Do Not Fellowship

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

1 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. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 3 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. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 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. 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 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. 8 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. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 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. 11 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. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Notes

Paul, the apostle, wrote a letter to the Church in Corinth after he learned about a scandal. He cited the church's arrogance for not mourning the incident, and for not taking decisive action. The church should have removed the guilty person from fellowship.

1 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. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. (1 Corinthians. 5:1-2)

1. Church Removal

   The apostle increased their confidence in doing the necessary; Paul stated that he was with them in spirit. When the church gathered in the name of the Lord, they should decide to remove the guilty from fellowship. The term used was to deliver to Satan. It might be counterintuitive, but the purpose was to restore.

   
   3 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. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 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 (1 Corinthians. 5:3-5).

   Application: Church members must follow Matthew 18:15-17 from private to churchwide. However, when the damage to the church community is widespread or immeasurable, the church can gather and execute the decision to remove without going through the process in Matthew 18:15-17. In this context, there was an issue of sexual immorality, but the principle may apply to different contexts.

   
   

2. Reason for Removal

   Paul rebuked their boasting. He explained that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of bread. By tolerating sin, one can become many. Therefore, the guilty must be disciplined and, in certain scenarios, removed from fellowship. There should be no malice or evil that can corrupt the other members.

   
   6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 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. 8 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 (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

   Application: The church must protect its testimony for the gospel's sake. Although we are not perfect, we must walk in holiness and hold each other accountable in His name. Moreover, we must watch one another, and if it is necessary to expel someone from the fellowship, we should do so.

3. Do Not Fellowship

   Paul clarified that the church should not fellowship with so-called brothers and sisters who continue in sin. Judgment should begin in the household of faith. Judgment should not be careless, but it should be done. Only God will judge on the last day, but the church must be decisive if someone should be removed from fellowship.

   
   9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 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. 11 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. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).

   Application: The church community, especially its leaders, should practice alertness, caution, and decisiveness. In cases where the damage to the church community’s unity and testimony is widespread, the elders and members should act to remove the person from their midst. If the church does not, they act arrogantly against God’s word. But if the church does, it is following the Lord’s instructions, which inspires holy living among its members.

Reflection & Discussion

1. Why did Paul call the Corinthian church arrogant?

2. What are the reasons why the guilty should be removed? Cite two.

3. What kind of person should be avoided? Explain using the text.