Keep Transforming (1 Corinthians 5:1, 8, 12 ESV)

 

Another conversation on another day touched on a believer who'd been quite a wild woman before she'd come to Christ.  There were some who'd not known of, nor seen, her transformation that'd happened since her salvation.  They'd only known her at her present state.  There were still things that needed to be worked on that seemed very glaring and offensive.

True, she, and all the rest of us, for that matter, need continual renewal of our minds.  We need that continual progressive sanctification.

We are exhorted,

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2 ESV).

This is what every follower of Jesus Christ needs, whether they have been recently born again, or they've been saved for decades.  It's always an ongoing project we need to work on with Holy Spirit's help, intervention, conviction and guidance.

Old ways have to go, the new ways moving towards Christlikeness need to be worked on, so we can do well and be acceptable to God.

With renewed minds we can then eat of the Lord's supper with the,

" ... unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8 ESV).

The Corinthian believers needed to address certain issues that had not yet been relinquished among them.  Things from their old ways.  Here in chapter 5 and verse 1, Paul blatantly names it, because it was so perverse that not even ...

 " ... pagans would tolerate it" (vs 1).  

That is, the man who had his father's wife.  This is incest.  This was a form of sexual immorality.  They were told to remove this man from among them.

So whether there are gross sins, like this, or slander or lying and so on, all these are from our old ways.  The way before we have come to Christ.  When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior we become a new creation in Christ and we need to transform by the renewal of our minds.  Then our actions will follow suit.

We need to look within ourselves, and examine and see if there be any wicked ways in ourselves and then address them humbly and prayerfully before the Lord.  Follow that with repentance, confession to the Lord and a putting off of the old way and a putting on of the new.

Then have mercy and grace with the "wild woman," or man, who is still in the process of transforming too.  By God's grace we can give Him glory with renewed lives.

Amen. So be it, Lord.

                                                   ~  ERC  May  2026  ~

Based on 1 Corinthians 5:1, 8, 17 ESV.

Sing, The Power of Your Love, along with Hillsong.