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November 2008 (2
Timothy 2:15)
This
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
1 Corinthians (Lesson 18)
Introduction to
Chapter 5
Failure to Deal With Sin in the Church
Our
Apostle Paul picks up right where he left off in chapter 4 commenting on the
subjects of pride and boasting in the Corinthian church. We’ve learned that pride was a major component of this church’s divisive spirit (4:6,
18, 19). Commencing at verse 5:1 Paul
provides a specific instance of their arrogant
attitude, regarding the incestuous sin of one of their members.
In
regards to their boasting, in their
own human achievements, then in the supposed superiority of their teachers or leaders; Paul addressed these concerns
at 1 Corinthians 1:29, 31; 3:21; and 4:7.
In chapter 5 we find the Corinthians boasting again concerning their tolerance toward one of their
members who was living in gross immorality
(5:6).
********
Please
open your Bible at 1 Corinthians 5:1 and I’ll meet you there.
Immorality Rebuked
1 Corinthians 5
1: It is actually reported
(probably
by Chloe) that there is immorality
among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the
Gentiles (pagans; i.e. unbelievers),
that someone has his father’s wife.
Verse
1 refers to this immorality as an ongoing
thing and verse 2 identifies it as a deed. Evidently, the accused had taken his father’s wife into his home as his
own wife and this phrase may imply that the woman is not his biological mother.
It’s
just as important for us to note what the Bible doesn’t say here. Paul doesn’t tell us if the father in this
situation is a widower or if he is divorced and has remarried. He doesn’t say if the father is alive or dead;
not that any of that alters this man’s immoral
behavior. The son has his father’s wife and Paul said this is immorality
(fornication) of such a kind
as does not exist even among the (pagan)
Gentiles.
The
vast majority in Christendom have concluded that the woman involved in this
sordid scene was the man’s step-mother. But
hang onto your Bibles. Let’s examine
this more closely. If you consider the
gross immorality that prevailed among the pagans, especially those living in
Corinth, a two-port city, it hardly seems likely that adultery with one’s
step-mother (not a blood relative) would have attracted much attention, or
would have been so objectionable to the pagans of this city as to be noteworthy
“fruit” on the gossip-grapevine.
Furthermore,
Paul has chosen to rebuke this particular sin by using strong language: “Everybody
is talking about it… and immorality of
such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles… you should be mourning… this man must be removed from your midst… I
have decided to deliver him to Satan...
Adultery
was as common back then as it is today, so Paul’s language would seem to
indicate that this sin was exceptionally shocking, one which the pagan Gentiles would not even speak of,
let alone practice. That is, this man
was actually guilty of cohabitation with a close blood relative (incest) with his father’s wife; or his mother.
Three
times in the Pentateuch this form of incest is designated as a man lying with
his “father’s wife.” This
was a capital offense, cursed by the LORD God (Leviticus 20:11; Deuteronomy
22:30, 27:20). Therefore it’s not
strange at all to find our Apostle Paul using the same terminology in
addressing it and with the same depth of feeling or remorse. No Believer should be behaving in this
manner… the pagans don’t even do
this. The offender was fortunate that he
was living under the dispensation of God’s Grace, otherwise Paul would have said,
“He must be executed; he must be put to
death.” Under the Mosaic Law he
would have been taken outside the city and stoned to death.
Verse
2:
2: You have become arrogant
and have not mourned instead, so that the one (note Paul doesn’t
mention the woman only the man; perhaps she was an unbeliever) who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.
Although
immorality of any kind is considered
very serious sin before God, the root
problem in Corinth was the church’s pride and their arrogance regarding this sinful behavior. Paul is addressing every
one of the Corinthians here because he knows that their so-called leaders have led them astray. They think this individual is free to do as
he pleases and they, in turn, have the right not to do anything about
his wicked behavior because they possess superior knowledge (1 Corinthians
6:12, 10:23).
What
did Paul say, “You are arrogant.” The people in the church were boasting in this immoral behavior. Perhaps their
wrong attitude stems from a misunderstanding of God’s Grace, and they use it as
“an opportunity for the flesh”
(Galatians 5:13), and says, (as they were saying in Corinth), “All things are lawful for me…” (6:12), turning God’s Grace
into license to freely commit sin. (Romans
6)
But
Paul says, “You should have mourned as
over the dead,” but they didn’t do this, and they didn’t take any action to correct
the sinner or remove him from their midst.
In their prideful state they saw no need to do either of these things. Paul rebukes this arrogant attitude and subsequent behavior. God’s Grace does not give Believers license to
sin freely.
Let’s
go to verse 3.
Verses
3-5 are a judicial metaphor. The early
church followed the administrative and worship pattern of the synagogue. These courts were common back in the
day.
1 Corinthians 5
3: For I, on my
part, though absent in body, but present in spirit, have already judged
him who has so committed this, as though I were present.
