1 Corinthians 5:12 Commentary and Bible Study

When it comes to judging and applying the standards of Scripture the jurisdiction of the apostles is the church only, and not the world. That does not mean that the world will get off lightly. Far from it: ‘For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?’ (1 Peter 4:17). The world cannot claim God as its Father. It is in a terrible position of being outside his discipline at present. The warning of Hebrews applies to it: ‘But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons’ (Hebrews 12:8). The discipline of the Lord, even when it comes in the form of church discipline is to be welcomed as a correcting and ultimately soul saving administration, but the unbeliever has no such deliverance. Indeed, it is part of God’s judgment on the world that he hands them over to the power of sin (Romans 1:24). The church does not expect the world to live by Christ’s standards. They know that that is not possible because the unbeliever is a slave to sin. Out of pity, when it has capacity to do so, individual Christians may get involved with alleviating social ills, and promoting social good, but they are quite clear that this is not part of the great commission, and it can have only a limited effect. Nations have their own legal statues and their own judicial systems. If they are wise, they will base them on the principles and standards of Scripture, but the church and state should be kept separate.