God Keeps Us Away From the Cliff - 1 Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 (ESV)

But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

What lengths would you go to make sure you son or daughter or relative or close friend would not walk off the edge, or even near a cliff?  Would you “yell” at them?  Would you “grab” them?  And, if they were hell-bent on running off the cliff, you go as far as to “hurt” them, thus preventing them from certain destruction?  That is the question the above passage teaches us. Paul is writing to the Corinthian believers.  He is warning them about how they casually, if not in sanctimoniously, approach the Lord’s Table.   They are guilty of all types of sins in the worship of remembrance of Christ shed blood.  He has given them several warnings already, but in the above two verses he is summarizing an action plan for them.   His plan is for them to “judge” themselves.  To take a look at their lives.  He has already told them to “examine” themselves when they come to the Table. That word takes on the thought of “approval.”   When we come to the Lord’s Table we are to look at our lives and make sure we can stand approved by God based upon Christ’s blood, saving us from our sins.   IF we do that and come to Him in Christ’s holiness (not our own) we will not be “judged” by Christ.   This “judgement” by Christ is not in regard to our salvation, but our sanctification; our holiness.   If we come to Him with unconfessed and unrepentant sin (like the Corinthian believers) we will “judged” by the Lord, as discipline.   This will, however, prevent us from being “condemned” like the world - those who go over the cliff.  The solemn truth can be a beautiful thought to the believer. Or, it can be a frightening truth to the disobedient person of faith.   We can be assured that God will go to any length to keep us from the edge of the cliff and/or tumbling over. We cannot lose our faith, as God will do whatever it takes to keep us in His path.   In 1 Corinthians 5 we read of someone who is disciplined for sin and even faced death.   In Acts 5 we read of someone who died for their lying to the Spirit of God.  But, those examples (and more) are to show us that God does whatever He needs to keep us on the right path and to reach out finally redemption.   That should only sound frightening if we are walking in disobedience.