAKER A 00:04:09 - 00:04:10 Hmm. SPEAKER B 00:04:10 - 00:04:31 And Paul makes it abundantly clear that this kind of activity, you cannot accept it. It has to be dealt with church discipline and the man must be removed from fellowship. Uh-oh, big problem. SPEAKER A 00:04:31 - 00:04:39 Yeah, there's 2 dangers lurking with this problem. What's one of those dangers, Rosanna? SPEAKER C 00:04:39 - 00:05:18 Well, one danger is that the sin, if it's tolerated, will not only result in the loss of salvation for the man and his stepmother, but the behavior would also be normalized within the church, and so that would result in more sin. So in verses 6 and 7 in chapter 5, Paul says, your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. So that leaven metaphor is quite powerful, which represents tolerating sin, which— and that ends up corrupting the church. SPEAKER A 00:05:18 - 00:05:25 Yeah, it just filters through and becomes normal and everyone starts doing it. What's the other danger, John? SPEAKER B 00:05:25 - 00:06:27 The bit that we missed out was that the sin has to be dealt with by, as Paul says, handing the person over to the devil. so that he may see what he has done and that he will change. And another danger is one that sin is normalized and accepted. You pat yourself on the back for being loving and compassionate because of the way that you've dealt with that individual. But tolerance for sin can become a source of pride. And that's what Proverbs says the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, chapter 13 and verse 10, but pride becomes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom. And so this situation has to be dealt with, with wisdom and not lead to a reason for being proud. SPEAKER A 00:06:27 - 00:06:53 And just picking up what you said about intolerance, we see today a lot of that you can be blamed or accused of being intolerant, as if that's some major crime, when all you want to do is to stick by the Word of God. Suddenly you're unloving, you're intolerant. It's used as an excuse by the sinful to keep doing what they're doing. So in demanding that the man may be expelled, isn't Paul showing a complete lack of love and compassion? SPEAKER C 00:06:53 - 00:07:36 Well, this was open sin, I mean, that the church was proud to accept. So there are sayings today such as tough love, being cruel to be kind. And doing the right thing can be unpleasant, but it demonstrates your love and concern for the person. And not doing anything or not saying something or assuming that they're just lost is definitely not the loving thing to do. And we're not to link up with those who live according to worldly standards because of the risk of being drawn into sin. As it says in 2 Corinthians 6:14, Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? SPEAKER A 00:07:36 - 00:08:06 Yeah, just, I mean, if you think of a parent with their child, a parent's going to be telling the child not to do things if it's going to harm the child. If you just let your child do anything and be tolerant of their behavior, the child could get into physical harm or other things. So it's the same in the church. You've got to arrest it when it happens, otherwise it could cause other harm. Now with that in mind, what modern parallels, John, might we face today if sin is tolerated in the name of love and tolerance? SPEAKER B 00:08:06 - 00:09:20 In the Old Testament, in the Book of Leviticus, the sin was spelled out. And Paul said, now, this is what's happening in the Church of Corinth. And it's found in Leviticus 18:7-8. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness. Then verse 8, the nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover. It is your father's nakedness. And so the Word of God identifies the immorality, and that immorality is rampant in society. If known sinful behavior is openly tolerated in churches today, sin will become normal activity. The church will end up with disunity and it will not be a witness for Christ. And as a result, souls, they will be lost. And taking action to remove blatant sin is not being legalistic or unloving. It is a scriptural imperative. SPEAKER A 00:09:20 - 00:09:20 Amen. SPEAKER B 00:09:20 - 00:09:31 The balance is to balance truth. The challenge is to balance truth and compassion without compromising God. It's very difficult. SPEAKER A 00:09:31 - 00:09:38 And that scripture you read, that was the Bible of the Church of Corinth. It was the Old Testament, but that was their scripture, wasn't it? SPEAKER B 00:09:38 - 00:09:40 That was their Bible at the time, yes. SPEAKER A 00:09:40 - 00:10:10 So they knew clearly that this was wrong, that it was against scripture. And today, in our churches we see many things which people know are against Scripture but they ignore Scripture. Or they say the Old Testament doesn't count these