In
verse 3 Paul assets his apostolic authority with the expression: though
absent in body, but present in spirit, meaning his decision stands, but he
wants the church to confirm it. Paul gave
them the authority to break fellowship with this man who has been living in a steady immoral sexual relationship, since he has already judged him.
Let’s
go to verse 4.
1 Corinthians 5
4: In the name of
our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power
of our Lord Jesus,
In the name of our
Lord Jesus (v4)
- this is a Hebraic way of asserting
the prestige and power of the risen
Lord Jesus Christ as Paul’s source of apostolic authority, meaning Paul
emulates Him and represents Him here on earth.
Verse
5:
1 Corinthians 5
5: I have decided to deliver such a one to
Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
I have decided to
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh (v5) –
Throughout
Paul’s writings he uses the terms flesh and
spirit repeatedly but never as two
distinct parts of a person. He uses them
to reflect an individual’s orientation toward God (Romans 7:5).
- He meant the term flesh to mean that the man or woman (physical body, mind, and spirit) was living a life apart from God.
- He meant the term spirit to mean that the man or woman (physical body, mind, and spirit) was living a life honoring God.
Therefore when Paul used the phrase “for the destruction of his flesh” he meant for the destruction of his sinful ways.
By
commanding the church to excommunicate this man (v5) Paul is effectively giving
the man over to Satan to cause him trials and difficulties of the flesh so that
he may repent of his sin (2 Corinthians 12:7; 2 Timothy 2:24-26). Paul recognizes that an individual’s mind and
heart can change but only if their fleshly tendencies (sinful nature) are overcome.
Paul
also knows Satan is “the god of this age”
(2 Corinthians 4:4) and the “the prince
of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Paul saw the earth as Satan’s realm and
dominion. Satan’s evil forces have
conquered humanity as a whole and holds them as prisoners of spiritual warfare as “rulers and
authorities” (Colossians 2:15).
However,
Paul understood the significance of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion; it “disarmed
the rulers and authorities” (Colossians 2:14-15), and “rescued us from the
domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:13). Those
who are in Christ Jesus (Believers) don’t have to sin; God has provided a way
out (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Paul
used the phrase “Body of Christ” as a symbol of the church where the works of
the Spirit are present (Romans 12:5-21; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians
4:1-16; Colossians 1:18-24). He saw the
church as a refuge from the realm of Satan.
The
phrase “handed over to Satan” is a
figurative expression for excommunication where the sinner is cast out from the
Body of Christ and into the realm of Satan, a.k.a the world. While this judicial
act within the church was intended to help the individual recognize his unconcealed sin, repent
of it, and then after some time has passed be restored to fellowship; the other intent was to cleanse the church so that the sin would
not grow into a much larger problem as “a
little leaven permeating the whole lump.”
Paul
used similar terminology to describe other church discipline cases too. Let’s all turn to 1 Timothy 1:20 and I’ll
show you one example …Among them are
Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have punished by handing them over to
the power of Satan; this will teach them to stop their blasphemy.
Even
though Paul has commanded that this man be expelled from their midst, sending
him into Satan’s realm, it’s for his own good.
No one enjoys discipline, but I think we can all agree discipline is an
effective tool when applied appropriately and in a timely fashion: All
discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those
who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).
If
you’ll turn with me to 2 Corinthians 2:6-8 for just a minute, I’ll show you the
end result of this church discipline, as Paul writes: Sufficient
for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, so that on the contrary
you should rather forgive and comfort him,
otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive
sorrow. Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm
your love for him.
Here
we learn that this man had a change of
mind and heart; he was graciously restored to fellowship within the church, yet
because of his downward spiral into sexual immorality
he was in danger of being over taken by excessive sorrow (v7). This
was a healthy result. He was remorseful;
a contrite vessel ready for the Lord’s use.
He also provided a much-needed lesson for the rest of the church.
Let’s
go to verse 6.
6: Your boasting
is not good. Do you not know that
a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
Let’s
begin with this - Do you not know is
a phrase used by Paul to refer to things Believers should have known, things
previously communicated to them, but things they have apparently (based upon
their current actions and attitudes) forgotten or rejected.
Your boasting
is not good – we’re
back to the primary problem within this church and it’s certainly not the immoral behavior of this one man. It’s their pride. This is why Paul uses the illustration of a
piece of leaven. It can have devastating effects on the
whole. The Jews associated fermenting
with rotting, so leaven became a
symbol of corruption, a.k.a. “evil.” The
evil that’s infecting this church is
their pride and boasting about their toleration of this man and his immoral activities.
Arrogance is what Paul wants
to eliminate amongst the Believers in Corinth, and if expelling this man will
accomplish this so be it. (See 2
Corinthians 12 where Paul is concerned about “the many” who have sinned in
impurity, sexual sin, and debauchery, which
they have practiced. That is the leavening influence of sin in the Body
of Christ.)
A little leaven
leavens the whole lump of dough - Paul had quoted
this in Galatians 5:8-9 as a proverb that was commonly known back in the day
(Matthew 13:33-35, 16:6, 12). Here he builds
a more extensive illustration which draws from the O.T. Jewish ritual of the
annual Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.
