1 Corinthians 5:1-13
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Immorality Rebuked
Immorality Rebuked
How do we deal with immorality in the church?
There is no black and white solution to the problem of immorality within the church but here in chapter 5 Paul gives us some perspective for how to address sin amongst the body.
It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.
We are introduced to the problem. Paul says that there is someone who is sleeping with their father’s wife. This type of immorality, Paul says, isn’t even present among the Gentiles. This is a sin particularly egregious that the outside world looks at it and sees it as inappropriate. This is a culture of sexual perversion, homosexuality, prostitution, pedophilia. Yet even among the Gentiles this was seen as abnormal. Incest was seen as a taboo in ancient Rome. While all other forms of sexuality were generally accepted and celebrated in some instances, incest was shameful. This specific relationship type probably wasn’t between a son and his biological mother. Paul says it was the father’s son and the father’s wife. The word incest comes from the word incestum in latin which means unholy. Mothers and sons that had sexual relationships together were called a derogatory term named metrokoits which is very similar to another derogatory term we use today. You might know it as a mother-sex-haver which might be the only time that phrase has or ever will come up in a sermon. One example of this is the Oedipus tragedy. Incest was seen as barbaric and uncivilized.
https://www.thecollector.com/incest-ancient-greece-rome/
This act is shocking and severe.
We don’t know much information. We don’t know if the man had a wife already and he was cheating on his wife with his stepmom. We don’t really know. We do know that this man thought himself free to sin under the grace of Jesus. He was unashamed, not in the Gospel, but in his sinning. It was an abuse of freedom, It was severely immoral, and the church celebrated it rather than condemn it.
How do we respond to this behavior?
What do you think of when you hear the word church discipline?
The Corinthian church not only refused to mourn this behavior, they were arrogant about it. They celebrated it.
You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.
They were openly accepting this man and this behavior. It wasn’t like they were showing grace and hoping he would change. There were no conversations about repentance or morality. They openly accepted him and this behavior in the church.
For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Paul hates the behavior of this man but more than that he hates the attitude. It wasn’t that like it was a moment of weakness or a one time thing. It wasn’t like he was apologetic or repentant. He was claiming to follow Christ while living in outright rebellion against God. He was arrogant in his sin. He felt no shame or guilt because of his sin but instead brought it out into the open. Paul’s response is to discipline him. He says to deliver him over to satan for the destruction of his flesh so his spirit may be saved. Paul doesn’t hate this man but he hates his behavior. Paul believes the most loving thing he can do is to condemn the sin that he is openly living in.
We get a picture of this in Romans 1.
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
God does not force people to follow Him. We have freewill to choose. Mankind chose to exchange the truth of God for a lie. Mankind chose sin over God. This passage is talking about the lost. Paul uses these first few chapters of Romans to explain the depravity of mankind. Greek, Jew, we have all chosen sin over God and His created order. Paul here in Corinthians isn’t writing about a lost person who is expected to live out their sinful desires. This is a man who claims to have been transformed by God and claims to have the Holy Spirit living inside Him. In handing him over to satan Paul believes that what is true about his soul will be made known. In handing him over it will either confirm that he is of God by moving him to repentance or it will confirm that he is lost and in need of God’s grace.
We see an examples of this
This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
These two men were put under discipline for blasphemy.
You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol.
The attitude Paul cuts off is the unrepentant arrogant attitude. It isn’t the person who feels trapped in a sin they hate and who needs help. It isn’t the guy that feels shame or guilt and wants to repent. I don’t even know if it is ignorance. Like people have behaviors that they just don’t realize its wrong. The attitude Paul is looking to cut from the church is the person that knows what they do is wrong and just don’t care. Willful disobedience without repentance. And Paul’s goal isn’t to condemn the person or withhold God’s grace and forgiveness. God’s grace and forgiveness are readily accessible. This person just doesn’t care for it because they don’t care that what they do is wrong. Paul even says that in cutting him off he hopes that this sinful behavior might die and that his soul might be saved. That is the goal of church discipline. It isn’t to condemn a person it is to put to death a behavior and attitude so that they might be restored again.
Unfortunately this isn’t typically how church discipline is carried out. Usually it happens over petty disagreements. It isn’t done with the idea of restoration and forgiveness. It is excommunication. That isn’t what Paul is describing. Paul is firm but what he says is said in love. It is a necessary rebuke. This person has been unwilling to hear truth or be moved to repentance. Paul isn’t trying to be legalistic. He is trying to promote holiness in the body. Something that should occur as a byproduct of following Christ as His church.
Church discipline makes me uncomfortable because my family has been on the other side of it and it was handled poorly.
Church disciplines protects the order, unity and safety of the flock, preserves its witness, keeps leaders accountable.
Paul continues his rebuke.
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Rather than boasting in the Lord for demonstrating his strength and wisdom through their weakness and foolishness, they boast in their sin. These attitudes that creep into the church are a cancer. A little bit of leaven ruins the whole lump. The church’s testimony, their representation of the Gospel, the name of Jesus they proclaim, all of it is tarnished by the hypocrisy they have. The church shouldn’t be full of hypocrites. It shouldn’t. It shouldn’t be full of people that say they are perfect but really are living in sin. It should be filled with humble, authentic sinners that cling to the cross of Christ. That isn’t hypocritical. To admit your shortcomings. To admit when you need help that isn’t hypocritical. You can proclaim the hope you have in christ, the power of the cross and freedom from sin while struggling with sin. That isn’t hypocritical. Why? Because you are struggling with sin. Not celebrating it. Not embracing it.
When arrogant sinfulness enters the church it undermines the ministry of the church both to the lost and to each other. Paul says to remove the leaven. Christ died so we might live in freedom and unity in the body. We celebrate Christ by pursuing holiness in our lives not by celebrating the old sin He died to set us free from. Not malice and wickedness but sincerity and truth.
How do we carry out church discipline?
With a mind set in the truth
honest conversations about sin
With hearts full of love
It should break our hearts to do it
With Hands extended in grace
We should be ready to restore
Church discipline isn’t a 5 step process. It requires wisdom and discernment that are too great for any one person. The Corinthian church exists in a different culture than ours. It operates on a different structure than the American church. This is a nuanced discussion. It is unique in every instance. It requires guidance from the Holy Spirit. It demands much prayer and fasting. It isn’t just something we do willy nilly. Truthfully I have no clue what I would ever do in a situation like this. It is easy to say definitively in this hypothetical situation but in real life with real people that I love it is much different. When we treat real people like hypothetical situations we can create a lot of church hurt or abuse.
There are however times when you need to protect the sheep. When a person’s behavior puts other lives in danger it demands action. Sometimes legal action like calling the police.
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
Paul makes a distinction between lost people and those who call themselves Christians. Paul doesn’t say we should avoid lost immoral people otherwise we would have to get in a rocket ship and fly to another planet. The lost are all around us and they desperately need us to show them the hope that is in Christ. The lost need salvation, the saved need accountability.
What sins demand church discipline?
Public? When it is a leader? When it is significant or severe? When it is unrepentant? All of the above?
What does it look like to cut a person off?
Say they aren’t welcome on Sundays? Is it that they can’t have positions of leadership? Is it just that you can’t hang out with them anymore socially?
Whose job is it to do the discipline?
The church’s? The pastor’s? Their friends?
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Paul’s hope is that in writing this letter the people will be moved to repentance and that is exactly what happens.
For the individual
Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
For the Body
For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
Paul doesn’t hold a grudge or resentment but instead desires unity and grace. The enemy Paul sees is not people but Satan and his schemes. That is the ultimate thing to remember. We aren’t trying to destroy people but to set souls free.