days, I'm a new Christian, a New Testament Christian, and there's ways of trying to rationalize around it. Well, look, Paul goes on. There's other things he wants to talk about to the Corinthians. What issue within the Corinthians church does he deal with next, Rosanna? SPEAKER C 00:10:10 - 00:10:29 Well, in chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians, verse 1, he says, dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints. So he's rebuking the Corinthians here for taking lawsuits against fellow believers before secular judges instead of resolving them within the church. SPEAKER A 00:10:29 - 00:10:39 So what type of lawsuits are we talking about here, John? Are we talking about criminal lawsuits, civil lawsuits? What, what's happening here? SPEAKER B 00:10:39 - 00:12:01 Yes, here in Romans chapter 13, And verses 1 to 5, it says, Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whosoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works but to evil, Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same, for he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. And as Paul explains here, therefore you must be subject not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. And so here God says that the law has been put there in order to control the people. And there are some laws that are civil and there are some laws that are criminal. And Paul had to deal with both in the Church of Corinth because Both were involved. SPEAKER A 00:12:01 - 00:12:16 And people were taking each other to court, which was causing a lot of disunity. Why does it— do you find it troubling that they took these people to court? What was the outcome of this sort of action? SPEAKER C 00:12:16 - 00:13:02 Well, it showed a lack of trust in their own Spirit-filled, Spirit-led ability to judge matters righteously. It highlighted ongoing division and a failure to live as the body of Christ. Paul answers with a rhetorical challenge. He says in verses 2 to 4, do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? So if we are to one day judge angels, surely we can judge disputes here in the church as well. Christians should handle internal conflicts with Christlike wisdom, and that preserves the unity and testimony. SPEAKER A 00:13:02 - 00:13:54 Yeah, taking all those things in front of secular judges is not a good look, is it? We really need to keep that away from those entities. It gives a bad name to the church for a start. Well, look, let's keep reading. I'm going to read 1 Corinthians 6:5-6, and I've got a question for you, John, on this. He said, it says, I speak to your shame. It is so that there is not a wise man among— is it so that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren. But brother goeth to law with brothers, and that before the unbelievers. So Paul considers action of taking fellow believers to court as shameful. You know, what broader lesson is Paul sort of dealing with here? to teach about the church's identity and how believers should resolve conflicts. SPEAKER B 00:13:54 - 00:14:41 Yeah, this is— Paul is pointing out how that within the church there are people who are very capable and they can make very sound judgments. All we have to do is trust that that can happen within the church. And he says in 1 Corinthians 6:11, And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. Now, you may have been like that in the past, but now you have changed and you have become a Christian. And as such, you can deal with church matters. You don't have to take church matters to the laws of the land. SPEAKER A 00:14:42 - 00:15:01 It's interesting too, it implies a bit of hypocrisy, doesn't it? That these, these Corinthians used to do these things in the secular world, and now they've come into the church and they want to take someone else to court because they're doing it. There's a, yeah, certainly hypocrisy. Paul has another accusation against Corinthians. What's that, Rosanna? SPEAKER C 00:15:01 - 00:15:26 We read in verse 7 and 8, now therefore it is already an utter failure for you, that you go to law against one another? Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren. So by bringing lawsuits against each other, they'd show that they'd lost patience and love with each other. They also showed that they cheated each other. There was just no unity. SPEAKER A 00:15:26 - 00:16:14 Yeah, it would certainly be splitting the church because a lawsuit— people take sides, they they know what's going on. Yeah, it's not a good look for the church unity. Let's keep reading. 