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First Corinthians 5:1-5

As a loving father, Paul has given a warning to his beloved children in Corinth. The warning was that most
of the believers there had gone off course; they had once again begun to follow the world, with its thinking.
Paul was determined to get them back on course, and so he urged the believers to imitate him; to follow his
example, as children should, their father. Paul intended to send Timothy to them, to remind them of his
ways in Christ - his pattern of life, modeled upon Christ Himself - a life of humble submission to the will of
God.
Paul was hopeful that his letter and a visit from Timothy would persuade the believers in Corinth to take his
correction to heart. Nonetheless, he warns them that he will be returning one day soon, and if his visit has
to be spent scourging the willful believers in Corinth, then so be it - for Paul shares the Fathers love and
determination, to have sanctified sons, for His kingdom.
As we continue into chapters 5 and 6, it might seem at first glance that Paul is now moving on to deal with
some issues that he has been made aware of, in Corinth. And he is dealing with some issues; except well
see that Paul is not moving on. Paul is intentionally bringing these issues up, to demonstrate to the
Corinthian believers just where their worldly thinking has taken them.
Well read all of chapter 5 to get a sense of Pauls complete thought on the first issue, but well only be
looking at the first five verses today.
[First Corinthians 5:1-13]
So Paul has heard a report concerning a particular man who is sinning, in the assembly in Corinth.
Remember that Paul is writing this letter from Ephesus.
How might Paul have received this report? Not from the assembly in Corinth - even though they had
communicated with Paul, by letter. If the church had told Paul, he wouldnt be bringing the issue up to
them, would he?
Its possible that Paul heard this from the same believers from Corinth who had told him of the contentious
divisions, in the assembly there - the members of Chloes household, who were in Ephesus (1:11). They
were gravely concerned about the situation in Corinth, and must have sought out Paul for his counsel, and
to enlist his aid.
Or Paul may have heard it from the three believers who had delivered the churchs letter to Paul in
Ephesus, named at the end of this letter - Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (16:17). They may have
been filling in between the lines of the official church letter for Paul, with other things that were going on
in the church there - alarming things.
And alarming is clearly the word of choice here - or maybe even, horrifying. Certainly we have that sense
from Pauls tone, as he begins in verse 1. Well read it again.
v. 1 The word translated sexual immorality throughout this passage means fornication. This refers to all
extramarital sexual sins and aberrations, including homosexuality. It can also be used for a specific one, as
here.

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What is this particular sin? Paul describes it with the language of a passage in Leviticus. Well look at that
more closely. Turn to Leviticus chapter 18.
[Leviticus 18:1-8]
v. 1-6 The term, uncover his nakedness refers to sexual relations. The LORD was commanding that no
one was to have sexual relations with a close relative - that would be fornication. Then the LORD gave
examples of this, for a man.
v. 7 Our word for this is incest.
v. 8 Here we see Pauls wording from our letter. As this case is set apart as different than verse 7, we
understand fathers wife is speaking not of a mother, but a stepmother. To say it is your fathers
nakedness means that only the father should have sexual relations with his wife; for the stepson, it would
be fornication; an incestuous act.
If we were to continue in this passage, we would see that the idea is all near relations to the man. Now, in
our day, we know that such sexual relations could produce a child with genetic disorders. But its important
to realize that, though this might be a consequence in some cases, this is NOT why the LORD was forbidding
these relations.
We know this because the list includes those who are not genetically related, like incest between a man and
his stepmother; with his daughter-in-law (v. 15); relations with the same sex (v. 22); relations even with
animals (v. 23).
All are listed together, as prohibitions - in fact, in verse 26, we see that the LORD calls all of these sexual
perversions abominations, meaning things that are particularly detestable to Him. An abomination is
generally a sin that is especially destructive to the family and to society.
These sexual perversions disrupt the order that the LORD has created in the family - husband, wife, child.
The family is the LORDs building block for society; for the creation of His kingdom. If the family unit is
destroyed, society unravels; there can be no order; no kingdom. As the LORD would not have His purposes
thwarted, anyone who committed these abominations was to be cut off from the LORDs people - in death (v.
29).
[Return to First Corinthians]
So here, Paul is speaking of incest between a man and his stepmother. And Paul goes on to say that
fornication of this kind was not even named among the Gentiles - that is, even the pagan Gentiles - the
heathen - did not approve of this kind of sexual sin - and this, coming from a culture that embraced sexual
excess, outside of marriage! But parent-child incest was universally abhorred throughout the Roman
world; it was uncommonly practiced, and illegal under Roman law.
Pauls horror is detected in his phrasing - it is actually reported. The KJV translates it, it is commonly
reported; but Pauls horror would not have been that the sin was widely known. His horror would have
been that the report was in fact true.
How could Paul have known it was true? Perhaps both the members of Chloes household and the three
men who delivered the letter told him the same thing - and these were faithful members, of the assembly in
Corinth.

