Two Ways Satan Wins

In 1 Cor. 5, the text reveals that one of the members of the Lord’s church is in a sexual relationship with his father’s wife. He is following his master… Satan. Paul condemns the members in that church for tolerating that sin and urged them to punish this member by casting him out of their Christian community… they were to have nothing to do with him. Satan was winning because he had won the individual who was committing the sin and he had damaged the church because outsiders looking in would ridicule God. Satan wins in this case because of their under-reaction to sin.

I don’t know why the congregation tolerated this overt sinful behavior. Perhaps they thought that listening to a Preacher every Sunday morning might eventually cause him to correct his behavior… I don’t know but it was the wrong approach.

Of course the punishment had a design to it… it was designed to create remorse in the individual so he would realize what he had lost and quit having sex with his father’s wife.

The second way Satan wins is by over-reaction to sin. 2 Cor. 2:7-11, has Paul warning the congregation not to over-do the punishment or the now sorrowful member might be overwhelmed by his sorrow and Satan wins again. The individual is so sorrowful that he becomes spiritually crippled and ineffective in his Christianity. He no longer is guilty of an active sin but is perhaps guilty of an inactive sin.

When a sheep is lost from the flock let’s go find it and when we find it let’s not berate and chastise it but build it up with a spirit of compassion.

Don’t let Satan win.