1 Corinthians again, chapter 6, verses 9 and 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. Now Paul's listing various sins including sexual immorality alongside idolatry, theft, greed, and more. Why does he group sexual sins with these other vices, John? SPEAKER B 00:16:14 - 00:16:37 Because the wages of sin is death. That is the end result of all of those sins. And once you become a Christian, those things have put aside for you to live a Christian life and to practice God's grace. Sexual immorality is highlighted because it directly violates the body, which belongs to, to God. SPEAKER C 00:16:37 - 00:16:38 Hmm. SPEAKER B 00:16:38 - 00:17:02 Your body is not yours. It belongs to God. Paul lists them to show the change that Christ brings. No room for any unrepentant sins in the sanctified life. And this is where we We read that verse in 1 Corinthians 6:11, and that is, and some of you were like this, but by grace we are saved and live holy lives. SPEAKER A 00:17:02 - 00:17:13 Amen. Now, when you go through that list of sins there, one of those sins is a little unusual. Which ones would that be? Which one would that be, Rosanna? SPEAKER C 00:17:13 - 00:17:48 Well, the list includes coveting. So all the other sins are outward behaviors, but coveting is a sin within our thoughts. And this is the 10th commandment. Jesus said that all sin starts in our mind. We may not be doing something outwardly, but our thoughts might be sinful and that will condemn us. So in Matthew 5:28, Jesus explains that. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So Jesus makes it clear that we can commit adultery by lusting in our thoughts, and coveting highlights the importance of having control of our thoughts. SPEAKER A 00:17:50 - 00:18:12 And I guess no one can say they fully can control their thoughts. So this is— we're all on this list because of the covetous side of things. Yeah, it's a— that word really brings it home to everyone, doesn't it? Well, in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul uses 3 metaphors to convey and to underscore why sexual purity matters. What are those metaphors, John? SPEAKER B 00:18:12 - 00:19:02 In verse 11, It says that we were washed, sanctified, and justified in Christ. No place for former sins. In verse 15, it says, do you not know that your body are members of Christ? That I, shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? So don't go back and do what you did before. Because here, that is the second element, and the third one is in verse 19 where it takes it even further. Or you, or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price. SPEAKER A 00:19:02 - 00:19:12 And that verse 19 is a really powerful text. Because the temple of the Holy Ghost, I mean, the temple was pure, wasn't it? SPEAKER C 00:19:12 - 00:19:12 Mm. SPEAKER A 00:19:12 - 00:19:36 And we have to keep our bodies pure if we want the Holy Spirit to be residing there. So we have to know what purity is for a start. Very powerful metaphor, that one. How does Paul counter the Corinthian idea that all things are lawful when it comes to people using that to justify their sins? SPEAKER C 00:19:36 - 00:20:15 Well, Paul rejects misusing that Christian liberty to justify sin. The body is for the Lord, not for immorality. We were bought with a price and we belong to Christ, and sexual sin violates our union with him. As it says in chapter 6, verses 12 and 13, all things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Food's for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. True freedom is to be free from sin, not to indulge in it. SPEAKER A 00:20:15 - 00:20:55 Yeah, very powerful. Well, let's look at chapter 7. And in chapter 7, Paul now changes topics again. He's going now looking at the issue of singleness versus marriage. And if we look at 1 Corinthians chapter 7, I'm gonna read verses 8 to 9. And it says, I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn. What balanced perspective is Paul putting here in this one, John? SPEAKER B 00:20:55 - 00:21:23 Yeah. Fancy asking me that question. Paul said, look, I'm single. That's the way I live. Something happened when Paul was called into the ministry and we never hear of his wife or family after that. But that's not the way you live. If you're a man, Paul says, get married. And you're talking to somebody that's on the 1st of December this year will have been married 63 years. SPEAKER C 00:21:23 - 00:21:23 Wow. SPEAKER B 00:21:24 - 00:21:47 to the one wife and the only one. And so Paul is saying that because that's the way God made us in the first place, and that you don't have to be burned up by passions. And it's something that God calls us to obedience and shows us how that can be done. SPEAKER A 00:21:47 - 00:22:20 So just on that point then, I mean, Marriage is to protect, I guess, if you are burning with passion for someone, get married. How does the church protect itself today from aberrant cultural views of sexuality? Because we're surrounded by all sorts of views on that when you've just got to turn the television set on to see some of these programs. Once