Is The Church Safe?

“No,” his master said, “we can’t stay in this foreign town where there are no Israelites. Instead, we will go on to Gibeah. [Judges 19.12] 

If Old Testament Israel is pictorial of the Church in the New Testament, then there is a critical lesson and warning for the Church today in this story. Read today's One Year Chronological Bible reading here.

The decision made by the Levite from Ephraim to spend the night among other fellow Israelites for safety's sake - what should have been a good idea - was tragic.

For whatever reason, Israel as a nation, had tolerated the perversion of the tribe of Benjamin up to this point in Judges 19. And so again, if Israel is representative of the New Testament Church in any way whatsoever, then it might be understood that the Church's tolerance of sexual perversion today will lead to nothing but catastrophe. The "flagship" indicator of this sexual perversion was (then) and still is (today) homosexuality. However, perversion is not limited to homosexuality.

The New Testament Church at Corinth was experiencing perversion of the sexual nature that was addressed by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to them demanding they excommunicate the offender. In fact, the called-out offender of 1 Corinthians was excommunicated and did indeed repent and Paul encouraged restoration of fellowship in the Church as a result. Paul encouraged this restoration in 2 Corinthians, but with this reminder:

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” [2 Corinthians 6.16-18]

Paul's words here ring just as true today as they did the day he wrote them! The Church's tolerance of perversion within its ranks, whether in metropolitan or rural America or the world, is dangerous.

The message of "grace" without the reality of the transformation it brings is not dissimilar in effect to Israel's tolerance of Benjamin's perversion. The end will be grossly tragic. God's acceptance of all people as they are is not His approval of their un-transformed state, but rather, a call to transformation unto faith; unto the likeness of His Son.

Believers are not tasked with judging the world. However, believers are tasked with lovingly helping fellow believers get rid of "filthy" worldly idols that interfere with undiluted faith in God alone, whether forbidden sexual activities or otherwise. To be "transformed" should never be confused with "transferred" when it comes to the life of a human being before and after faith in Christ!

As was seen in the tribe of Benjamin, if there is no transformation, there is no safety!

Father, it is overwhelming how un-changed the Church seems compared to the world today. Is there any hope for the modern Church in its tolerance of worldly ways including sexual perversions? May the line between "being transformed" and "not being transformed" be made lovingly, albeit painstakingly clear today in the true Church. So be it.