Sin in the Church

“You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. And they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” (Revelation 3:4)

When John was exiled to the island of Patmos, Jesus came to him to give him and us a revelation of things as they will happen at the end of time and in eternity. Jesus had a message for each of the seven churches is Asia. These were actual churches and are also symbolic of types of churches. Our verse of study is about the church in the ancient city of Sardis. “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says these things. I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. For I have not found your works being fulfilled before God. Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. And they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. The one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:1-6)

Jesus didn’t have a good report for Sardis. They were deceived into thinking they were alive, but they were dead in Christ. Evidently there were a few that still had life. Jesus admonishes them to repent, to be vigilant and to establish the things that still remain. By that Jesus was saying those things that still remain of the Gospel. But there were some faithful in Sardis.

These faithful ones in Sardis were never swayed by the changes that were made for convenience's sake or to placate some in the church who wanted to be a part of the church, but who never believed in Jesus nor received Him or those who wanted to bring their old life of sin into the church. Much like what has happened in some churches, where the gods of their idolatry and practices were brought into the church under the guise of saints and indulgences. These are things that are not Gospel and are contrary to the Gospel.

Today there is a danger of accepting cultural norms that are contrary to the Gospel. While we welcome everyone to come to our churches, there must after a time of listening to the Gospel and discovery of the commandments of the Lord that a decision has to be made to believe on the Lord and to make Jesus Lord. Making Jesus Lord has to do with obeying Jesus. It means repenting of all sinful ways and allowing the Lord to make a change in our lives. We must not allow our churches to accept continual and willful sin in the congregation. This is not Scriptural. “A little leaven leavens all the lump.” (Galatians 5:9) Paul mentions this again in the incident in Corinth when sin was discovered in the church and the individual was accepted with his sin. (I Corinthians 5:1-13) He is adamant about what to do. “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” (1Corinthians 5:6-7) Then he commands the church not to associate with sinners who say they are Christian brethren. “But now I have written to you not to associate intimately, if any man called a brother and is either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one not to eat. ...Therefore put out from you the evil one.”  (1Corinthians 5:11, 13)

It's fairly obvious that we may fall into sin once or a few times, repenting and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives to purge it to obedience in the Lord. But it’s another thing to openly sin with no repentance and continuing to sin. That was what was happening in the church of Sardis. They had accepted sin to remain in the church without repentance, contaminating and defiling others with their sin, defiling their worship and defiling their devotion to the Lord. Confrontation is uncomfortable, but leaders in the church must make tough decisions for the sake of the Gospel and the church body.