It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
(Proverbs 18:5)
An old English proverb warns that one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel. It means that a single bad influence or person can spread the ill behavior like a virus until it has affected or infected the entire group.
This is easy to observe in a classroom setting. If a rebellious student is allowed to continue in their belligerent attitude or behavior it will affect the learning ability and attitudes of the entire class. The offensive student is removed for the sake of the others.
As Christians we believe in redemption for "rotten apples". Jesus communed with sinners and if we want to show Christ's love and reach the lost, so should we. This is effective if evangelism is truly our goal but what if our attitude is not centered on improving the rotten apple but simply a mechanism for avoiding conflict? It appears to me that much of Christianity in the Western World has misplaced it's objectives when it comes to the difference between loving the unloving and reaching the lost.
Proverbs 18:5 warns against accepting the person of the wicked. This seems to fly in the face with the prevailing Western cultural attitude of "judge not" and "love means acceptance."
It is a great error to think that Jesus was instructing his followers to accept those with corrupt and sinful ways and overlook their wickedness rather than call them to repentance and place expectations on them to change their behavior. There is good reason to separate company from those who are living in sinful ways and that reason is that the more we accept ill behavior and allow for it the lower our standard will become.
Proverbs 22:10 directs us to "Cast out the scorner and contention will cease". This seems to be a no brainer and yet the distorted prevalent doctrine of "we are all sinners so who am I to judge another" has caused a great disconnect of reason within our Christian culture to the point that anything that the world goes with the Christian world soon accepts as well.
The New Testament teaches " Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Corinthians 15:33) which is to say bad associations will corrupt you. Hang with rotten apples and you will start to rot as well.
2 Thessalonians 3:6 actually commands that we "withdraw from any brother that walks disorderly." This again flies in the face of the common thought of Christians today that to shun others is unloving but this attitude flips the tables so that the person doing the wrong becomes the victim and we become the evil one if we do not accept them in their ways. How foolish not to see it and how unloving to tolerate it.
The Bible instructs believers to separate from bad company. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord" (II Corinthians 6:17)
Freedom of association is the bedrock of all of our liberties and freedoms and yet we have allowed laws and regulations to be passed that force us to participate with those who are enemies of righteousness. Non discrimination laws and hate speech laws are designed to force all of us to accept the devil's business. As an employer of a private business shouldn't I be allowed to hire who I can work with and trust? Shouldn't I be able to surround myself and my other employees with like minded people? If I run my own shop or rent my own rooms shouldn't I be able to "discriminate?"
The ministry of truth has been active for many decades in American politics. Consider the difference (if you can discriminate the difference) between Websters dictionary of old and the modern definition of the word "discrimination"
Modern definition:
1 : the practice of unfairly treating a person or group differently from other people or groups of people The law prohibits discrimination against the disabled.
Websters definition
1. The act of distinguishing; the act of making or observing a difference; distinction; as the discrimination between right and wrong.
Discrimination used to be a virtue but today it is seen as a vice and even a crime. Everyone discriminates and it is a violation of the tenets of liberty for the government to decide how or who we as individuals may discriminate for or against. We desperately need true discrimination today. We cannot throw out the standard of righteousness saying, "we are all sinners so who am I to judge?" Funny how the "non-judgmental" Christians have no problem at all judging the Christians they consider to be judgmental. If their tenet truly is not to judge others then they cannot judge those that do or they violate their own primary doctrine.
We must discriminate as Christians. We must discern the rotten apples and get them out of our baskets. The Bible is so strong about this that it makes it clear that we as Christians, MUST discriminate and separate from the wicked and associate with the righteous.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (II Corinthians 6:14-15
So get those bad apples out of the bushel basket of your life.
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