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The Law says by the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established (Deut 19:15) - Paul had
that number or more, from either group. But surely the Holy Spirit would also have confirmed it to Pauls
spirit, for Paul would certainly not have issued any judgment in the matter unless the Lord showed him the
truth.
When Paul says that the man has his fathers wife, he is using a euphemism - a polite expression - for an
enduring sexual relationship. This was not a one-time act; the man was living with his stepmother in an
ongoing incestuous relationship. In that Paul does not comment on the father or his wife, the sense is that
only this man was part of the assembly, in Corinth.
And that is what horrified Paul, even beyond his revulsion over the sin; that such a thing was going on
among you - within the church, in Corinth. How was this possible?
v. 2 This verse makes it clear that the church in Corinth was aware of this vile conduct - because Paul is
stating their reaction to it. And this is how it was possible that such a sin could practiced - continually,
repeatedly - by one in their assembly.
The believers in Corinth were puffed up - they were arrogant. We see that Paul contrasts this term with
how the believers should have been - they should have mourned.
Mourning is the expression of grief; a deep anguish of soul. The believers in Corinth should have been
deeply grieved, over this sin in their midst; dismayed, that such actions were occurring in their assembly.
This terrible sin should have caused them anguishing pain, like a great thorn in their foot, that was
continually stabbing them, impeding their walk with the Lord. It should have therefore prompted their
immediate attention - and generated swift action - to remove that excruciating thorn.
But most of the Corinthian believers were impervious to that pain, which should have been experienced by
the collective. Why? Because they were completely self-absorbed, in their quest for greater wisdom and a
higher spiritual experience. Love of self left no room for love of others, including any concern for the
welfare of the church.
Even worse than that, puffed up with their pseudo spirituality, believers in Corinth viewed themselves as
above the deeds that were carried out in the earthly body. They gleaned that bit of wisdom from some of
their Greek philosophers, who thought that since the flesh was evil, and only the soul or spirit was good, it
didnt matter what one did in the flesh. This thinking made it easy for the believers in Corinth to tolerate
even so vile a sin as incest - because they were so enlightened.
Perhaps they even merged that Greek thinking with the freedom that they had learned of in Christ, changing
that freedom into license to do whatever they - or anyone else - pleased. That would suggest that they might
even have celebrated this sin - instead of mourning it! And this is where their puffed up thinking had taken
them!
What effect would their response have, on those who came to the church in Corinth, to learn about the
Savior, Jesus? They would be led to think that if you believe into Jesus, He saves you by His grace; and
then you can just continue in sin, that grace may abound (Rm 6:1)!
And how would the believers condoning of this sin, detestable to even the pagans, look to that same pagan
community, outside of the church? They would think what many think of Christians today - that theyre
just a bunch of hypocrites; that Jesus doesnt really save anyone from anything, at all.

