It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-8
Just before this section, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for potentially listening to false teachers. He threatens to discipline them when he comes there next, though that choice is theirs; would they straighten up before then, or keep being arrogant and listening to false teachers?
In the passage we’re looking at today, Paul brings down some judgment on them for another big sin: putting up with a man who committed incest. The Corinthian church was no stranger to sexual immorality. The city of Corinth was known for its “loose living,” which is really not that much different than the United States today.
In verse 1, we see what the situation is: a man has been sleeping with his father’s wife. The Greek word used here is porneia, which refers to any kind of sexual relations outside of marriage. The wording in Greek also indicates that this woman was the man’s stepmother, not his biological mother. Paul states that this was such a detestable thing to do that not even the pagans would tolerate this!
But rather than the Corinthian church being ashamed of this awful sin occurring in their midst, they were actually proud of it (verse 2)! Paul had just rebuked them for their arrogance a few verses ago, but they need to hear it again, especially in this context. They should have been in mourning for their brother in Christ who committed this sin, but they were proud of it. They should have immediately put them out of their congregation, but they didn’t. The Corinthian church clearly needed an attitude adjustment. They needed to shift their focus from the culture around them to God’s ways.
Paul is not physically present with the Corinthians, which is why he’s writing this letter, but he knows enough about the situation there to pass his judgment on the offending man (verse 3). He has been with them before and knows their hearts, and he is likely also discerning this judgment from what the Spirit is telling him.
Paul reminds them of his authority again in verse 4 when he says, “I am with you in spirit.” He has apostolic authority over them as one of their leaders. But at the same time, he is not the primary authority; that role is left to Jesus. This is indicated when he said the judgment is “in the name of the Lord Jesus” in the previous verse and “the power of our Lord Jesus” here. Church discipline is to be handled very carefully and in the name and power of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 5 appears very harsh when Paul says to “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.” Paul is definitely telling the church to excommunicate this man over this sin, but he is also implying that if some kind of physical punishment occurs to him, perhaps that would cause him to repent. The goal, of course, is that “his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” There needs to be repentance in order for this man’s soul to be saved. Perhaps he could rejoin the congregation once he has repented, but for the time being, they need to keep him away so he doesn’t lead others astray.
Paul continues the reprimand in verse 6, again condemning the people for their boasting about this. He brings up a metaphor of yeast, which is generally equated to sin in Scripture (i.e., Matthew 16:6). Just as a little bit of yeast can work through the whole batch of dough, so one person’s sin can work through the entire congregation.
What’s the solution to this problem? Remove that yeast from the dough (verse 7). If they remove the person committing such an awful sin, then it won’t infect them anymore. Then the church will be unleavened – no yeast (no sin) – which is how they should be. They were removed from participating in the culture of the world when they became believers and became new creations in Christ. The only way they can be purified into this new creation is through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, who was the once-and-for-all Passover lamb.
Paul ties this all together in verse 8: “Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Keeping the festival refers to recognizing Jesus as that sacrifice that can bring them forgiveness of their sins. They don’t remember Jesus as their sacrifice through sinful ways but rather with sincerity and truth.
Paul’s urging them to “keep the Festival” tells them that they should live their Christian lives by sacrificing their worldly ways and being as holy as possible (see also Romans 12:2 and 1 Peter 2:5). In order to do this, such sin as this man committed cannot be tolerated in their congregation. It must be disciplined in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Our world today is caught up in sin just like the culture of Corinth was in the first century. What sins are we allowing in our congregations, rather than removing them? What sins are the yeast that spreads among our dough? If we see others doing something that is tolerated by the Christians in leadership over us, then we may assume it’s okay to do that and continue that sin. This is not acceptable in God’s eyes. Perhaps the Church today needs this same rebuke that Paul gave to the Corinthians.
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