upon a time it was very subdued, but now it's so blatantly, it's in your face, it's out there. What do we do? How can we protect ourselves? SPEAKER C 00:22:20 - 00:23:01 Well, today, yeah, certainly marriage and gender are challenged for sure. The church must ground itself in creation theology that marriage is between one man and one woman and it's God's gift. There should be no confusion for the Christian because Jesus was very clear on marriage being God-ordained. In Matthew chapter 19, verses 4 to 6, he says, Jesus answered And he said to them, have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female and said, for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So then they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. SPEAKER A 00:23:01 - 00:23:16 Hmm. Well, John, you said you've been married 63 years, which is fantastic. From that perspective, how can we show the world that marriage is a gift from God? SPEAKER B 00:23:16 - 00:24:29 Sadly, the Christian Church, its figures are the same or very close to similar to the world where divorce and separation without a divorce and so on takes place. And it's almost the same as in the world, which is very sad, really. And this is where we can show that marriage is a gift from God if the partners help each other in their Christian experience. And when I don't feel like praying, my wife certainly does. If she has an off day, Hmm. then it's my task to help her along the way. And in that way, You're no longer walking the journey to Heaven by yourself. And, and this is where it's, it's a blessing that can last a whole lifetime. Separated only by the eventual death of, of one of the two people. And, and then it brings joy to the couple. SPEAKER A 00:24:29 - 00:24:29 Yes. SPEAKER B 00:24:29 - 00:24:43 and Christ-centered relationship and single lives devoted to the Lord are a real blessing to the church. And that is what Paul was aiming for in both 1st and also in 2nd Corinthians. SPEAKER A 00:24:43 - 00:24:50 Because the outsiders can look into those Christian marriages and see that joy and happiness, and that's a witness, isn't it? SPEAKER B 00:24:50 - 00:24:51 Absolutely. SPEAKER A 00:24:51 - 00:25:03 It's a witness for God's ordaining of marriage. Well, Paul's letter To the Corinthians, he rails against the sin, but what is the ultimate goal, Rosanna, of church discipline? SPEAKER C 00:25:03 - 00:25:45 Well, we read in 2 Corinthians 2:5-7, but if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent, not to be too severe, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. So the goal here is restoration and salvation. The destruction of the flesh, as mentioned in chapter 5, verse 5, aims to bring the sinner to repentance so that their spirit may be saved. Discipline here is loving correction, not punishment, and that's followed by forgiveness when repentance occurs. So the goal here is for the church to reflect God's redemptive heart. SPEAKER A 00:25:45 - 00:26:00 It's about restoration of the person, isn't it? Not about punishment. John, if you can close off our discussion with this question: How can we close this knowing-doing gap in our own lives regarding sexual purity and church holiness? SPEAKER B 00:26:00 - 00:26:49 It's a challenge that Paul gave to his church, and it's a challenge that comes to us today. And when you read 2 Corinthians now, not 1 Corinthians but 2 Corinthians chapter 7, And verse 1. Therefore, having these promises. It's a promise that we are given as a blessing. Having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. And instead of being marriage being a curse, It becomes a real blessing and a witness to the world that God's way is the way in which we can gain our greatest blessings. SPEAKER A 00:26:49 - 00:27:57 And that world really needs that witness right now because we're seeing marriages crumbling. We're seeing marriages taken for a joke really, aren't they? People get married and divorce very quickly. Look, that's all we've got time for today. A very, very deep topic, but thank you, John. Thank you. Thank you, Rosanna. Our bodies, as John said in that text, are the temples of the Holy Spirit, bought at the high price of Christ's blood. So we must honour God in purity, relationships, and conflict resolution. Now, whether married or single, let's flee immorality and embrace God's beautiful design. If this discussion stirred your heart, open your Bible this week and ask the Holy Spirit to transform you. Thank you for joining us on Let God Speak. All past programs plus teachers' notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. Email us on [email protected]. And tell your friends about the program. And until next time, let God speak to your heart through His Word. God bless and we'll see See you again then. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.