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1 CORINTHIANS 5 – COMMENTARY

vv.1-2 “‘Sexual im­morality’ translates the Greek porneia, the most general of all terms for sex­ual sin. In this context, however, it is clear that the sin is a matter of incest. If the man involved were one of the faction leaders or patrons in the church, one might well understand why people were reluctant to take action against him, and why Paul was so upset.

“‘Has’ suggests an ongoing sexual relationship; ‘father’s wife,’ that the woman is not the man’s mother but his stepmother. She may have been con­siderably younger than her husband and hence attractive to his son […].  The church’s reaction to this affair was as bad or worse than the affair it­self. Instead of grieving over sin in their midst, they were actually smug over their newfound, ‘enlightened’ tolerance as Christians (v.2). Paul recoils in horror. They must rather remove this man from their midst (‘fellowship’). That no mention is made of removing the woman suggests she was not a church member to begin with.”[1]

v.2 “It is diffi­cult to say whether Paul means that the Corinthians are boasting in spite of the immoral man’s conduct or because of it… In the former case, on the other hand, they would be heedlessly boasting in their own spirituality and wisdom while tolerantly ignoring a flagrant moral violation in their midst. Either way, Paul insists that the community has moral respon­sibility for the conduct of its members and that the conduct of the individual members (even private conduct between ‘consenting adults’) affects the life of the whole community.”[2]

vv.4-5 “‘Hand this man over to Satan’ referred to excommunication, not eternal destruction. Paul recommended excommunication with the aim that the man, desperate not to be shut out of the vital church community, would be shocked back to his senses.”[3] 

v.5  “Church discipline was always originally intended (though never guaran­teed) to be remedial, and not merely or even primarily punitive.  Contact, therefore, cannot be entirely broken with the offending individuals, even if ‘business as usual’ cannot continue either.”[4]

vv.6-8  “Paul does not expect anyone to be sinless—all believers struggle with sin daily. Instead, he is speaking against those who deliberately sin, feel no guilt, and refuse to repent.  This kind of sin cannot be tolerated in the church because it affects others. We have a responsibility to other believers. Yeast makes bread dough rise. A little bit affects the whole batch. Blatant sin, left uncorrected, confuse and divide the congregation. While believers should encourage, pray for, and build up one another, they must also be intolerant of sin that jeopardizes the spiritual health of the church.”[5]

vv.10-11 “Paul makes it clear that we should not disassociate ourselves from unbelievers… But we are to distance ourselves from the person who claims to be a Christian, yet indulges in sins explicitly forbidden in Scripture and then rationalizes his or her actions. By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in himself or herself. A church that includes such people is hardly fit to be the light of the world. To do so would distort the picture of Christ it presents to the world.”[6]

“Paul is talking about five areas of behavior—sex, money, posses­sions, drink and the tongue—in which consistent transgression of Christian standards calls for discipline. It is obvious that the Christian church today is under a powerful obligation to be utterly distinctive in sexual behavior.

1. Greed […]. The Greek word pleonexia, normally translated ‘covetousness,’ has the connotation of grasping more and more, being totally unsatisfied with what we already have.
2. Idolatry […]. Today, the idols which enslave men are the idols of the consumer society. For example, the cult of increased production through the irreparable sacking of nature, blind faith in technology, private property seen as an inalienable right, ostentation, fashion, results, success. These are the idols of the consumer society.
3. Reviling. Disrespect for those entrusted with responsibility for others… It is mainly violence with the tongue, and it is also directed at those entrusted with oversight in God’s church. Such people are constantly critical, running down everything and everyone in the Christian community. They reveal a deeply-seated rebellious­ness against all authority and refuse to come into line over such behavior.
4. Drunkenness […]. Such people need to be disciplined as much as those who persist in sexual immorality, in rampant covetousness, or in abusive contempt of authority.
5. Violence. The word translated robber (harpax) has the clear connota­tion of violence. In the first list covetousness and robbery (the greedy and robbers) are linked together.”[7]

vv.11-13 “…We must avoid a cheap grace that refuses to force profess­ing believers to face up to the destructive consequences of grossly immoral behavior. They are not only damaging themselves by allowing sin to go unchecked but also destroying the church.

“A chain of quotations from William Barclay rings true in almost every society and captures the balance of Paul’s teaching in this chapter: ‘To shut our eyes to offenses is not always a kind thing to do; it may be damag­ing,’ ‘it has been said that our one security against sin lies in our being shocked at it;’ yet ‘discipline should never be exercised for the satisfaction of the person who exercises it, but always for the mending of the person who has sinned and for the sake of the Church.’”[8]

v.13 “Following Christ’s guidelines in Matthew 18:15-19, unrepentant members should be put out of the church in the hope that they will repent, leading to their restoration. The desire to avoid conflict and unpleasantness is perhaps the main reason leaders fail to expel unrepentant members. This is a violation of what God intends for his church.”[9]

[1] Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 104-105.

[2] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 82.

[3] Quest Study Bible, study notes (Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1994) 1636.

[4] Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 109.

[5] Life Application Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL:  Tyndale House Publishers, Inc; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991) 2068.

[6] Life Application Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL:  Tyndale House Publishers, Inc; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991) 2068.

[7] John R.W. Stott, The Message of 1 Corinthians (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985) 82.

[8] Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 110.

[9] Quest Study Bible, study notes (Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1994) 1637.

BIBLE TEXT: 

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (ESV) 

¹ 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.

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.

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