Loving Correction
Dear Mosaic Family,
At the foundation of our society is the assumption of moral relativism, making tolerance our chief virtue. Each person gets to decide what's right and wrong, good and evil. As long as you're not hurting anyone, live and let live. There's no such thing as categorical sin or evil.
The only sin left is to call something sin.
The only evil left is to call something evil.
Therefore, no one has the right to judge anyone else's life decisions. Our culture has a deep-seated prejudice against passing judgment on people, in particular when it comes to moral decisions (and if we want to get more specific, particularly sexual morality). Therefore, any talk of rebuke, reproof, or correction seems viscerally unloving. This worldview has crept into our churches, to such an extent, that any talk of "church discipline" sounds like we're trying to revive the Salem witch trials or the Inquisition.
If "sin" is just a description of someone's mistakes, foibles, or indiscretions, the emotional recoil against "correction" makes sense. If sin is neutral and stagnant, leave a person alone, let them learn from their own mistakes. However, sin is not neutral. Sin is a voracious, bloodthirsty, corroding force, never satisfied until it has parasitically sucked the life out of a person, family, community, or even a church. Therefore, the most hateful thing we can do is turn a blind eye to sin, in our own lives, and in the lives our loved ones. In the church, we are called by God to humbly, lovingly, and graciously confront our brothers and sisters about their sin (and invite correction from them about our own), for we are our brother's and sister's keepers.
Proverbs 25:12 says that reproof is like a gift of gold (when received by a listening ear). Proverbs 27 says: "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." King David writes in Psalm 141:5a,
Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Join us tomorrow as we study the weighty text in 1 Corinthians 5 and learn to hate sin, and love correction.
Praying for you!
Pastor Jan
This Week's Announcements
Baptism Seminar
Sunday, May 19, 5 p.m.
Want to be baptized? The first step toward baptism at Mosaic is to attend our baptism class. Contact Kara at admin@mosaicboston.com to sign up.
Mosaic Teens Movie Night
Friday, May 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Join Mosaic Teens for a night of fun, food, and fellowship, hosted by the Ang family. For directions and questions, please contact Tyler Burns: Tyler@MosaicBoston.com.
Serve with Mini Mosaic
Sundays, 9:30 a.m. & 11:15 a.m.
We are looking for more volunteers for our Mini Mosaic program that takes place during the morning services. If you're interested in serving our children in this way, email Raquel@MosaicBoston.com, or fill out the "Serve" form on our app.
Songs for Sunday
If you would like to know what we'll be singing on Sunday, you can find the playlist here.