"Unrepentant Sin"

Paul saw his life, his teachings as being spoken "in the sight of God." (II Cor. 12:19) He was aware of God and Christ in every move in his life. That is where so many make their mistakes today. A lot of sin and sinful attitudes are the result of forgetting that we do things "in the sight of God." When one looses that awareness, the controlling factor is lost.

Why would Paul speak such? Because in the case of these brethren at Corinth sin was still abounding. Just listen to the list: "strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances." (II Cor. 12:20) Paul cannot ignore the sinful actions and the worst part is the lack of repentance from those who have practiced such. The result: Paul states they may not like him at all because he was going to call their hand!

Why do people get upset when you call their hand in sin or you take a stand against sin in their lives? There is only one reason: they are living in their sins and have not repented! People continue to live in many of the things listed above, while it may not bother some, it is wrong in the eyes of God. When brethren practice sinful attitudes, it encourages others to not be serious about sin. Unrepentant sin means a person continually lives in their sins and that will doom them eternally. Unrepentant sins are not swept under the rug by the Lord. He gives people time to come to their senses and repent but eventually their time will run out! (See Rev. 2:20-23) All sin will be dealt with at some time and point.

We need to examine ourselves, test ourselves to see if we are really in the faith (II Cor. 13:5). If Christ is in us, what will we do about sins of anger or disputes with another? What will we do in harboring ill feelings? Christ lives by the power of God, who raised Him from the dead (II Cor. 13:4)! That same power is directed toward us in Christ and we can live because of God. If one refuses to repent when they know they are wrong or harboring bitterness in their heart, we will stop the work of God in our lives! We will die spiritually. That is why Paul was so concerned for the Corinthian brethren.

We need to take heed and make certain that we have no unrepentant sin in our lives. If we know we have hard feelings toward another, or there is a rivalry between us and another, we need to repent of that, turning away from it and be reconciled to the Lord and one another. We need the power of God to give us strength in our weaknesses and above all, live our lives in the sight of God!