And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn?

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” 

1 Corinthians 5:1-2

In his day, the Apostle Paul became aware that there was gross immorality being practiced in the church of Corinth by a church member publicly. The church knew about it, but no one seemed to be bothered or cared. It was the kind of thing that even pagans would not tolerate, and yet the church was alright with it. In fact, they were arrogant about it. Paul wrote, “And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn?” 

As I meditated on this passage, I asked, in what way were they being arrogant? A careful reading of the text in context and the broader context of Paul's epistle to the Corinthians, clearly shows that they were not arrogant in the sense that they were proud that a church member was committing such a sin. Instead, they were arrogant about other things, which distracted and led them to turn a blind eye on sin. The Corinthians had a party spirit. In other words, they had these clicks that were formed based on what leader they followed, admired the most and no doubt other prideful reasons. 

I appreciate Matthew Henry’s commentary on this passage: “The apostle notices a flagrant abuse, winked at by the Corinthians. Party spirit, and a false notion of Christian liberty, seem to have saved the offender from censure. Grievous indeed is it that crimes should sometimes be committed by professors of the gospel, of which even heathens would be ashamed. Spiritual pride and false doctrines tend to bring in, and to spread such scandals. How dreadful the effects of sin! The devil reigns where Christ does not. And a man is in his kingdom, and under his power, when not in Christ” (Matthew Henry). 

Pride has a way of blinding us to the sin in our lives and around us. We can become so arrogant about who we know and what we know that we start thinking to highly of ourselves when we ought to be in mourning. 

I’m afraid that this spirit of arrogance is alive and well in the church today. Many professing believers are arrogant about the doctrines of grace and the Bible teachers dead and alive that they align with. They’re prideful about their liberty in Christ, but they never shed a tear over a person that’s lost and they know is going to hell. They’ve never fasted and prayed with a broken heart for someone’s wayward child, a broken marriage, or a brother and sister who is in sin. They don’t have the compassion, courage or concern that would compel them to go after someone who is steeped in sin to call them to repentance and or to invest in helping to restore them back to fellowship with God (Galatians 6:1-3). 

Grievously many Christians are more concerned with the labels that Christians are wearing or not wearing (i.e. Reformed, Calvinist, charismatic, independent Baptist) than assuming responsibility for the spiritual growth of a new believer in the essentials of the Christian faith. They want others to know how much they know more than teaching others what they need to know (Hebrews 5:12-14). 

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). 

Let us check our hearts today. Are we so arrogant that we are blind to our sin and the sins of others, who need help, loving correction, discipline, with the goal of seeing them ultimately restored back to fellowship with God? Are we so proud of our Christian liberties that we’ve turned grace into a license to sin? Are you arrogant when you should be mourning? 

Examine yourself in light of these biblical truths. Ask God to search your heart for the sin of pride, which is easy to justify? May we see our arrogance for what it is, and may it turn to mourning that leads to repentance in view of God’s glory and grace.