Stop Policing the World | 1 Corinthians 5:12

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Our text today is 1 Corinthians 5:12.

It’s easy to get worked up about everything happening “out there.” We shake our heads at culture, critique the headlines, and grow frustrated with people who don’t follow Jesus—as if their choices should shock us. But before Paul gives direction, he gives clarity: you can’t expect the world to live by a standard it never agreed to.

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? — 1 Corinthians 5:12

Paul tells the Corinthians to stop policing people who don’t claim Christ. Unbelievers behaving like unbelievers is not a crisis. It’s expected. What is a crisis is when believers behave like unbelievers and no one says a word. When Christians focus more energy on condemning the outside world than shepherding their own community, everything gets upside down.

Jesus didn’t police the world—He moved toward it. Paul didn’t police the world—he preached to it. The early church didn’t police the world—they loved it and reached it. But inside the church? They confronted sin, practiced discipline, and protected one another with humility and truth. They judged behavior not to shame but to restore. That’s the difference.

Many believers today get trapped in endless cycles of judging outsiders. We complain about politics, cultural decay, Hollywood, the news, and the morality of people who don’t even claim to follow Christ. Meanwhile, friends we love are drifting, compromising, and slipping into patterns that are far more dangerous—and we stay silent. We end up policing the wrong people and ignoring the ones God called us to shepherd.

The real problem isn’t worldly people acting worldly. The real problem is God’s people acting worldly and no one having the courage to intervene. Policing outside breeds resentment. Policing inside breeds restoration.

So what does it look like to lovingly “police” believers in a biblical way?

• Ask honest questions instead of assuming everything is fine: “Hey, you seem distant lately. How are you doing spiritually?”
• Address what you see, not what you hear: “This is something I’ve noticed myself, and I care too much not to bring it up.”
• Correct gently and clearly: “I’m saying this because it’s dangerous for your walk, and I want to help.”
• Refuse to normalize what God condemns: “I can’t pretend this is okay. I care about you too much.”
• Aim for restoration, not embarrassment: “I’m with you in this, and I’m not giving up on you.”

This is policing with a shepherd’s heart—firm, honest, and aimed at rescue rather than ridicule. It’s the kind of accountability that leads believers back to health and strengthens the whole church.

DO THIS:

Choose one believer in your life who may be drifting. Pray, reach out, and take a loving step toward honest conversation or gentle correction.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I spent more time judging the world than shepherding believers?
2. Who in my life needs loving accountability right now?
3. What step could lead someone I love toward restoration instead of ruin?

PRAY THIS:

Father, help me stop policing the world and start loving, correcting, and restoring the believers You’ve placed around me. Give me wisdom and courage to speak truth with humility and protect the purity of Your church. Amen.

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“Take My Life and Let It Be”