This is grose. This is against not only biblical law but was against the religious laws of the pagans and against the Roman law.
This guy is part of the church – possibly in active leadership. Possibly a respected man of the church, How do we know that?
1CO 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.
Actually reported = widely known, regularly reported.
Sexual immorality = fornication
Father’s wife (Not his mother) incest and adultery. Note Father must still be alive other wise it would be termed fathers widow.
This is not just gossip, this is a known issue.
Next verse.
2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
Because they are proud to have him in the congregation. Surely if he was a nobody they would have kicked him out. This guy has some clout. Maybe he is in the position of elder or deacon. Maybe has a pastoral role.
The other thing maybe also that they are proud of their tolerance. They perceive themselves to be inclusive of all comers. Church for sinners and saints.
That in itself is not a problem, what is a problem is the fact that even though the guy knows better – he doesn’t repent.
That problem grows when the church leadership doesn’t deal with it. They don’t sweep it under the carpet, they revel in it.
Now, if the guy had said sorry I’m wrong, and left it alone – sin can be forgiven. But deliberate continued sin,that is dangerous territory. Paul is strong on the way to deal with it.
3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Notice Paul isn’t saying the guy is going to hell, just that he is in satans territory. One of the principles is this: Don’t come into the church gathering with sin issues. This isn’t only a message on dealing with church disciple about morality issues. It is about us coming together to corporately be with God.
Jesus is present. Treat that fact with respect. Be prepared to be in the presence of God.
In the old days people used to come to church and spend time praying, preparing for worship. Let’s reinstitute some quiet time before the service so people can do that. If you need to talk and catch up – do so out in the foyer or after the service.
Paul carries the thought process of being proud on and uses a metaphor.
1CO 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
The festival that is being spoken of is the feast of unleaven bread. They cleaned out their cupboards and got rid of all the mould. It was like spring cleaning. It signified a return to the purity of relationship with God. The Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the day after the Passover and lasted seven days (23:5-8). This feast together with Passover was one of the three times that all male Jews who were physically able and ceremonially clean were required by Mosaic Law to attend (Exod 23:17; Deut 16:16).
If the church allowed such sin as that described here to go undisciplined, it would affect the attitude of the entire Christian community toward sin by working its way “through the whole batch of dough.” The church must get rid of the old yeast–”the sin that so easily entangles” (Heb 12:1)—in this instance by getting rid of the sinner; it must thus become an unleavened batch of dough, a new creation in Christ,
Now, how does this relate to us, we don’t have anyone in that situation? Well, I think we need to evaluate the purity aspects of our lives. See which things can infect us, and thus eventually infect the whole church. Sin affects not only the person who does it, but has consequences that affect others.
Now, we teach our kids this, or at least we try, but we often forget to carry the principle with us throughout our lives.
Paul’s perspective carries on. Listen to this.
1CO 5:9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people– 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
Don’t even associate with someone like this. But hang on look at the list.
sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.
Who of us hasn’t been greedy, of slandered someone or swindled the tax man. Yeh, it can apply to us!!!!
This is not about society at large, this is about people in the church. The wider world, is not our job to judge. Isn’t that interesting. We tend to be most critical of those who don’t live by our standards out side the doors of the church. We have no right to do so. We can not expect the rest of society to live by biblical standards. It would be nice, but it won’t happen. If they aren’t committed to Jesus – why should they. Our job is not to judge them but love them.
1CO 5:12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
Now the word judge is interesting. The greek word infers separation, and decision making process. Deliberation rather than making a snap judgment and resulting in conclusion of punishment. We could read this passage.
“What business is it of mine to deliberate with thought of punishing those who are outside of the Gathering of God’s people.”
We just don’t have the right to do that. I know we belly ache about societies decline and stuff but it is not our place to condemn people. They don’t know Jesus, we can’t expect them to react the same way we do. I think sometimes we place way to high expectations on society. We think we have to have a Christian society even though church attendance is minimal.
Besides its God job to judge, not ours.
13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
Our job is to keep our own place in order.
Now, I think church discipline is very much a thing of the past. Four hundred years ago, in the time of the reformation and at the beginning of our Baptist heritage it was one of the distinctives. The congregation judged people. It was a membership concept of being accountable to each other. Excommunication could be for misbehaviour both publicly and spiritually. Many were called heretics and kicked out. We have mellowed.
Maybe to a point where we don’t feel that the church can tell us what to do, maybe it is to a point where we think God can’t tell us what to do. Maybe to a point where we think we are our own moral guides. Maybe we just don’t like people telling us how to live.
I can agree with that. I don’t like it. But accountability is good for me.
I have people who I trust and I would expect them to have a chat if I did something wrong.
On the flip side, I find it hard to criticize someone else. But in my role sometimes I may have to do it. Maybe confront someone about how they treat someone else or ask them where they are at with God.
Hey this is sometimes uncomfortable.
But Paul is saying he wants us pure. God wants us pure.
If sin is there, deal with it, get rid of it. If it an issue in our life deal with it, if it is person in the church deal with them, if it is a situation, sought it out. It is great we have a Jesus that can deal with the sin issue. He deals with it if we ask Him to. We can be pure. Maybe, hopefully, the situation in Corinth will never happen here, but the principles of getting sin out of our life is just as valid for each of us right now.
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