First Letter to the Corinthians -- Chapter 5
After having implored the Corinthians to imitate his own example and become fools for Christ, Paul continues on to admonish them and advise them in regards to reported sexual immorality in their midst. “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” (1 Corinthians 5:1). Paul begins by specifically identifying the sin which has been reported among them. It is especially surprising that this is not your usual “run of the mill” sexual immorality that is so rampant among unbelievers, but that this is in fact something even the pagans do not participate in (which sure says something when considering Corinth’s reputation!). To top it all off though is the astonishing fact that the church is not grieved or ashamed by this at all but is on the other hand actually proud and boastful over it! “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?” (1 Corinthians 5:2). In complete bafflement Paul asks them how they could possibly praise this sexual immorality instead of doing the right thing by ceasing fellowship with the one who was claiming to be a brother yet was living in complete hypocrisy.
Paul continues: “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. 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, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:3-5). Due to the urgency of this matter, Paul says that as their spiritual leader he is advising them to put this man out of the fellowship so that he will not blindly continue in his thinking that the Church of Christ is a place for such immorality. It was for the good of the man who was boasting in his sin that he be cast from the fellowship; it is only thru this harsh discipline that he would come to see the truth of God’s law against this immorality and truly turn toward the cross. Because Paul truly cares for his soul he is willing to be tough in his love and discipline towards the situation. The fellowship at Corinth also needed to remove this man from their presence so that they themselves would not become infected with the false notion that they could just happily continue in their carnal sin. Grace is never, ever an excuse to continue in sin, and Paul fears that the Corinthians may be blinded and desensitized to see it this way.
“Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 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. 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” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). We need to see that Paul is concerned over the reaction and response to this sin and not in regards to the fact that someone actually fell into sin. Obviously believers (sinners saved by the blood of Christ) are going to slip and fall into sin, and therefore Paul is distraught not by the fact there are sinners amongst the Corinthians but by the fact that they have embraced this sin and are even esteeming it. We cannot welcome sin into the fold with us without undermining and destroying our faith. The power of peer pressure and “group think” to bring down an entire fellowship is amazing and this is exactly what Paul feared might happen if this sin was not strongly disciplined among the Corinthians. Even the smallest amount of yeast (embraced and welcomed sin) is capable of infecting and contaminating the whole batch. Therefore, how can we ever think that it is possible to embrace both the dark and the light simultaneously in our lives? “Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20). If we love God we must hate sin; if we love and embrace sin then we must hate God. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John 1:5-6). If we claim to love God and be in Christ Jesus and yet we walk in darkness or sin then we are nothing but hypocrites who do not know the truth at all. But what is this “walking in darkness” that the apostle refers to? Is it being a sinner? No. We are all sinners; we are sinners who have been washed by the Lamb of God. Therefore “walking in darkness” means embracing our sin and the desires of the flesh; walking in the light on the other hand means seeing how utterly sinful we are and confessing these sins so that we might be healed by the blood of Christ. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:7-10). Walking in darkness means we are embracing our sin as if it wasn’t sin at all; walking in the light means embracing Christ while we despise our sin thru daily repentance and confession, trusting in the grace and mercy of God who justifies us wicked sinners. The problem in the church at Corinth was that they were embracing their immorality and boasting over it. They loved their sin and were proud of it (externally and internally embracing it as their lifestyle), thinking it was not something to be ashamed of, confessed, or rejected at all.
Seeing this dangerous embracing of darkness among them Paul writes: “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—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. 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” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11). Paul strongly urges those within the church to not have fellowship with men who claim to be believers and yet embrace the life of darkness and sin. This does not mean we do not associate or welcome sinners (for the true Church of Christ is a fellowship of sinners!) but it means that we do not embrace those who think that they can embrace both the light and the darkness simultaneously. It is when one calls themselves a brother and a follower of Christ and yet embraces their sinfulness that we must cease association. “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Ceasing this association and putting the person out of our fellowship is an act of love done so that thru the discipline the person may feel the law of God against their sin, ultimately driving them to the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb. “The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). Being a follower of Christ is about seeing ourselves thru God’s law as the worst sinners in the world and hating that fact; it is about despising the selfishness and wretchedness of our own abilities and turning to the blood of Christ for all goodness, mercy, grace, and redemption from ourselves. We cannot be a Christian if we do not recognize the true nature of sin, our own utter sinfulness, and hate everything that we are in our sinful nature. Being a follower of Christ is about turning away from what we are, to what God is.
