1 Corinthians 5:1-13 (ESV)
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. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 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. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 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. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 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. 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. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 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. 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. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Paul wrote to the Corinthians in chapter 5 teaching them to observe discipline within the church. There was sin the Church at Corinth that was of such a nature even those outside of the church knew it to be wrong. Paul wrote to Corinthians to tell them 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.” Paul told the Corinthians to not even eat with those in the Church who were engaged in flagrant sin. Paul also wrote to them that this did not apply to those in the world, else they “would need to go out of the world.” We are in the world, but not to be of the world. We are to be lights in the world bring the world to Christ. We are to confront sin in the Church for the benefit of the of the brother or sister to turn them back to God.
There are so many practical lessons in Paul’s letters.
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