| 1 Corinthians – Chapter Five |
Chapter summary – The church at Corinth was not only a divided church, but it was also a disgraced church. There was sin in the assembly and, sad to say, everybody knew about it. But the church was slow to do anything about it.
No church is perfect, but human imperfection must never be an excuse for sin. Just as parents must discipline their children in love, so local churches must exercise discipline over the members of the assembly. Church discipline is not a group of “pious policemen” out to catch a criminal. Rather, it is a group of brokenhearted brothers and sisters seeking to restore an erring member of the family.[1]
III. THE WRONGDOING IN THE CHURCH OF GOD, (5:1-6:20)
1. Toloration of immorality, (5:1-13)
Interpretation:
1) The report of the wrongdoing, (1), –Someone (probably from the household of Chloe—1:11), gave Paul an official reporting of the wrongdoing
1 It is actually reported…
2) The nature of the wrongdoing, (1), –Sexual immorality
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality…
3) The location of the wrongdoing, (1), –it’s taking place among you, in the local church at Corinth
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you…
4) The wickedness of the wrongdoing, (1), —such sexual immorality as is not even practiced among the Gentiles, which is that a son has his father’s wife (most believe the woman to be the son’s stepmother)!
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the (Pagan), Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!
5) The reaction of the wrongdoing, (2),
(1) The reaction of the Corinthian congregation
1a There is no disgrace
2a And you are puffed up, (you have an arrogant, prideful attitude towards this sin)…
2a There is no dismay
2b …(you) have not rather mourned, (you should be broken hearted over this matter—it should be disgraceful to you—this should be causing you to lament, concerning what it is doing to the sinners themselves, the church family and the cause of Christ)
3a There is no discipline
2c …(you have not acted), that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you, (i.e., disciplined out of church membership if the sinful relationship was not confessed and repented of—Matt. 18:15-17)
When we cease to be shocked by sin we lose a strong defense against it. Alexander Pope wrote:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure. then pity, then embrace.
That was the pattern followed by the church in Corinth. She arrogantly followed her own feelings and rationalizations rather than God’s Word, and found herself ignoring, and perhaps even justifying, flagrant sin in her midst. [2]
Churches who have gone liberal and who are liberal, follow this same familiar and seductive path. So often it is even seen as the higher good of a growing intellectual and ever progressive society. It is seen as liberating and modern, rather than enslaving and debase.
(2) The reaction of the Apostle Paul, (3)
3 For I indeed, as absent in body (I’m not physically there with you), but present in spirit (being a part of the universal church), have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed (if still unrepentant, exercise church discipline immediately—it’s a no-brainer—I don’t even need to be there and involved to know this).
6) The handling of the wrongdoing, (4-8),
(1) The authority for handling the wrongdoing, (4a)
4 In the name of (the authority of), our Lord Jesus Christ, (Church disciple is not only a right of the local church, but a command to do so every time it is needed.)
(2) The occasion for handling the wrongdoing, (4b)
4b …when you are gathered together (as a corporate body, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them—Matt. 18:20), along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, (as you would be doing the same thing Christ would do if He were there)
(3) The method for handling the wrongdoing, (5a)
5a deliver (hand over), such a one to Satan (give the sinner over to the world, Satan’s domain, cast him or her out from under the umbrella of the churches support, fellowship and protection—a wayward lamb, alone and vulnerable among the wolves—treat him or her like and unbeliever as Matthew 18:17 says), for the destruction of the flesh…(as unrepentant sin always leads to death,–cf. 1 Tim. 1:20, Hymeanaeus and Alexander—that they may learn not to blaspheme)
(4) The purpose for handling the wrongdoing, (5b)
5b … that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, (as for some it is only when they reach the end of themselves or their lives that they turn again to God in forgiveness and repentance—but it is better late than never—cf. Proverbs 5:1-14)
This has nothing to do with losing ones salvation and being delivered to hell. It has everything to do with keeping the local church pure from defilement and taking drastic measures in order to bring the sinning brother back to holy living.
(5) The need for handling the wrongdoing, (6-8)
1a To put an end to further and wrongful boasting, (6a)
6a Your glorying is not good, (again, this is not something you should be boasting about)…
2a To prevent further and future wrongdoing, (6b-7a)
6b …Do you not know that a little leaven (sin), leavens the whole lump, (a little wrongdoing spreads to a lot of wrongdoing? It’s contagious. Left unchecked it will infect the entire church like a cancer)
7a Therefore (because this is black and white unrepentant sin and it will infect the entire church if you don’t do anything about it), purge out the old leaven (denounce the guilty)…
3a To promote Christian virtues, (7b-8)
7b …that you may be a new lump (that you as a church may return to a godly and pure state), since you truly are (not will become, but are) unleavened (because postionally you are pure—even if in practice you are not presently). For indeed Christ, our Passover (our sacrificial lamb), was sacrificed for us, (on our behalf, cleansing us from our sin and clothing us in His righteousness).
