1 Corinthians 5 English Standard Version (ESV)

Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

¹ 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. ² And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

³ For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. ⁴ When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹² For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? ¹³ God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

REFLECTION

• Read the whole chapter a few times.
• Apparently, in the Corinthian church, someone was having an on-going sexual relationship with his stepmother – “his father’s wife”. Paul understood that this kind of incestuous relationship would be considered taboo even among the pagans of their culture, yet the Corinthian Christians seem accepting of this behavior. As bad as the sin was, Paul was more concerned that the Corinthian Christians seemed to take the sin lightly, and they were unconcerned about this behavior.
• Corinthian Christians were probably allowing this in the name of “tolerance”. They probably pride themselves for being “open-minded”. Paul rebuked them as “arrogant” and should’ve been grieving both for the man and for what they must do to him (be removed from among you).
• The Word of God is relentless. It insists that we face up to our sin whether that sin is indolence, idolatry, or immorality. For if that diseased part of the body is not dealt with, it puts the entire body at risk.  Paul urged them to sever all relationships with those sinning people.  His purpose is for the protection of the church lest they be led into the same sinful trap.
• How do you react when you hear about serious moral and spiritual problems of people in your church? What about your attitude do you think might be inappropriate or judgmental?
• What will happen to your attitude when you grieve for them and others? How would this affect the prevention of sin’s “yeast effect”?
• Ask God to help you take whatever steps necessary to maintain both personal and corporate purity.