August 13, 2025
1 Corinthians 5 ESV
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. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 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. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 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. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 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. 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. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 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. 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. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Discussion Questions:
1) What is the issue within the Corinthian church that Paul is calling out?
2) What does Paul demand the Corinthian brethren do?
Discussion Summary:
Corinth was a very cosmopolitan city. The society was rich and indulgent. However, a brother in Corinth was engaging in a type of immorality that even the non-Christian society condemned. It is said that “a man has his father’s wife.” While we are unsure of the exact circumstances this refers to some commentators believe a Christian man had married his father’s second wife after his father had died. This would have been against what is called the law of consanguinity. It refers to the degree of blood and family relationships in marriage and inheritance rights. These laws are made to protect family ties and to maintain societal cohesion.
Paul is demanding that the congregation of the Corinthian brethren address this problem. He directs them to “put him away” in other words to shun him or disfellowship him. This would involve not allowing him to meet in the congregation or partake of communal meals or the Lord’s supper with them.
While this is a difficult action for the brethren to take because no one wants to be unloving, too judgemental or have a “holier than thou attitude,” it is necessary to bring this brother back into a full relationship with God. Disfelloshipping is mimicking God’s diminishing relationship with this brother because of sin. This action says to the brother, if you feel the loss of our fellowship consider the loss of full fellowship you have with God. Repentant and come back and be accepted back into the fold of God.
This action is also necessary on the part of the congregation because as leaven transforms the whole dough, so sin can infect a congregation. Once the bar of sin is lowered, human nature will take advantage of that in many directions. We can see how pride was taking hold of these brethren (verse 6 and chapter 4:18) even while this sin was being tolerated. The Church of Christ has a standard to uphold (1 Timothy 3:15).
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