Something that we Christians should be doing in all sorts of contexts is welcoming people. To welcome is essentially to make people, who are usually outsiders in some sense, aware that we are glad that they are present.
For example, if a
foreigner is visiting our country, we should make them feel welcome. Or if
someone from outside is visiting our town, the same is true. If a friend or
neighbour is dropping round to see us, we should be welcoming in how we show
hospitality. And the list could go on.
One other important
context in which we should welcome people is at Christian worship services,
whether on Sundays or at other times. We want people at services to understand
that we are pleased that they are with us.
But this raises a
question. Is absolutely everyone welcome at Christian worship services or are
there exceptions to this?
People who make
no claim to be Christians
Firstly, let’s think
about people who make no claim to be Christians. Should they be made to feel
welcome?
To begin with, it
needs to be said that there are rare occasions when a non-Christian will come
along to a Christian service intent on disrupting the event in some way. If
someone does this, there is really no option but to treat such a person as
unwelcome. We don’t have a choice.
But of course, the
vast majority of people coming to a service who make no claim to be Christians don’t
come along to cause trouble. They are probably curious about the Christian
faith, or curious about what goes on at the service, or both.
We need to be clear,
however, that such people are bound to be unrepentant of many sins. So is this
a problem? Will it cause spiritual harm to the service if they are present?
The answer to this is
basically no. In 1 Corinthians 14:23-24 the apostle Paul refers specifically to
non-Christian visitors at Christian worship services:
‘23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together
and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say
that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an
unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account
by all…’ (ESV)
Importantly, there is
no suggestion in this passage that Paul views the presence of these
non-Christians negatively.
In fact, Paul goes so
far as to imply that the Corinthians shouldn’t speak in tongues (without an
interpretation, understood) at a worship service so as not to put non-Christian
visitors off the faith. In other words, the presence of non-believers at Corinthian
services was such a significant thing, that the Corinthian Christians needed to
adjust their behaviour accordingly. This strongly implies that people in
Corinth who made no claim to being Christians were welcome to join the Corinthian
church at its services.
What is more, it
should be obvious that there is not the slightest reason for thinking that
things should be any different today. Non-Christians who want to join us at
worship services on Sundays or at other times should typically be made to feel
very welcome, regardless of what sins they may be practising.
People who claim
to be Christians
Next, let’s think
about people who claim to be Christians. Should they all be made welcome at
Christian worship services?
Paul actually spends
most of the fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians talking about this general issue.
And he is very clear. He tells his readers not to associate with people
claiming to be Christians who are unrepentant of various sins.
Here is what he says
in verses 9-13:
‘9 I
wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10
not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and
swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of
brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater,
reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For
what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church
whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil
person from among you.”’ (ESV)
Note how in v. 13
Paul says that the Corinthians should ‘purge the evil person from among you’.
This would obviously have included telling them that they were not welcome at
worship services.
And why were the
Corinthians supposed exclude people in this way? There are two reasons
mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5.
First, doing this was
for the good of the sinner who was put out of fellowship. In verses 4-5 Paul
says:
‘4 When
you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with
the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord.’ (ESV)
To deliver someone to
Satan seems to mean to withdraw fellowship in such a way that the person is
exposed to the power of Satan in a way that causes them problems. But the goal
of this was a positive one: so that their flesh, i.e., their sinful nature, might
be destroyed (to a certain extent), and so that they might be ultimately saved
on the day of the Lord, i.e., the Day of Judgment.
A second reason for excluding
people who claimed to be Christians from fellowship was for the good of the
other Christians in the Corinthian church. In v. 6 Paul asks his readers:
‘Do
you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?’ (ESV)
Leaven is dough that
has undergone fermentation, and if leaven is added to a lump of unleavened
dough, the whole lump becomes leavened. In this verse Paul is using leaven as a
metaphor for moral evil. His point is that just as literal leaven affects
unleavened dough that it comes into contact with, so allowing an unrepentant
professing Christian in the Corinthian church was likely to cause others to be
negatively affected.
It seems likely that the
problem Paul most had in mind was the example that would be set, that might
lead others in the church in Corinth to fall into sin.
So Paul was clear
that people claiming to be Christians, who were unrepentant of certain visible sins,
should not be made welcome at Christian worship services. And there is not the
slightest reason for thinking that things should be any different today.
Why the
difference?
We have seen that people
who make no claim to be Christians and who are unrepentant of various sins
should be made welcome at Christian worship services. But we have also seen
that people claiming to be Christians who are unrepentant shouldn’t be made
welcome.
But why is there this
difference?
I have already mentioned
two reasons why an unrepentant person claiming to be a Christian shouldn’t be
made welcome: it is in the sinner’s best interest to be put out of fellowship,
and there is the danger that others in the church might copy the sinner’s
example.
But what about people
who don’t claim a Christian faith. Isn’t there the same danger that people in
the church might copy their sins if they are made welcome?
I don’t think there
really is, at least not nearly to the same extent. The Christians in a church
should understand that non-believing visitors are in no way part of the body of
Christ in that location. They are outsiders, and there won’t be such a tendency
for the Christians in that church to copy their way of life.
Of course, if and
when these people come to faith, they will need to repent of their sins to be
allowed into membership.
See also:
Christians Need to Be Careful Who They Have Fellowship
With
Is There Any Place for Entertainment in Church
Services?
What Should the Dress Code Be for Christian Worship
Services?
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