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Notice that Paul has to actually lay out for the believers in Corinth how they should be reacting - you
should be mourning - because their reaction is so opposite to what it should be, as the Lords sanctified
people (1:2). In taking no action against this vile practice, they have effectively taken a stand for it - a
stand for an abomination, which the Lord cannot and will not allow - as Paul makes clear.
v. 3 Now you might have wondered, Why didnt Paul simply say, I have already judged him who has so
done this deed? Why does he say it this way? And if you did wonder that, thats good - because I believe
Paul was making a point to the Corinthian believers.
Notice in verse 2, he used almost the same language regarding the man - he who has done this deed. In
that verse, we saw the response of the Corinthian believers - to tolerate or condone the sin - even as it was
being carried out in their presence; by one who assembled with them, right in their midst.
To this, Paul is contrasting his response. Hes absent in body; that is, hes not in Corinth. He doesnt know
this man, doesnt assemble with him; the sin is not being carried out in his presence. And yet, the stench of
it has reached Paul, and is revolting to him - even in Ephesus - just as it was to the Lord, in heaven, who
would have verified the report to Pauls spirit.
So from the moment that Paul heard of this heinous sin, he was deeply grieved; he mourned over this
corruption in the midst of Gods church in Corinth - and he immediately passed judgment, upon the man something that those who gathered with the man in the church in Corinth should have done long before.
And as the words of this judgment were read to the assembly, Paul was effectively present with them in
spirit, as though he were speaking those words of judgment to them, in person.
v. 4-5 So this was the judgment, on the man. And before we discuss the actual judgment, lets consider
how it was to be done. The judgment was to be pronounced when the believers in Corinth gathered
together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ - that is, when they assembled as a church; the Lords Body,
in Corinth.
Would the Lord then be present with them? Yes; Jesus said, where two or three are gathered together in
My name, I am there in the midst of them (Mt 18:20). And in what manner would Jesus be present? How
is He present with us today? In body? No; through His Spirit; the Holy Spirit.
And Paul indicated his spirit would be present, also, in this gathering. Most likely, Paul was alluding here
to the oneness that he had with the believers in Corinth, through the Holy Spirit - even though he was not
present in body.
And the judgment was to be carried out with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. How does the Body of
Christ experience the Lords power? Through the Holy Spirit.
What Paul was communicating here was unity of purpose and action in the judgment. The judgment was
authorized by the Lord Jesus; it was pronounced by His apostle, Paul; and it was to be executed by each
and every member of His Body, in Corinth, through the power of the Holy Spirit, within them.
So what was it they were to do? Thats in verse 5 - a verse that has been greatly misunderstood. First Paul
indicates that the church in Corinth was to deliver such a one to Satan. That sounds terrifying, doesnt it?
And as we continue, we see the purpose for which they were to do this - for the destruction of the flesh.
Thats even more terrifying.

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And theres a purpose to doing that - so that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. That
sounds - confusing.
And thats why this verse is greatly misunderstood; because it has to be considered in the light of the Spirit,
for understanding of what the Lord meant. So lets look at it more closely, and let the Spirit do that for us.
First, consider Pauls term, such a one. Such a one as who? As this man, right? Do we know anything
about this man, beside his sin? We do, based on the rest of the passage.
At the very end of chapter 5, Paul is confirming the action that the church was to take with this man, using
an OT Scripture to support this - Deuteronomy 17:7, Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.
This man was an evil person; what does that tell you? That he didnt have the righteousness of Christ,
imputed to him; that is, he was an unbeliever.
This is confirmed by the sin, of this man. It was a heinous sin, an abomination to the LORD, which the man
practiced as his way of life. Thats the manner of life of men who are still in the flesh; unbelievers.
Believers can still sin, of course, but its not the pattern of their life. The pattern of their life is now Christ,
and His righteousness, which has been imputed to them; righteousness in which they are to learn to conduct
themselves - more and more, each day.
And there is one more thing that we know about this man. When we come to verse 11 in this passage, we
will learn that this man was named a brother; that is, he professed to be a Christ One; and this is a crucial
point.
It is specifically because he was naming the name of Christ, and associating with other Christ Ones, as if he
was one of them, all the while sinning in this heinous way, that this judgment must be carried out on him;
specifically, he must be put out of the assembly.
But Paul doesnt say that in verse 5, does he? Instead, the solemn judgment is to deliver the man to Satan
for the destruction of the flesh.
Now what exactly did Paul mean? And how was the church to deliver this man to Satan; did they have
Satans address? And in what way would this action accomplish the purpose of destroying the flesh? And
how did that make it possible to accomplish the purpose of saving the mans spirit? And what does that
mean, anyway? Lots of questions, right?
Lets consider the first part. The judgment was to deliver such a one to Satan. And the action that the
church was to take was to put the man out of their assembly, and no longer associate with him. It would
seem, then, that these are one in the same thing, expressed in two different ways.
So how was expelling the man equal to delivering him to Satan? If the man was put out of the assembly, he
would no longer be gathering together with believers in Corinth to worship the Lord; he would no longer be
hearing the Word of God read, and learning about the Lord. So no more light.
And as the believers disassociated themselves from the man, he would no longer experience their warm
fellowship; the love and concern of the few believers who were walking with the Lord in Corinth would no
longer be extended to him. No more love.

