Sermon Notes:

We are continuing our series, “Growing in Grace”, where we are working our way passage by passage through the letter of 1 Corinthians. This is God’s word not only to the Corinthians, but to us. We are learning how the truth of the Gospel transforms sinners into the image of Christ. We are learning how God uses His truth to help us grow in grace.

For the last several chapters, the apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has been dealing with divisions within the church that he learned of from verbal reports he received. Today, he will shift his attention to another problem that had been reported to him. He is going to address immorality within the church.

We will pick up at 1 Corinthians chapter 5. If you are following along in the blue Bible we provide, it is on page 1190. If you do not own a Bible, please consider that one our gift to you and you can take it when you leave.

In our passage today, the apostle Paul is going to explain how and why the church must address sinning members for their own sake and the sake of others. That is the key point of the message this morning. The church must address sinning members for their own sake and the sake of others.

The issue of church discipline is a controversial and difficult topic. Many churches have rejected the idea of it and other simply never do it, so is it even necessary?  If it is important, then how do we ensure it doesn’t lead to either abuse or hypocrisy since every member has some sin in their life? Let’s hear what God’s word says,

5 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. ² And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

Paul had received a verbal report that there is a man in the congregation who was involved in an incestuous relationship. He is astonished at this and wastes no time getting to the point. He rebukes them for their inaction and commands that the man be removed from fellowship. The command to remove the sinner occurs 6 times in the 13 verses of this chapter. There are 5 main sections in the chapter and each one ends with some form of command to remove the immoral person from fellowship. The entire chapter has an envelope structure that begins in verse 2 and ends in verse 13 with the same command.

So, what is going on here? The phrase “father’s wife” indicates that the relationship was with his stepmother rather than his birth mother. The verb “to have” indicates this was an ongoing sexual relationship. They may or may not have married. It seems likely that the woman was not a believer because Paul focuses exclusively on the man and doesn’t say anything about the woman. We don’t know for sure, but based upon other comments Paul makes about the situation in Corinth, it is possible this man was a wealthy or influential member. Either way, the situation was known to the congregation.

In Roman culture, several forms of fornication, adultery, prostitution, and even certain types of rape were considered acceptable but a relationship between a man and his stepmother was considered dishonorable, repulsive, and illegal. Paul accurately observes that this it is a type of immorality not even tolerated among the pagans. Notice, however, that Paul’s disappointment centers not so much on the failings of this individual sinner, but on the toleration of the church and their failure to respond appropriately.

Paul is not only going to command them to exercise discipline, but he is also going to help them understand why and how to do it. He will do this by helping them (and us), better understand the identity of the church and its relationship to the fulfillment of the covenant promises. This chapter is a masterclass on the relationship of Law and Grace and how the Old and New testaments connect.

Deuteronomy 27:20 says, “Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife” and Deuteronomy 22:22 and 22:24 set the penalty for violating the wife of another with the formula “you shall purge the evil from your midst.” which is the same phrase that Paul quotes in verse 13.

Why would Paul, the apostle of grace be applying commands and penalties from Torah to the members of this gentile church? The answer is found in the identity of the church. The church is the culmination of several key Old Testament themes that converge in Christ. The church is the fulfillment of New Covenant promises to which the Old Covenant point. The apostle Peter captures this identity well in 1 Peter 2:9 when he says to Christians,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

The law is therefore not cast aside, it is fulfilled through love. It is now written on our hearts. The people of God are no longer identified through the circumcision of their flesh, but the circumcision of their heart. We no longer offer sacrifices on an altar; we are ourselves living sacrifices. We are a new people gathered from the nations to worship and display the glory of God.

 By failing to address this man the Corinthians were making a mockery of their new identity. Verse 2 says “² And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn?” Paul again points to their pride as evidence of immaturity. This sin should bring sadness to the congregation not boasting.

This phrase, “to mourn” echoes the language used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament and is used six times in the Greek Old Testament in relation to sin. Only once is it used of personal sin and in every case, it is used in a corporate context.

It is used in prayers by Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel, in which the sins of others are confessed as if they are their own. It is likely Paul is saying the Corinthians out to mourn in the sense of confessing the sin of this man as if it were their own, as if they were complicit in it.

There is a pattern in the Old Testament that failure to deal with the sin of those identified with the Covenant community invites potential judgment upon the whole group. Paul is saying that they all share in some way in this sin by not addressing it. We will explore why that is as we get a bit further but this raises an interesting question.

How do we as sinners obtain the authority to pronounce judgment upon other sinners? How is this to be done since apart from grace, we too would stand condemned? Paul helps us with this beginning in verse 3,

³ 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. ⁴ When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ 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.

