A Great Responsibility

by Dale Grissom

From The Reminder, November 21, 2010

There is a gulf between the church and the world.  This exists because believers are committed to the moral standards of Christ and non-believers are not.  Christians do not always live up to these standards, but forgiveness of sins is one blessing that Christians have.  Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

It has always been difficult to maintain the moral standards in the church.  In the early church, congregations like Corinth had moral problems.  In the last 40 years a great change has taken place in our country.  When I was a boy attending public elementary school, we had chapel service every morning where prayer, Bible reading and singing took place.  We have come a long way since those days, and much of the change has not been good.

Our children and grandchildren are growing up in a different environment.  This places a great responsibility on Christian parents to train their children to maintain good morals.  The church has a great responsibility to teach its members to abstain from the evils of our modern society.  The also places a great responsibility on the elders.  Elders must see that the teaching and training of the congregation is sufficient to help the members shun the sins of the world and to cleave to that which is right with God.