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And in being put out of the assembly, the man would no longer witness those who chose to believe in the
Lord, to be saved; and he would no longer see Christs power, as He transformed those lives. The man
would be shut out from the life, and the light, and the love of God.
Where would that leave him? On the outside; and what was on the outside? The world system. Thats the
place where men walk in the futility of their mind; where their understanding is darkened; where they are
alienated from the life of God (Eph 4:17-18).
Thats the place where men in the flesh live; men who are dead in trespasses and sins, who conduct
themselves in the lusts of their flesh; fulfilling the desires of their flesh and of their mind (Eph 2:1-3). They
sear their consciences, and give themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness (Eph
4:19) - just like this man.
To whom does the world system belong? To Satan. The apostle John wrote, the whole world lies in the
wicked one (1 Jn 5:19); the world system resides in Satan; in a sense, he is his system.
Its the system that Satan built up on the face of Gods earth - constructed through Satans thinking, taken in
by men in the flesh. And Satans world system continues to operate through them; the sons of disobedience
perpetuate it by walking according to the course of it (Eph 2:2) - just like this man continued to do.
So now, we can understand more clearly how the expelling of the man from the church was the delivering
of him to Satan; by putting him out of the assembly, he was delivered back into Satans world system which he had never really left.
But wasnt that rather harsh? Far from being harsh, this judgment showed the strength of Gods love, for
the man. As long as the man was in the assembly, he could deceive himself into believing he was a Christ
One, as he gathered with the believers there - especially since some of the believers condoned his actions.
But if this judgment of the Lord was executed, it would give the man the opportunity to see what he was
doing for what it really was - an abominable sin. Back out in the world, the man would be reminded of the
harsh reality of what life there was like - what people there were like - living apart from the Lord. Facing
the unvarnished truth from the perspective of other side, so to speak, might be just what the man needed
to drive him to genuine repentance.
And genuine repentance is what it would take for the destruction of the flesh. What could Paul mean by
that? He will one day write about it in his letter to the Romans. Turn to Romans chapter 6.
[Romans 6:1-7]
v. 1 This was perhaps what the puffed up Corinthians had begun to believe, and was in fact the way the
man in their assembly was conducting himself.
v. 2 Pauls answer is an emphatic NO. The believer has died to the sin; this is what the man in the
assembly needed to do.
v. 3 To be baptized into Christ Jesus is to unite yourself to Him, by faith. Then His death becomes your
death; youre justified, by faith.
v. 4 Buried with Him, you are separated from the world system. This shows the believers sanctification.
And from the eternal perspective, youve been raised with Christ already - a glorified son of God. And so

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you should walk that way, here and now, in that new life, as a son of God - for He has already given you
that new life - eternal life for the body.
v. 5-6 The old man of us - thats you, in Adam - has been crucified with Christ. In this way, the body that
used to serve the sin has been done away with; it has been rendered inoperative; in the KJV, it has been
destroyed.
This is the destruction of the flesh, that the man in our letter was in need of, that this judgment of the Lord
might procure in him, if it caused him to repent, and unite himself to Christ by faith.
v. 7 In this way - the destruction of the flesh through death with Christ - the man would be freed from sin.
Paul indicated that the destruction of the flesh would result in the mans spirit being saved. Paul brings that
idea out in the second letter we have of his, to the Corinthians.
Turn to Second Corinthians chapter 5. Paul was writing of when our body of flesh is destroyed; in this
case, he was referring to the death of the earthly body.
[Second Corinthians 5:1-4]
v. 1 Paul is speaking here of the earthly body dying; if that happens, believers know they have another
dwelling - a heavenly one. What dwelling is that? Their body of glory; a body of spirit-life.
v. 2-3 A man who has never believed into the Lord to be saved has not received eternal life - the life that
will bring forth a forever-living body of glory. So when he dies, and his earthly body corrupts, he - his
being of spirit - is left naked - and he is therefore found unfit to enter into the presence of God. But we who
believe will not be found naked, because we have received eternal life for the body.
v. 4 When this mortal body is changed into a glorified body, mortality will be swallowed up by life. It is
then that our being of spirit will have an ever living body of spirit; and in this way, our spirit is saved, in the
day that the Lord Jesus returns and redeems our bodies from death (Eph 1:14).
So what Paul was commanding by the authority of the Lord in our letter couldnt have been more merciful,
for this man. God is long suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance (2 Pet 3:9).
And repentance was the hoped-for end, for this man; an end that could only be achieved if the church in
Corinth would unite with the Lord in His judgment - and implement it.
But would they do so? They were even divided among themselves, contending over their various
philosophy-plus-gospel mixtures; mixtures that robbed the cross of its power. Their deceptions had
rendered them powerless, to recognize the heinous sinner for what he truly was, and expel him from their
midst.
As he continues, well see that Paul is determined that the Corinthian believers recognize who they truly
are, in Christ - and their desperate need to have His pure mind, on things.
Reading: Mt 16:5-12; Gal 5:1-13; Ex 12; Lev 23:1-22.