Their Gross Immorality

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Good Housekeeping

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Having dealt with their first problem which was divisions in the church, he now turns to their second problem which was "gross immorality". Notice the sin. "A man was living with his father's wife." This was fornication and not just simple fornication, it was a type that was not even found among pagans.

Now we may ask, was this man a Christian? Had he been "born again"? Yes, he was, and we know this from verse 5, "deliver the man to Satan that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." It is important that we know that this man was saved in order that we understand why Paul wanted him removed from the fellowship. Had he not been a Christian, Paul would not have wanted him removed rather he would have wanted him in church where he could hear the convicting words of the Gospel.

Notice what happens when a Christian sins so openly. "It was told in all places." The sins of Christians are quickly noticed and spread around by the gossips. In this case it was probably Cleo's people who were spreading the word. We must accept the fact that we live in a glass house and we cannot exercise the freedoms we have in Christ because the eyes of the world are upon us.

Why didn't the church take action before this? It would appear that this man was a man that they held in great esteem, who was a leader in the church and contributed much to its financial needs. Even though they knew of his fornication, they continued to phrase him instead of condemning him.

We also see another problem here. Going back to the first problem, the existence of two groups in the church, it would seem that this man belonged to one of the groups and the other group took the opportunity to celebrate. This man's sin somehow scored points for the other side. The sins of our brothers should not be a time of celebration but a time of sorrow.

Notice what Paul suggests that they do. Four actions are recommended:

1. They were to assemble. This needed to be a joint effort on the behalf of the whole congregation. You can rely on the decisions of the majority. They carry weight, there is less opportunity for error and they carry much authority.
2. They were to do this when Paul's spirit was present. Paul wanted them to know that even though he was absence from them in body, he was with them in spirit. He wanted them to know that he had not made this judgment lightly but has done so after obtaining facts in the matter and much prayer.
3. They were to act with the power of the Lord Jesus. We are never to assume this kind of action in our own power. Only as the Spirit leads and in His power are we to do anything of this nature.
4. Finally, they are to deliver him to Satan, hand him over to the Devil. There are many opinions about what Paul was saying. Two opinions are most accepted.
   1. Paul was telling them to remove the man from the church fellowship and he will, of his own volition, descend to the depths of sin that will ultimately lead to the destruction of his body. The presence of death and pain will cause the man to repent and his spirit (soul) will be saved. This opinion is based on the doctrine of Martin Luther and is described as the "action of man".
   2. Others believe that Paul was telling them to deliver the man, by the power of the Spirit, into the hands of Satan for the destruction of his body. The destruction of the flesh is a happy occasion for the church and the man because it results, by God's action, in the salvation of the soul. This opinion is based on the doctrine of John Calvin and is described as the "action of God".

This last opinion is widely accepted and given as justification for any censure taken by the church. Any censure should be done by the leadership of the Lord and for the good of whoever it falls upon.

Purification

"Your boasting is not good." This boasting was another problem that Paul had heard about at the church at Corinth. It needed to be purged from the church. Now boasting seems like a very small thing but like "leaven" or yeast, a small amount will affect the whole loaf. It appears that they may have actually boasted of their "tolerance" in allowing a man who was openly living in sin to remain in the congregation.

Now why would they have done this? In Greece, "liberality" was a great characteristic to have. It showed that you respected the freedoms of others. But Paul did not see liberality as something to be desired in the Christian church. Allowing sins on the basis of being liberal, could and would effect the whole church. If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander.

We can see the effect of this in our own time as the position of the church has become more liberal over the years. Attitudes have changed and a more liberal position has been taken toward drinking, women, divorce, Sunday activity, and church officers. Perhaps none of these, in and of themselves, cause any need of concern. But together, they should concern us as it did Paul, knowing that we must decide where our limits are. Paul suggests that soon we will not be any different than those of the world.

Paul says that we must remove the old unclean worldly things, the leaven of malice and evil, and replace it with sincerity and truth.

A Previous Letter

In these verses it appears that Paul must have written a previous letter to the Corinthians which we do not have. Some believe that he is simply picking up his thoughts and continuing his previous instructions (verses 1 and 2 of this chapter) and decided to be more specific and cover areas besides fornication.

It does not appear that he is speaking about any particular person, rather he is giving instructions to all churches as to how they are to treat a believer who is found guilty of the sins of fornication, greed, idolatry, trouble making, drinking and stealing. These sins have no place in the life of the believer.

Elsewhere, Paul speaks of the procedure that must be used by the church to separate such a person from the fellowship. First, the truth must be established. Then repentance must be sought from the accused. Then, finally the church must take action if the accused does not repent. The church is then advised that if repentance is not forth coming, they are to "drive out the wicked person from among them". Please note that Paul is not speaking of "excommunication". He is speaking of the avoidance of all social contact with that person for the purpose of bringing that person to repentance and back into the fellowship with the Lord.

Notice that this action applies only to believers. We are not supposed to judge those outside the church, only God can judge them. Also we are not to separate ourselves from the lost, but rather witness to them, by the Grace of God, that some might come to know Christ.

Paul is speaking of the upholding of Christian ethics. It is our responsibility to police our membership for two reasons. First, to keep the agnostics from further evidence for the discrediting of Christianity (fuel for their evil fire). Secondly, to seek the betterment of fellow Christians who have back sliden and bring them to repentance. All of this must be done in love and for the sake of the fallen brother.

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