Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Truth to Learn
You can’t be a child of God and still live like the Devil.
Behind the Words
The word “be” is translated from the Greek verb ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to become.”
“Partakers” is from summetochos, which is a double compound word. It is composed of sun, meaning “together” (which we see in English as the prefix “syn”), meta, meaning “with,” and echo, meaning “to have.” Thus, summetochos literally means “having together with,” that is, sharing or partaking of something together with others.
Meaning Explained
It is interesting to note that Paul does not say “Quit being fellow partakers with them.” Instead he says, “Don’t begin to be fellow partakers with them.” Don’t even start down that road! Paul has been talking about those who are teaching that it’s okay for Christians to indulge in sinful sexual practices. These false teachers believed that since all of our sins have been forgiven, we can indulge ourselves in our sinful desires and God’s grace will cover it all. In effect, they saw salvation as a “get out of Hell free” card. They decided they wanted the best of both worlds – the indulgence of all pleasurable things, no matter what God might think of them, along with eternity in the presence of the God who saved them.
Now, many of us can think of people we’ve known who lived a life of committed Christian service for years and then turned away from God. They left the church and are now living a life of sinful indulgence. “What about them?” you might ask. “Are they still saved?” To that question I have two scripture passages to quote. The first is:
For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (1Corinthians 11:30)
Paul said this in reference to communion. Basically, he said that any Christian who partakes of communion while he or she is living in blatant sin is subject to God’s judgment of sickness or even death. The other verse that comes to mind is,
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. … They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. (1John 2:16, 17, 19)
There are people who have professed the name of Christ, who have learned how to act like a Christian, knowing all the right things to say, who never really got saved. They never really submitted themselves to God, and they have since left the church because they are not one of God’s children. They may have even been teachers in the church, perhaps even claiming that you can be a Christian and still live in sin. They may even still think themselves to be saved, but they will be horribly surprised when they appear before their God, their Judge!
Application
Instead of worrying about whether or not a former church member is saved, let’s focus on our own relationship with God. Does it bother you when you sin against God? If so, that’s good. Or can you sin without it bothering you? Are you sure?!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.