8 Therefore (in light of Christ’s saving and purifying work on the gospel believer’s behalf), let us (the saved and purified—continually), keep the feast (keep on keeping the feast daily [not once a year] celebrate Christ’s work on our behalf), not with old leaven (not while at the same time continuing on in our old sinful habits in general , nor (specifically), with the leaven (the sin), of malice (sinful internal thoughts, attitudes, or motivations), and wickedness (all kinds of external sinful actions), but with the unleavened (pure), bread of sincerity and truth (of a pure heart and mind combined with godly actions).
(6) The instructions for handling the wrongdoing, (9-13)
1a Correcting any confusion concerning the instructions, (9, 10)
9 I wrote to you in my epistle (often referred to as the “lost letter”—a letter written earlier than First Corinthians), not to keep company with (meaning to get mixed up with, or keep close company with), sexually immoral people.
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world (the unsaved), or with the covetous (those who always want more and often what belongs to others), or extortioners (those who take from others through stealing, coercing, or deception), or idolaters (those who worship things or persons instead of or above God), since then (or in order to separate yourselves from them), you would need to go out of the world.[3]
John MacArthur comments:
It is the world to whom we are to witness, to whom we are called to bring the gospel. We are not to conform to the world (Rom. 12:2), but we must be in the world and have contact with unsaved people or we could never evangelize them. In His high priestly prayer, the Lord prayed, “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. … As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:15, 18). We are to “be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] appear as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). God intends us to be in the world so we can be its salt and light (Matt. 5:13–16) and His witnesses to it (Acts 1:8).[4]
2a Cease to keep close company with an unrepentant gospel believer, (11)
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother (a professing fellow believer), who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person.
3a Point out the sin of the unrepentant gospel believer, (12)
12 For (the reason being), what have I to do with judging those also who are outside (the unsaved outside the church? The judgment of the unbelievers is none of our business.) Do you not judge those who are inside? (Our business is with our gospel professing brothers and sisters within the church.)
Fellow Christians are to point out the unrepentant sin of another believer following the Matthew 18 principles and exercise church discipline if there is still no repentance.
4a Exercise church discipline upon the unrepentant gospel believer, (13)
13 But those (unbeliever’s) who are outside (in the world and of the world), God judges. Therefore (since the local church is not to judge and separate himself from unbelievers but from unrepentant gospel believers) “put away from yourselves the evil person,” (follow through on your responsibility and purge the church of the unrepentant believer).
Warren Wiersbe comments concerning this verse:
…the church must not judge and condemn those who are outside the faith. That judgment is future, and God will take care of it. In 1 Corinthians 5:9–13, Paul emphasized once again the importance of separation from the world. Christians are not to be isolated, but separated. We cannot avoid contact with sinners, but we can avoid contamination by sinners.[5]
Discipline is difficult, painful, and often heartrending. It is not that we should not love the offenders, but that we should love Christ, His church, and His Word even more. Our love to the offenders is not to be sentimental tolerance but correcting love (cf. Prov. 27:6).[6]
III. THE WRONGDOING IN THE CHURCH OF GOD, (5:1-6:20)
1. Toloration of immorality, (5:1-13)
1) The report of the wrongdoing, (1)
2) The nature of the wrongdoing, (1)
3) The location of the wrongdoing, (1)
4) The wickedness of the wrongdoing, (1)
5) The reaction of the wrongdoing, (2)
(1) The reaction of the Corinthian congregation
1a There is no disgrace
2a There is no dismay
3a There is no discipline
(2) The reaction of the Apostle Paul, (3)
6) The handling of the wrongdoing, (4-8)
(1) The authority for handling the wrongdoing, (4a)
(2) The occasion for handling the wrongdoing, (4b)
(3) The method for handling the wrongdoing, (5a)
(4) The purpose for handling the wrongdoing, (5b)
(5) The need for handling the wrongdoing, (6-8)
1a To put an end to further and wrongful boasting, (6a)
2a To prevent further and future wrongdoing, (6b-7a)
3a To promote Christian virtues, (7b-8)
(6) The instructions for handling the wrongdoing, (9-13)
1a Correcting any confusion concerning the instructions, (9, 10)
2a Cease to keep close company with an unrepentant gospel believer, (11)
3a Point out the sin of the unrepentant gospel believer, (12)
4a Exercise church discipline upon the unrepentant gospel believer, (13)
Interpretation:
Application:
[1]Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Co 5:1.
[2]MacArthur, 1 Corinthians.
[3] In Jesus’ High Priestly prayer in John 17:14-15, Jesus says—14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
Does this portion help you to understand why Jesus was especially hard on the unrepentant Pharisees, but was gentler with the tax collectors, prostitutes and thieves?
[4]MacArthur, 1 Corinthians.
[5]Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: 1 Co 5:1
[6]MacArthur, 1 Corinthians.
Pr 27:6—Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (Believer’s are to be what the prophet Nathanial was to David when he confronted David with his sin.)
Faith Aids 