VOICE FROM THE PAST

Wickedness In The Church Should Be Condemned - John T. Lewis

(From "He Looked For A City", pages 178, 179. From Gospel Truths, April 1999)

"Now, whenever false teaching, ungodliness, or immorality obtain in a congregation, there must be a clean-up, or trouble in that congregation. Paul wrote as follows concerning these matters: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" (Romans 16:17). "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves

from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us" (2 Thess. 3:6) "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among you that wicked person" (1 Corin. 5:9-13). These commands are to the church, and are in the imperative mode. If they mean nothing and can be ignored with impunity, then faith, repentance, and baptism mean nothing and may be ignored by the alien

sinner. If not, why not? If becomes necessary sometimes to amputate a limb to save the human body. The same may be true with a member or members of the spiritual body. No such operations can ever be pleasant, however necessary."

This Weeks Memory Verse:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And I if go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3)