Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Do you find the world seems to have two very different MORAL STANDARDS for people in your city? One high moral standard for Christians, and a different, lower moral standard for everyone else, or at least for those who claim no religious affiliation? And do you notice that when a Christian, especially a high-profile Christian, fails morally, the world goes crazy?
Why is that? Hey friends, guess what. It was the same situation in crazy Corinth in the first century, which is why Paul uses all of the fifth chapter of his first letter, written to the Christians in that city, to give them a wakeup call. Let’s look at that today.
In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul writes: “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate. A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud? Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?” (1 Cor. 5:1,2) Does this rumor repulse you, my friends?
We should assume this man is not having sexual relations with his biological mother, but rather his father is married to his stepmother. We should also assume this is not a young boy but a full-fledged adult man. Perhaps his father travels for business and while away, the adult son engages in this repulsive, decadent affair. As you see Paul says even the low moral standards of pagans, who have no interest in God, would not tolerate such debauchery.
Corinth had a reputation of being wildly, sexually immoral. Corinth was a bustling harbor city and the businesses, which cater to the crews of sailing ships while they are briefly in port, were very active, decadent businesses in Corinth.
But the man Paul has heard about was evidently a member of the Church of Christians in Corinth and therefore his immorality was especially offensive to all who heard of it, yet it appears no one was doing anything about it. In fact, did you notice Paul wrote: “You are proud!” Were they proud of their mercy and tolerance of this man; or proud because this man may have been highly influential in Corinth and a member of their church?
Do you see their unwillingness to confront this sin in the Church was shocking to Paul and indicated a cancerous spiritual problem among the Corinthian Jesus followers? What cancerous problem? The problem of irresponsibility and no accountability. The problem of tolerated, unconfronted ‘sin in the camp’, remember the story of Achan? (Joshua 6)
While Paul had lived in Corinth for 18 months (Acts 18:11) one of his main messages about the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the power of crucified and resurrected Jesus for breaking the stronghold and bondage of sin in someone who trusts in Jesus for salvation. And also, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit empowering Corinthian Christians to live Holy, God honoring, lives!
Because Paul had written his letters to the Christians in Thessalonica during his time in Corinth, it’s logical to me what he wrote to the Thessalonians he was preaching to the Corinthians. Therefore, Paul had most likely preached this in Corinth: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God…” (1 Thess. 4:3-5)
Their inaction in Corinth had no excuse. That’s why Paul wrote: “Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit…I have already passed judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the one who has been doing this.” (1 Cor. 5:3) Paul is calling those in the Corinthian church to realize THEY, the Christians there in Corinth, had a responsibility before God to take action in this situation! Why? Because it was gross sin and because the name of Jesus was being mocked and blasphemed in Corinth, by a person claiming to be a follower of Jesus, yet living in such unrepentant, decadent sin.
Paul challenged them to take action, strong action: “When you are assembled, and the power of the Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 5:4,5) What does it mean? I believe it means these things:
First…as Paul writes a little later in 1 Cor. 5:11 “you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral…do not even eat with such people.”
Notice that Paul is specifically talking about a self-declared Christian, living in unrepentant, sexual immorality. A Christian is held to a much higher standard of morality.
Second… as we see, Paul urges the Corinthian Christians to break off ALL relationships with this unrepentant Christian, living in sexual immorality.
Why? Because their friendliness with him, their being seen with him socially, will be viewed by others as their affirming and condoning the man’s decadence.
Third… Paul challenged the Corinthian Church, when gathered for worship, to: “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh”.
It means expel him from being in their church. Why? For two important reasons:
One: each time this unrepentant, immoral man entered the gathering of Christians, he was bringing the demonic forces of Satan’s dark kingdom, which were strongly active in his life, with him into their Christian gathering! Now think about that!
And Two: By expelling him from their gatherings, these Christians would be blocking the efforts of the dark kingdom to invade their church and raising the standard of holiness for all in their church.
Now what did Paul mean about the destruction of the flesh of this sinful man? By expelling the unrepentant sinful man from their midst, he would be no longer under the spiritual covering and blessing present when God’s people gather.
Out there, apart from God’s people, he would be at the mercy of dark kingdom forces. With demons of lust and immorality already strongly controlling his life, we can assume those demons would invite other demons which would take control of other aspects of his life, which would lead him to self-destructive despair. Remember the man who lived among the tombs and was possessed by a legion of demons? (Mark 5)
Now I think we should pause right here, but there’s so much more, we’ll return here tomorrow. For today I urge you to look closely at 1 Corinthians 5, every verse, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand the danger of not taking God’s call to holiness seriously, if you are a Christian.
The ‘lessons learned’ study notes will be very helpful, as will the wonderful worship song, and join me here again tomorrow for more of this important study of God’s Word.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 5
Choose below to read or listen.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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