One Year Journey Through the New Testament
1 Corinthians 5
Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!
Immorality Defiles the Church
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
(1 Corinthians 5:1–8, NKJV)
Points to Ponder:
- In this passage, Paul moved from greetings and general teachings to address a particular sin that needed attention.
- Paul points out a sexual sin that was slightly unusual, a name was sleeping with his father’s wife.
- Paul wondered if the people of the church had reacted to this sin appropriately. He was disappointed that they had not dealt with this sinner directly.
- He told them that they must “deliver such a one to Satan” for him to realize the depth of his sin.
- He then shifts gears to speak of their pride as a church. He likens pride to leaven (much like Christ warned against the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod), instructed them to live without this pride so as to please God.
- He furthered warned that they were in danger of judgment from God.
Immorality Must Be Judged
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, 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.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
(1 Corinthians 5:9–13, NKJV)
Points to Ponder:
- Paul then reminds them that he had forbidden them to keep company with sexually immoral people. While they should witness to the unsaved, even those who are sexually immoral, they should cut off those who are committing such sin within the church itself.
- He is basically saying that hypocrites, claiming to be saved but actually practicing sins, should be judged.
- God will take care of the ones outside the church.
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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.
Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.
Devoted To You 