1 Corinthians 5
About the Text
(1) What was the actual sin involved? A certain man, even though he was a believer, had an ongoing sexual relationship with one of his father's wives (not his mother). The church in Corinth frequently struggled with sexuality because most of the converts came from a Gentile (non-Jewish) background. They came from pagan Roman and Greek cultures of the day where homosexuality, prostitution, and polygamy were in style. This man, however, went a step further. He engaged in incest, an act that even the pagan world would have deplored. Christians today also struggle with sexual sin. In a world full of strip bars for men, male strippers for women, pornography, "gay" churches, sex acts on TV, movies, billboards, and now even the Internet, it's hard to resist sexual temptation. Paul "picked" on this man, not because he sinned (we all do), but because the Corinthians were proud of it and did nothing to correct him.
(2) How could the Corinthians be "proud" of incest? They misunderstood the gospel of Jesus Christ. They in a sense said, "Since we're saved through faith (believing in Christ) and not by works (trying hard to be good), then we can do anything we feel like doing." See 6:12 and 10:23. This, by the way, is called antinomianism. What they misunderstood is that Christians are still bound to follow God's law, not to earn salvation of course, but to express their gratitude for having already been given salvation. As a result, they were proud that this man threw away God's law, asserted his freedom, and committed incest. For this, Paul scolded them.
(4) What did Paul mean by "and I am with you in spirit"? The exact meaning is uncertain among Bible scholars. At least we know that somehow, Paul considered himself spiritually present at the Corinthian church's meeting even though he was not physically present.
(5) What did Paul mean by "hand this man over to Satan"? It means to expel him from the group and cast him back into the world, which is influenced by Satan, the "prince of this world" (John 12:31).
(5) What did Paul mean by "so that the sinful nature may be destroyed"? The hardships of being "on your own" again, apart from the help and love of a Christian group, would have caused the man to recognize the sinfulness of his incest. Paul's goal was that this man repent of his sinfulness.
(5) What did Paul mean by "his spirit saved on the day of the Lord"? Paul hopes for the happy day when this man repents of his sin, is restored back into the group of believers, and awaits with the other believers the complete blessings of their salvation when Christ comes back.
(7) What is the "old yeast"? In ancient times, people made a new batch of dough rise but putting some of the leftovers of an old loaf into the new loaf. After doing this batch after batch, the last batch of bread acquires a sour taste, because the yeast originated from a loaf made many batches ago. Hence, "sourdough" bread. When the bread gets too sour, a new batch must be made, using no leftovers from any old loaves. In the same way, the Corinthians were becoming "sour" because of the influence of the incestuous man. They became prideful (v. 6), complacent about sin, quarrelsome (1:11), and immature (3:1). This was another reason for casting the incestuous man out of the fellowship - to keep from ruining the rest of the group.
(6) What is the "Festival"? The Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread, which Paul mentions to make an analogy.
(11) Doesn't Paul's advice lead the church into a self-righteous "witch-hunt"? No. Not if it's done with humility, and out of love and concern for all.
(11) Doesn't this verse point to nearly everyone in the church, since we all have committed some form of sexual immorality, greed, and slander? No. Paul was not referring to those who struggle with sin, for he even had such a struggle (cf. Rom. 7:14-25). Rather, Paul was pointing out those Christians who are proud of their sin (cf. v. 2,6).
(11) Was Paul really serious about not even "eating" with the incestuous man? Yes.
(12) Why did Paul tell us to "judge" those in the church, when Jesus said, "Do not judge, lest you be judged" in Matt. 7:1? There are two different kinds of judging here. Examining the context of Matthew 7 further, we see that Jesus condemns the kind of judging that is hypocritical and motivated by pride. It is the kind of judging where we would look down on another and say, "You backslider, you sinner." In 1st Corinthians, however, Paul is speaking of the good kind of judging - the kind that lovingly corrects our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is the kind of judging where we would put our hand on his shoulder, embrace him, and say, "Brother, your extra-marital affair is displeasing to God." And if he insists that he has done no wrong, then, as a last resort, Christians are to avoid him, all having tears in their eyes. It is the "tough-love" approach to dealing with sin.
(13) Does Paul's advice really work today? In the early church, yes. Today, not so well. That's because Christ's church is so fragmented today, that those who are "cast out" simply go down the street to another church that will tolerate their sin. These verses challenge the churches today to stick together, communicate, and support each other in dealing with sin.
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