Topical Bible: Contempt: Towards the Church: Often Punished

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Contempt towards the Church, as the body of Christ, is a serious offense in the biblical narrative and is often met with divine retribution. The Church, established by Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, is considered sacred and integral to God's plan for humanity. Disrespect or contempt towards it is seen as an affront not only to the community of believers but also to God Himself.

Biblical Instances of Punishment for Contempt:

1. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11): One of the most striking examples of contempt towards the Church is the account of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple sold a piece of property and deceitfully withheld part of the proceeds while claiming to have donated the entire amount to the apostles. Their lie was not just to the apostles but to the Holy Spirit. As a result, both were struck dead. This incident underscores the seriousness with which God views deceit and contempt within the Church. As Peter said, "You have not lied to men, but to God" (Acts 5:4).

2. Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:9-24): Simon, a magician in Samaria, believed and was baptized, yet he showed contempt for the Church by attempting to buy the power of the Holy Spirit with money. Peter rebuked him sharply, saying, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!" (Acts 8:20). Simon's actions revealed a lack of reverence for the sacredness of the Church's mission and the gifts of the Spirit.

3. The Corinthians' Abuse of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34): The Apostle Paul reprimands the Corinthian church for their irreverent behavior during the Lord's Supper. Some were eating and drinking in excess while others went hungry, showing contempt for the unity and sanctity of the Church. Paul warns that such behavior has led to sickness and even death among them, stating, "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 11:30).

4. False Teachers and Divisive Individuals (Titus 3:10-11; 2 Peter 2:1-3): The New Testament warns against false teachers and those who sow division within the Church. Such individuals are described as being under judgment. Peter writes, "Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping" (2 Peter 2:3). The Church is called to reject divisive persons after warning them, as they are "warped and sinful; they are self-condemned" (Titus 3:11).

Theological Implications:

Contempt towards the Church is not merely a social or communal issue but a spiritual one. The Church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27), and any contempt towards it is seen as contempt towards Christ Himself. The Church is described as "a pillar and foundation of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15), and thus, maintaining its sanctity is paramount.

The biblical response to contempt towards the Church is both corrective and protective. It serves to maintain the purity and unity of the Church while also acting as a deterrent to those who might undermine its mission. The examples of divine punishment serve as a sobering reminder of the seriousness with which God regards His Church and the behavior of those within it.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 28:26
And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments on all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

From the Fourth to the Seventh Commandment
... forbids all disobedience, contempt, and stubbornness towards our parents ... may become
very bad if done out of contempt. ... a little more than the Church allows on a ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 33 from the fourth.htm

The Persecutions of the Church.
... This Prince could not brook the contempt with which ... who is supposed to have flourished
towards the commencement ... admitted that the weapons of the Church are not ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter ii the persecutions of.htm

Introductory.
... the Established Church, were often spoken of with contempt as an ... many men, both of
High and Low Church views, who ... But towards the middle of it, and on to its ...
/.../abbey/the english church in the eighteenth century/chapter i introductory.htm

And Forgive us Our Debts as we Also have Forgiven Our Debtors
... divine law, or failing to pay them, in contempt of the ... owe it to preserve a certain
disposition towards Him with ... by the Savior of the whole church and avenged ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xviii and forgive us.htm

Directions to Church-Wardens, &C.
... obliged to pay with the other parishioners towards all the ... the parishioners for the
repair of the Church, and the ... have in the said parishes, as often as there ...
/.../prideaux/directions to church-wardens/directions to church-wardens &c.htm

Acts iv. 36, 37
... great fear came upon all the Church, and upon ... punished; from their boldness of speech
towards those (their ... out of the sacrilege: covetousness, contempt of God ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xii acts iv 36.htm

Questions on the Explanations
... 415. How did the first Protestants act towards the Church? 416. ... 701. How do bad
Catholics do injury to the Church? 702. ... 736. What is contempt? 737. ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/questions on the explanations.htm

Treatise on the Priesthood. Book ii.
... this might help not a little towards the relief ... together the severed members of the
Church, one can ... and excellent men, my benefactors moreover, with contempt. ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/treatise on the priesthood book 2.htm

Letter cli. (AD 413 or 414. )
... to a more faithful exercise of love towards him. ... himself such when commissioned to
serve the Church [2651] came ... How singular was his contempt for the things of ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cli a d 413 or.htm

The Saybrook Platform and the Toleration Act
... the intolerance that Connecticut showed towards members of ... Navigation Laws; with
holding in contempt the Courts ... to strengthen their own church foundations by ...
/.../chapter vii the saybrook platform.htm