Unlike the Corinthians, Paul responds quickly and clearly. There is no need for him to come and investigate further. Paul says, “I am present in Spirit” and that he has already pronounced judgment. This sin is so grievous there are no mitigating circumstances that could explain it.  

Notice that this excommunication is to take place when the church is gathered and in the power of the Lord Jesus. The entire community is involved in this act, and it is being done in the power of Jesus. The judgment is that of God. Paul and the congregation are not the ultimate judges, God is. We are called simply to apply the judgments that God has made. We apply the word of God in the power of Christ. They will gather in the name of Jesus, and He will be with them. The presence of Jesus in the congregation is not only to comfort and encourage. It can be for judgment as well as blessing. The congregation functions as the body of Christ, carrying out His commands.

It is also important to notice that Paul commands the congregation to remove the man. It is ultimately the congregation that removes him, Paul’s judgment alone did not remove him. Receiving and removing members is a responsibility of the congregation. In our case, this is also a safeguard to prevent abuse. A single pastor or even the board of elders cannot take the final step of revoking someone’s status as a member. This is to be done in the gathered assembly, in the open, as a community.

It seems clear that Paul is following the teaching of Jesus which includes this same balance in pursuing discipline progressively while protecting against abuses in Matthew 18:15–17,

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

For any person who has faith and in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, it should be a deadly serious thing to have the community of believers who committed to loving you and supporting you in your walk tell you that your behavior is so inconsistent with that of a believer that they can no longer affirm your confession of faith.

That is serious and to many people it seems harsh. How can it be loving to turn someone over to Satan, meaning to treat them as an unbeliever? It is sometimes suggested that it would be far better for the sinner to remain in the group, benefit from Christian relationships, and have opportunities to hear more teaching.

But Paul says, deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Drastic measures are often necessary in critical situations. It isn’t normally considered loving to electrocute people, but if you are going into cardiac arrest, it may be the most loving thing ever to give you a jolt. It isn’t normally considered loving to scream at people but if your child is running toward a busy road, the most loving thing may be to scream as loud as you can to get them to stop.

Church discipline is real because loving because hell is a very real place. Suppose you have a family member who is diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that can be cured with treatment. What is more loving, to help them understand the importance and urgency of uncomfortable treatment or to pretend they are not sick?

To offer false assurance to someone going to hell is among the most cruel and hateful things we could ever do. It is better for people to experience sorrow a short time now than for eternity. This is simply an extension of discipleship. James 5:19–20 says,

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The purpose of the entire process isn’t to punish, it is to restore the sinning brother or sister. It is to be done in love and it is to be done in the open with the participation of the congregation.

Some understand delivering the man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh as a literal reference to the body and physical death. I don’t think that is correct. They are turning him over to Satan in the sense that he is being treated like an unbeliever and turned back over to the world. As he often does, Paul is using the term “flesh” to refer to the sinful nature. It is another way of saying that he should be removed from the loving fellowship of the church until he repents.

It is similar to what Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:19–20, about handing Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme and in Romans 8:13 when he says that by the Spirit we are to put to death the deeds of the flesh. That immediate physical death is not in view is confirmed by the command in verse 11 to avoid such people.

In the next verse, Paul will begin further unpacking why discipline is not only necessary for the sake of the one sinning, but also for the sake of the rest of the congregation. He says,

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ 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.

Leaven is a little portion of a previous batch of dough which had been allowed to ferment. A little bit was added to fresh dough so that the bread would rise when baking. Once just a little bit was added, however, you could never use that dough for unleavened bread which was needed for the celebration of Passover. Paul’s point is a small bit of sin can quickly defile the entire church.

His illustration, however, connects several important biblical themes related to the identity of the church. The first feast of the year was Passover. The celebration lasted 7 days, beginning with the Passover feast and ending on the following sabbath with the feast of unleavened bread. Every year the Israelites had to purge their homes and the temple from leaven and then some dough from the Feast of Unleavened Bread would be kept to ferment.

Paul connects these old covenant celebrations to their culmination in the Gospel. Passover celebrated deliverance from slavery in Egypt and Christ is our greater Passover lamb that delivered us from slavery to sin. Paul wants the church to purge the leaven of sin so that it can celebrate the greater Passover as intended.

You also may recall that earlier in the letter Paul connected the identity of the church with the temple. In chapter 3 verse 16-17 he said,

 ¹⁶ Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Throughout the Bible there is a link between the cleansing of the temple and the Passover. After cleansing the sanctuary King Hezekiah calls on the people to celebrate Passover in 2 Chronicles 29 & 30. In 2 Chronicles 35 and 2 Kings 23, after king Josiah removes the idols and restores the Ark to its proper position, he orders the people to celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In Ezra 6, after dedicating the rebuilt temple, the same two feasts are again celebrated, and in the Gospels, we see Jesus cleansing the temple in connection with Passover.

