1 Co 5:1-6:20

1 Cor 5:1-6 (NIV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

• Let's start with the issue, which is incest, but we know a little bit more about the issue as well, what do we know?
  
  • Some of this is based on the Greek words used
    
  • Probably step-mother, since does use the word "mother"
    
  • Probably separated or divorced from the Father, since it does not appear to involve adultery
    
  • Probably, woman is not a member of the church, but son is a member
    
  • Probably living together, since he does mention married
    
  • Not accepted under Mosaic law, Greek culture, and prohibited by Roman law (Fee, 1987, pp. 199-200)
    
• How are the Corinthian church viewing this event?
  
  • Evidence of their liberty in Christ
    
  • Extending freedom in Christ toward sexual restraints
    
• What is the problem in the church?
  
  • Lack of discipline
    
• Notice that the issue is public, known, and accepted in the church. Church is proud of the event. Paul uses this episode to claim his authority over the church. What is his response?
  
  • The person should be confronted
    
  • The person should be cast out of the church (example: share issue in CMA church and how the person needed to be forgiven)
    
  • Should treat the believer as an unbeliever -- key point, it does not say the person is not saved or that the person loses his salvation
    
  • Let Satan discipline the man. Like the hedge around Job, the hedge is completely removed around this man. Turned over to Satan, could also mean death, the complete destruction of the flesh. I actually have know one case of this happening
    
  • APPLICATION: I wonder if each of us has a hedge around us, and if our refusal to deal with sin can result in the removal of the hedge. In some cases, our circumstancse are the result of our sin -- BUT not in all cases
    

  1 Cor 5:9-13 (NIV) I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
  

  12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
  

• First of all, how does these verses fit with Paul's earlier statement in 4:5?
  
  • 1 Cor 4:5 (NIV) Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
    
  • We are not to judge others as a general rule. But what is different in this case, is that it is blatant sin in the church. But, who decides when something is blatant sin?
    
    • Most times, it is obvious
      
    • I believe it falls upon the spiritual leadership of the church. Therefore, the Corinthians had a problem with the leadership administering spiritual discipline
      
• Even today, many people have misunderstood these verses. As believers, they have separated themselves so much from the world, that many Christian cannot identify one single non-Christian friend or acquaintance
  
• We are in the world, but we are not to be of the world. Now this does pose some problems, what are they?
  
  • Sometimes being in the world can lead to temptation -- we do need boundaries
    
  • Sometimes we let the world influence us instead of our influencing it -- we need to identify with our faith early, or it becomes harder the longer we are in the setting
    
    • Example: work. Do you place a bible on your desk or not?
      
    • Example: Do you bring up some aspect of God's work in your life even with simple statements like, "God was gracious …; I thank God …, etc"
      

  1 Cor 6:1-8 (NIV) If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother goes to law against another — and this in front of unbelievers!
  

  7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.
  

• What is the problem and why is it a problem?
  
  • What: believers are taking other believers to court
    
  • Why: there is a lack of spiritual leadership
    
  • Why: it exposes your petty squabbles to the unbeliever and shows them that Christ doesn't make life any different
    
    • Actually, this is true statement from the point of the Corinthian church, but what is the false logic behind it
      
    • People who truly are living for God do have lives that are different. The fact that some carnal believer's lives are not different from the world does not dismiss the fact that God can change lives
      
• What is the reason for Paul's statements in verses 7-8, "completely defeated" and "why not be wronged … (or) cheated?"
  
  • Complete defeat is because we have the wrong value system
    
  • We see our reward here on earth and not in heave
    
  • We are more interested in getting than giving
    
  • If we truly are focused on the unseen and eternal things, what does it really matter anyway?
    
    • If we want the person to be disciplined for his good -- that is probably a good motive
      
    • Example: I knew a couple of Christians who were in a great dispute over some money that one invested in the other. It was a very difficult situation. The one person was overly optimistic and oversold things (which could be a fault). The other person saw it as lying and realizing it was unlikely he was going to get any of his money back. If you are going to invest money with a believer, I think you need to realize, even more so than with an unbeliever, that you may lose it all -- that is probably the best advice
      

  1 Cor 6:9-20 (NIV) Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
  

  12 "Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"-but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
  

  18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
  

• So the leadership has failed to deal with an issue of blatant sin and to resolve disputes between members. But there is another issue here, and this issue is directed to believers. What is the issue, and how do we know Paul is talking to the believer?
  
  • Sexual immorality is the issue
    
  • Paul talks about their freedom in Christ, but draws the line on sexual immorality
    
  • Sexual immorality and our bodies being united with Christ
    
  • Sexual immorality and our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit
    
• Paul starts with the obvious, that those engaged in the lifestyle of the world, who do not know the savior will not inherit the kingdom of God. Many in the church came from this background, but what had happened?
  
  • They were washed -- sins take away
    
  • They were sanctified -- God worked in their hearts to change their desires and motivations. They are a changed people
    
  • The were justified. Their sins are no longer held against them
    
• But what happened?
  
  • It appears that they let teaching about their freedom in Christ allow them to let these sins back into their life
    
  • Argument goes -- "If there are no restrictions on food, one appetite of the body, why must there be in sexual things, another physical desire (Johnson, 1962, p.1238)?"
    
  • Some apparently argued that prostitution is okay. Some commentators have suggested that maybe it was allowed in the church as was in some Greek Temples
    
• The quotes maybe quotes from Corinthian culture that were used as arguments
  
• What are the arguments against sexual immorality?
  
  • The body is the Lord's. He will raise the body to life someday (some did not believe in the resurrection, a point he will deal with later in the letter)
    
  • Our bodies are members of Christ himself. Uniting our self with a prostitute makes us one with the prostitute
    
  • Sexual sins are unlike all other sins, because they are committed against the body
    
  • The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
    
  • The body was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. We do not own our body
    
• APPLICATION: Sexual sins are unlike any other sin a Christian can commit. We need to fully understand that our bodies were bought at a price, they are not our own, and they are a temple for God
  

  Fee, Gordon D. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. New International Commentary on the New
  

  Testament series. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987.
  

  Johnson, S. Lewis, Jr. "1 Corinthians." In The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, pp. 1227-60. Edited by Charles
  

  F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison. Chicago: Moody Press,1962.