1 Corinthians 5

1 Corinthians 5:1

In chapter 1, we saw that the Corinthian believers were divided when they should have been united. Here in chapter 5, we’ll see them united when they should have been divided. Even as carnal as the culture of Corinth was, the entire city was abuzz about the member of the Corinthian church who was living in immorality with his stepmother. The world still loves to see Christians involved in immorality because it eases their conscience and justifies their own loose lifestyle. Knowing this, one of Satan’s favorite tactics is to get Christians involved in immorality. He runs the same play over and over again. It’s very easy for Satan to bring Christians into temptation in the area of morals by simply nudging agapethe caring, sharing, tenderness, concern, and compassion in which believers are called to walkinto the area of eros, or sensual love. I believe the simple solution of Scripture to this subtle strategy of Satan is for men to disciple, encourage, and pray with other men, and for women to do the same with other women. “I’m too old to be vulnerable,” you say. “After all, I’m fifty. So I can counsel women or hang around the ladies and share with them my pearls of wisdom.” Really? How old was Davida man after God’s own heart, a man who loved the Lord deeply and was honored by the Lord singularlywhen he fell into sin with Bathsheba? Fifty. Let he who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1Co_10:12).

1 Corinthians 5:2

Rather than being grieved, the Corinthian believers were proud of their open-mindedness, their tolerance, their political correctness in allowing the offending brother to remain in their midst.

1 Corinthians 5:3

Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians was that they were to deliver this man into the hand of Satannot for damnation, but for restoration, in order that his flesh would be destroyed and his spirit saved. “This is where you should be divided congregationally,” Paul said. “Stay away from this man and let him live his life of immorality away from the joy, peace, and covering of the body. And hopefully, he will become so sick of his sin that he’ll long for the days when he was in fellowship with youwhere there was worship ascending and true love abounding.” As we will see in his second letter to them, the church at Corinth did, indeed, take Paul’s advice, and it worked to such a degree that Paul was later able to instruct them to welcome their brother back into their company. This is an important word for congregations and for parents. We do not serve each other or our children well by allowing them to live in sin. There comes a point when a person needs to be turned over to Satan in order to reap the repercussions of his sin. But lest anyone become too eager to arbitrarily turn others over to Satan in the name of Jesus, Paul gives three specific qualifications for doing so. First, it’s to be done in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The name of Jesus is not some mystical incantation. No, praying, ministering, meeting in the name of Jesus simply means doing so in the nature or character of our Lord. I can’t ask for a new car in Jesus’ name because I’m not convinced that’s what He would ask for in my situation. But I can pray with all confidence, “Father, make me a loving parent in Jesus’ name.” I can’t ask for a multimillion dollar house in Jesus’ name because I don’t think He would. But, because such is the nature of Jesus, I can ask for compassion and wisdom in His name with absolute assurance that I’ll receive an answer. Second, turning someone over to Satan can only be done by the instruction of Paul. That is, one must understand the writings of the Word and base his action on nothing short of scriptural, biblical, apostolic authority. Third, turning someone over to Satan must be done with the power of Jesus. Because any one person or small group of people is vulnerable to seeing things through the lens of bitterness, it must be done in the power of Jesus as seen in the confirmation of the congregation.

1 Corinthians 5:6

Leavening is not easily seen initially, but it becomes very obvious eventually, making it the perfect symbol of evil throughout Scripture.

1 Corinthians 5:7

The day before Passover was called the Day of Preparation, in which the Jews would rid their homes of every trace of leaven in preparation for Passover and the six-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Paul draws on this well-known understanding as a call for a recommitment to holiness and purity on the part of the Corinthian body. The picture for us is that we have left Egyptthe worldthrough the blood our Passover Lamb shed for us on the Cross. Therefore, let us continue on from that point without leavenwithout the secret sins that puff up and spread throughout our fellowships so easily.

1 Corinthians 5:9

The Greek tense of this passage makes it clear that we are to cut off from our company not the one who has fallen into or struggles with these sinsbut the one who knowingly, obstinately, perpetually practices them. Why? I believe the first reason is to correct the offender. If a tumor is growing in my body, no competent doctor would say, “I’m not going to operate on you because I don’t want to be too harsh with you.” And yet that is exactly what we say to believers who are mired in sin when we fail to take the sword of the Spirit and show them where they are wrong. If I really care about someone, I’ll say, “I’m not going to fellowship with younot because I’m mad at you or don’t love you. On the contrary, I care about you so much that I cannot allow you to go on as though there’s nothing amiss in your life because sooner or later the tumor of sin within you will take a terrible toll on you.” Secondly, we are not to fellowship with insistent, persistent sinners in order to protect the body. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Martha ran out to Him, saying, “Oh, Lord, if You had been here, our brother would not have died.” A few minutes later, Mary uttered the same phrase to Him word for word (Joh_11:21, Joh_11:32). We begin to think like and talk like those with whom we spend time. We assume the flavor of those around us. Therefore, Paul says we are not to hang around those who are consistently, persistently covetous, drunkards, idolaters, or fornicators.

1 Corinthians 5:12

What about the woman, the stepmother? Why didn’t Paul deal with her? Evidently, she wasn’t a believer. “We don’t judge unbelievers,” says Paul. “God will take care of them.” I find this interesting because there is a tendency on the part of Christians today to want to judge the world, to change the culture. All too often, we’re activists against the world’s wickedness, but we fail to judge our own congregation. We march, petition, crusade, vote, and talk about the world’s sin as we turn a blind eye to our own. We’ve got it exactly backward. We’re to deal with the Christian community and let God take care of the world’s iniquity.