It is in light of this truth that Paul gives his final advice on this subject: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you’” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). Paul calls us to “judge” those within the church; that is to hold the fellowship to continual confession and repentance. We must not fall under the illusion that we can embrace sin and Christ simultaneously. Indeed we are to embrace the fact that we are sinners in need of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we must not embrace living as a sinner in this life. Thru the hammer of God’s law and wrath towards sin we are to be daily turned from the darkness that is our sinful nature and self as we are turned by the gospel towards the light that is the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ crucified. “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
Paul continues: “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. 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, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:3-5). Due to the urgency of this matter, Paul says that as their spiritual leader he is advising them to put this man out of the fellowship so that he will not blindly continue in his thinking that the Church of Christ is a place for such immorality. It was for the good of the man who was boasting in his sin that he be cast from the fellowship; it is only thru this harsh discipline that he would come to see the truth of God’s law against this immorality and truly turn toward the cross. Because Paul truly cares for his soul he is willing to be tough in his love and discipline towards the situation. The fellowship at Corinth also needed to remove this man from their presence so that they themselves would not become infected with the false notion that they could just happily continue in their carnal sin. Grace is never, ever an excuse to continue in sin, and Paul fears that the Corinthians may be blinded and desensitized to see it this way.
“Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 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. 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” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). We need to see that Paul is concerned over the reaction and response to this sin and not in regards to the fact that someone actually fell into sin. Obviously believers (sinners saved by the blood of Christ) are going to slip and fall into sin, and therefore Paul is distraught not by the fact there are sinners amongst the Corinthians but by the fact that they have embraced this sin and are even esteeming it. We cannot welcome sin into the fold with us without undermining and destroying our faith. The power of peer pressure and “group think” to bring down an entire fellowship is amazing and this is exactly what Paul feared might happen if this sin was not strongly disciplined among the Corinthians. Even the smallest amount of yeast (embraced and welcomed sin) is capable of infecting and contaminating the whole batch. Therefore, how can we ever think that it is possible to embrace both the dark and the light simultaneously in our lives? “Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20). If we love God we must hate sin; if we love and embrace sin then we must hate God. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John 1:5-6). If we claim to love God and be in Christ Jesus and yet we walk in darkness or sin then we are nothing but hypocrites who do not know the truth at all. But what is this “walking in darkness” that the apostle refers to? Is it being a sinner? No. We are all sinners; we are sinners who have been washed by the Lamb of God. Therefore “walking in darkness” means embracing our sin and the desires of the flesh; walking in the light on the other hand means seeing how utterly sinful we are and confessing these sins so that we might be healed by the blood of Christ. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:7-10). Walking in darkness means we are embracing our sin as if it wasn’t sin at all; walking in the light means embracing Christ while we despise our sin thru daily repentance and confession, trusting in the grace and mercy of God who justifies us wicked sinners. The problem in the church at Corinth was that they were embracing their immorality and boasting over it. They loved their sin and were proud of it (externally and internally embracing it as their lifestyle), thinking it was not something to be ashamed of, confessed, or rejected at all.
Seeing this dangerous embracing of darkness among them Paul writes: “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—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. 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” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11). Paul strongly urges those within the church to not have fellowship with men who claim to be believers and yet embrace the life of darkness and sin. This does not mean we do not associate or welcome sinners (for the true Church of Christ is a fellowship of sinners!) but it means that we do not embrace those who think that they can embrace both the light and the darkness simultaneously. It is when one calls themselves a brother and a follower of Christ and yet embraces their sinfulness that we must cease association. “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Ceasing this association and putting the person out of our fellowship is an act of love done so that thru the discipline the person may feel the law of God against their sin, ultimately driving them to the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb. “The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). Being a follower of Christ is about seeing ourselves thru God’s law as the worst sinners in the world and hating that fact; it is about despising the selfishness and wretchedness of our own abilities and turning to the blood of Christ for all goodness, mercy, grace, and redemption from ourselves. We cannot be a Christian if we do not recognize the true nature of sin, our own utter sinfulness, and hate everything that we are in our sinful nature. Being a follower of Christ is about turning away from what we are, to what God is.
It is in light of this truth that Paul gives his final advice on this subject: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked man from among you’” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). Paul calls us to “judge” those within the church; that is to hold the fellowship to continual confession and repentance. We must not fall under the illusion that we can embrace sin and Christ simultaneously. Indeed we are to embrace the fact that we are sinners in need of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we must not embrace living as a sinner in this life. Thru the hammer of God’s law and wrath towards sin we are to be daily turned from the darkness that is our sinful nature and self as we are turned by the gospel towards the light that is the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ crucified. “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
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You have no idea how much I needed this...
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