Ok I never noticed that verse and I'm still pondering it. I don't think Jesus is telling us to intentionally cause division with our families
You're right- No, Jesus isn't saying to divide families on purpose, BUT He is saying that families will be divided OVER HIM.
I can tell you firsthand that when I became a Christian- my entire JW family shunned me. Why? Because I worship Jesus
and His Father. They refuse to worship the Son of God because they say he is a created angel.
Also, the Jews disowned family when they came to Christ. Many still do that, to this day. Look at Muslim families- same. Hindus- same.
What they divide over
is JESUS.
But what about the verses I mentioned that basically tells us not to judge because we have also sinned.
We aren't to point out the sins of another if we too walk in our own sins. That is being a hypocrite. Believers are washed and made clean- and sin does not have dominion over their lives anyway- it shouldn't! If it does and sin still rules your way of life- that's a problem. If you are sitting at home masturbating to porn- you should not be pointing out your brother who is a fornicator. Jesus- said to judge with righteous judgment.
Approaching a brother or sister about sin should never be done in a "I gotcha" kind of way- but after prayer and in love for that person- seeking only what is good for him/her in the Lord. Please read these below-
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” – John 7:24
Matt 7
1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, bu
t do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?
5“
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Romans 2:1
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because
you who pass judgment do the same things.
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?
Are you not to judge those inside?” – 1 Corinthians 5:12
Galatians 6:1
Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass,
you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Matt 18-
15“If your brother sins,
go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
16“But if he does not listen
to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.
17“If he refuses to listen to them,
tell it to the church; and
if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
1 Corinthians 5
9 I wrote you in my letter
not to associate with immoral people;
10I
did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.
11But actually, I wrote to you
not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging outsiders?
Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges.
REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
And ultimately I'm wondering would I be committing a sin for attending that wedding. I don't think so
I am not going to say its
a sin to go. But if this is a brother in Christ
who is unrepentant- how if he acting any different from the man sleeping with his father's wife who will not repent? Paul said not to associate with them and to remove them from the church.
A little leaven spoils the whole lump. Do we ignore what Paul said about it? is Paul disagreeing with the Lord? NO!
see 1 Cor 5 above-
When Christians all turn a blind eye to sins we are no longer walking in love. We are to help each other to overcome sins not to ignore sins.
How are different from the world when we ignore sin? It appears as if we approve. We don't- do we? Then the church is overcome with alcoholics, adultery, fornication, and so forth.. Nowhere is that ok'd! WE ONCE WERE those things-- but we have been washed
and are to walk in newness of life now. Read Romans 6
1 Cor 6
9Or 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 effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
This is NOT about arrogance or judging- it is about lovingly approaching someone in sin and trying to win him back.
We are called to be holy. The church is not a place to bring our sins
and still walk in them without repentance. Jesus accepts us in our sins- repenting of them- and He washes us- forgives us- we are not to continue in them. We are to put to death the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit which God gives us all.
Ro 6
The love of this world-
the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life is not of God.
1 john-
Of course if you beat your wife- you need to get that fixed before you go and try to tell your brother how he needs to stop letting his dog pee on your flowerbed.
That is what Jesus was saying-
don't be a hypocrite.
When we ignore sins of our fellow believers- does our "humility" help the church? Of course not- First clean up your own yard before you look at your neighbors. Love mercy- seek forgiveness and offer it- walk humbly, but that does not mean IGNORE SIN. Kill sin by the Spirit and help your brother to do the same. If he refuses you- see the scriptures-
matt 18
The guy in the video- we just don't have enough info! Is he a brother or a sibling- a believer or no? It matters. Repented? Attempted reconciliation? We don't know.
1 Corinthians 5
9 I wrote you in my letter
not to associate with immoral people;
10I
did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.
11But actually, I wrote to you
not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging outsiders?
Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges.
REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
Is Paul saying that he and the church had no sins? NO. He is speaking to unrepentant sinning.