Leaven refers to a
substance used to produce fermentation in a small amount of dough. When you mix it with fresh dough, the whole
batch became fermented and lighter, and over a period of time, the process may
have become a “health risk.” Permit me
to explain: Leaven, to be distinguished
from yeast, was made by keeping back a piece of the previous week’s dough,
storing it in suitable conditions, and adding juices to promote the process of
fermentation, much like sourdough. This moldy
dough could go bad on you becoming a contaminant, an acid, which explains why
it was a fitting symbol for the infectious power of “evil.” This is why Paul uses it; he’s making a point
about the pervasiveness of sin.
Now
I believe we’re ready for verses 7-8.
7: Clean out
the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you
are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been
sacrificed.
8: Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not
with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Clean out the old
leaven – the
Jews were required to remove all the old
leaven from their homes as part of the purification custom prior to
celebrating the annual Passover feast; this was a symbol of repentance: Seven
days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove
leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day
until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel (Exodus
12:15, 19).
The
Jews would literally go through the entire house with a candle searching for
all the old leaven for the LORD God
had said they must never eat the Feast of Passover with leaven present in the home.
They still do this today except for the candle thing…
Paul
borrows from this imagery to instruct the Corinthians to clean out the old leaven so that you (or you ‘all) may be a new lump – this phrase from
Paul makes it quite clear that his primary concern is for the corporate body
and not the one individual acting immorally.
The
community was watching and they were getting the wrong impression from this
church. It didn’t appear as if they were
acting any differently than the pagans living outside the church. They weren’t offering or presenting a
solution to any of the problems which existed in the city a.k.a. the world; they were part of a prevalent problem. So Paul is telling the church they are to lay
aside every hindrance and make a fresh start as a new lump or congregation: Therefore,
since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside
every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and
let us run the race with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews
12:1).
Just as in fact you (you ‘all) are unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been
sacrificed. What we are in Christ
Jesus positionally, as adopted sons and daughters of God
the Father, and fellow heirs with Jesus
Christ, we are to become in our Christ-like lifestyle. In other words, Paul is saying be who you ‘all are, in Christ Jesus. If they would do this, the pagan world would know them by what they do
and say.
Paul
then relates the crucifixion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ to the O.T.
concept of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12:15, 46, 13:7). This is one of the few places in the N.T.
that this connection is specifically stated (John 1:29, 19:36).
Paul’s
point is clear: sin spreads in the
church as leaven does in dough. A piece of bad leaven will infect and poison the next batch and so on. The only way to break the chain of baking
bacteria-laden bread was to ditch the whole batch and start fresh. If we apply this principle here, Paul’s
metaphor teaches that this man’s sin brings greater harm than simply being a
bad example for others in the church. It
likens his sin to a cancerous tumor that will infect and ruin the entire
community unless it is purged from the body.
Let’s
go to verses 9-13.
9: I wrote you in
my letter not to associate with immoral people;
10: I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the
covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of
the world.
11: But actually, I
wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother (or sister in the
Lord) if he (or she) is an immoral person, or covetous, or an
idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with
such a one.
12: For what have I
to do with judging outsiders? Do you not
judge those who are within the church?
13: But those who
are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE
WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
In
this paragraph Paul instructs the Corinthians (and us) that church discipline
is for Believers and not the outside world. It’s not the church’s responsibility to judge
those outside the church. There is only
one Righteous Judge (John 8:7; James 4:12).
Our responsibility is to be Jesus Christ’s ambassadors here on earth, speaking the gospel of reconciliation to them, and not to
control them (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
It’s not the church’s task to clean up the world’s fishbowl, when all God asked us to do was, “go fishing.” (Matthew 4:19; Romans
10:13-15)
It
appears that Paul wrote 4 letters to this church all total but we only have 2
of these in our Bible. (1) The letter
referred to in 1Corinthians 5:9 (see note there);
(2) 1 Corinthians; (3) the “severe”
letter (see 2 Corinthians 2:3–4) and then (4) 2 Corinthians.
Evidently,
in one of the other letters the Corinthians apparently misunderstood Paul’s
meaning. They thought he didn’t want
them to associate with any immoral
person. Paul clarifies this
misunderstanding by explaining this ban pertains only to Believers.
It’s
impossible for Believers to avoid contact with the outside world. We have to function in the world but we’re not to be joined with
it (John 12:31, 16:11, 17:14-15; 1 John 5:19; Romans 12:1-2). When an unbeliever sins that’s a natural act;
that’s part of their job description, if you’ll permit. But the difference between a sinner and a
saint is that a saint doesn’t have to sin anymore (Romans 7). So, when a Believer sins blatantly there’s a
problem. The church must intervene for
the good of the individual and for the good of the community who’s most
certainly watching and waiting to point the accusing finger of shame at God’s
Church, and the opportunity to run God’s good name through the mud.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
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