What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

-I Corinthians 5:12, NIV

An excuse made for passivity in the face of an unrepentant cheater in church is how someone does not want to look “judge-y.”

This is such shame-based thinking. As such, this leads to bad decisions as we are living in fear of an “unwanted identity”–namely, being too judgmental.

Meanwhile, our aversion to judge the cheater allows the cheater to continue enjoy the apparent blessing of the church. This is not good.

It is an additional insult to injury that faithful spouses and their families endure in this suck-fest. Making it doubly painful is the religious legitimacy such inaction–or even bolstering in some cases–gives their cheater.

A season exists for judging those in the church.

This is what we can see clearly from I Corinthians 5. It is uncomfortable; however, it is necessary both for the church and for the individuals who are leading flagrantly unrighteous lives.