1 Corinthians 5

1 Corinthians 5

5:1-2 – It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

- ‘immorality’ is the Greek word “pornea” from which we get ‘pornographic.’ In the first century, a man sleeping with his father’s wife was punishable by death, but the church isn’t doing anything about it.

- They haven’t punished this like they should have

5:3-4 – For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

- When a judge entered the courtroom he said, “I am present.” This meant “Court is in session.” Paul is going to pass judgment because they haven’t done it themselves. He is again using slavery/courtroom imagery to deal with this situation.

5:5 – I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

- The unbelievers were hating and killing each other. Being ‘put out’ was dangerous in the first century, kind of like being lost in a bad neighborhood of one of today’s big cities at night (we have some safety when we’re in a vehicle, that wasn’t even an option then, it was very dangerous to not have a place to go at night).

5:6-11 – Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous or swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one.

- This is, of course, a reference to the man mentioned above. It is extremely important that we not tolerate blatant, open immorality in the church. In other places Paul refers to the church as a physical body or as a temple being built with living stones. Just as a little leaven spreads to the whole lump of dough, if we tolerate these things in the body (but we’re just ‘loving them back to the Lord’….) eventually others will stumble and it becomes a major problem. Get it out of here as soon as possible. Someone who claims to be saved and is in the church, but does not live a moral lifestyle should not be associated with.

- The other important thing that Paul mentions here is that we are not to be “out of the world.” In the first chapter he’s clearly said that we are to be doing the Master’s work and that we will be accountable for what we’ve done while he’s been gone. Paul apparently wrote them another letter that is not in scripture (before 1 Corinthians) where he told them not to associate with immoral people, and they were using this command to separate themselves from the world. Our job is evangelism.

5:12-13 – For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

- Deal with internal problems internally but if someone is wicked and worldly they should be left for God to deal with.

Again, Jesus the Master is coming back to judge his household. He's left some people in charge while He's gone and they are accountable for the way they've handled things. The church is designed to be the Body of Christ who is completing a task left for us by the master when he left on business. It is important that we get the work done instead of constantly dealing with internal problems (which is why we deal with one another in humility) so if someone is openly defiant and living an immoral lifestyle, get him out of here so he doesn't cause more problems. End of story.

Today in my 1 Peter class the prof said "People need to realize that the spiritual life is not just about disciplines. We make those a miniature works system that all Christians should follow. I want to see a spiritual life book that teaches what the Bible says. God purifies us like gold in a furnace, and the heat of the furnace is the slander, ostracism and persecution that comes not only from unbelievers, but also that which comes when bearing with one another in the body of Christ!" I think that this point speaks to the message of 1 Corinthians, because the whole book is about not fighting about stupid stuff with each other; just get over it, bear with one another, stop getting offended and do the work.