Apostle Paul lists Christians not to associate with. They call themselves a brother or sister in Christ Jesus, but continue to apply these six. They are sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, drunkenness (substance addiction), and swindling (11). The confessed Christian knows these are sins, but does not resist committing them. The 5 Biblical sexual immorality were listed in the previous BDBD titled, “Chapter 5 Overview”.
Greed is an excessive or reprehensible desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth. In short, greed is covetousness (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21, 7:25; Hebrews 13:5;1 Timothy 6:9; Matthew 6:20). Hebrews 13:5 instructs, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'”
Apostle Paul includes idolatry in the list of six sins that a person who calls themselves a brother or sister continues to commit, which I must avoid. Yes, idolatry. According to Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5, a greedy person is an idolater. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:2) What do I desire more: God or money?
Slander is speaking critically of another person with the intent to hurt and to give false testimony. (Leviticus 19:16; Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy) Slander is as habitual as the other five sins. “Every careless word said will need to be accounted for on judgment day,” so said Jesus (Matthew 12:36).
Swindling (extortion, rapacious) is to cheat or defraud of money or property and to obtain by fraudulent means. I cannot think of one company that hired me that did not keep to what we negotiated, and many of them went to a congregation.
The often proclaimed Christian have heard that these six are sins, but do nothing to resist them in their hearts and minds. In their stubborn refusal, they resist the work of the Holy Spirit that desires to make them like Christ Jesus.
In my six decades, I have seen men and women who remain trapped by these sins, and yet remain popular in congregations because they are rich and pleasing to look at. While the righteous autistic and “strange person” cry lonely tears because they are isolated. I even heard a pastor say more than once that he told college students they do not have to associate with people they consider weird, even though they attend the same congregation as them. Are we not guilty too? (Matthew 18:10)