The proudly sinning man must be removed because his presence is a contamination that defiles the church, which is the temple of God. The temple must be cleansed if we are to celebrate the passing over of God’s judgment upon us in Christ. We cannot celebrate the feast with leavened bread. We cannot proclaim the glory of God in the redemption of sin if we are at the same time in fellowship with sin.

Paul is drawing upon Old Testament themes, but he is operating from the logic of the Gospel, not the Law. Look carefully at verse 7,

⁷ 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.

He isn’t saying they need to clean themselves up to be God’s people or God’s temple. He says, “as you really are unleavened”. He is challenging them to live consistently with who they already are and the promises they have already received. Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Past tense! The Jews had already been delivered from Egypt and they cleansed the temple to celebrate what God had already done.

Like a perfect, spotless Passover lamb, the Lord Jesus died as a sacrifice for the sin of everyone who would put their faith in him. God’s judgment passes over believers because they are marked with His blood which testifies that we are united to Him in faith. Every one of us is a sinner and deserves judgment but in Jesus Christ, we have a representative.

Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised again for the salvation of sinners. If Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, how will He not give us all the other things He promised. He promises assurance, He promises a new heart, He promises victory over sin, the devil, and death. He died to deliver all who put their faith in Him from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.

Believers have been washed clean in the eyes of God because of what Jesus has done for us. We have been delivered from our bondage to sin, given the Spirit of Christ, and freed to worship God with the assurance that we are adopted by grace, Paul says,

⁸ 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.

We are free now to leave behind malice and evil and celebrate in sincerity and truth. That means that our lives and our profession of faith can be consistent. We can know we are justified before God, and in His power live together for His glory.

Paul goes on to clarify an important distinction.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ 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.

Paul had previously written to them to avoid immoral people and now he is clarifying this instruction. We are not to avoid the sinners in the world. There is a tendency in some Christians to retreat from the world into a bubble. While we are to avoid participating in sin, we are not to avoid sinners in the world. As Paul observes, this is impossible and he takes it for granted that believers take full part in the community and society in which they live.

Rather, We are to engage the world and pursue relationships with unbelievers so that we can witness to them. It is unreasonable to expect unbelievers to live like Christians. Without faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit this cannot be done. What Paul expects is for Christians to live like Christians. Verse 11,

¹¹ 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.

Paul’s instructions apply to the fellowship of the church. If we fail to hold each other accountable and when we fail to minister to one another leading to repentance and growth, we create confusion in the world about who God is. If there is no holiness in the people God is transforming into His image, then what kind of God is He?

But if we kick all the sinners out of the church then not even one of us would be here, right? It is not merely the presence of sin that leads to breaking fellowship, it is the presence of unrepentant sin that does that. Everyone in the church is a sinner, it was sinners that Christ died to save. There is, however, no assurance for those without repentance.

There is an old saying that says, “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” That is true. It is also true that hospitals are for people who want to get better. If you check into a hospital and refuse treatment, they are going to send you home. If you do not desire to be free from sin, there is no evidence of saving faith.

The apostle John says it this way in 1 John 1:6–9

⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ 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 cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

There is grace in the fellowship for a brother or sister who is defeated by sin they are struggling to overcome. If, however, sin bring disrepute to the testimony of the church and there is no repentance, the church cannot affirm the faith of such a person.

Paul says fellowship cannot be extended to those engaging in sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, reviling, drunkenness, or swindling. The point is that if people are engaging in this kind of openly sinful behavior, we are not to treat them as if they are brothers or sisters in Christ. Paul says we are not to even eat with them. I think this includes any fellowship meals or any other social interaction that would imply they have a credible profession of faith.

Again, this only applies to the boundaries of fellowship within the church. Look at verse 12,

¹² For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? ¹³ God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Our concern is for the purity and holiness of the church. We know that only the power of the Holy Spirit can produce purity in the hearts of sinners. In all of history, there is almost nothing as brutal and dangerous as an attempt to impose some standard of purity apart from the grace of God. Every worldly attempt to achieve purity of thought, action, or being, in any form quickly becomes tyranny.

Our message to the world is the message of the grace of God in Christ through the preaching of the Gospel. Discipline is only for those who claim to possess the Spirit of God within them. We need not concern ourselves with the world, God will judge them. Our responsibility is to protect one another. To reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with patience and love even if that means calling out unrepentant sin that undermines the testimony of the church and the sinner.

We will finish with the instructions Jude gave regarding our responsibilities in this area in Jude 22–23,

²² And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

AMEN