6 Unity In Discipline

Introduction

Paul has established the purpose of the letter – end division, bring unity of mindset and purpose

and confirmed that it is God’s Spirit speaking to our spirit that brings understanding of the message of the cross,

Warned them not to boast of their maturity but to live out the power of God’s Spirit in them.

The Report

1 Corinthians 5:1 NIV

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.

5:1 Statement of report: Sexual immorality – an offense against God that is worse than even the pagan culture will allow.

The Real Problem

1 Corinthians 5:2 NIV

2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?

5:2 The real sin or problem: pride/arrogance – of the offender and of the believers. They did not do anything about this unholiness among them.

The Right Response

5:2b-5 dealing with an unrepentant sinner among the believers – humble themselves (mourning) remove from fellowship and the sin he flaunts

Passed judgment = made a ruling

Hand the man over to satan, satan’s realm, the world. to purge unholiness and the spirit may be restored.

Ex. Matthew 18 and Galatians 6:1 restore one who has fallen or caught up in sin.

The Purge

5:6-8 boasting rather than dealing with sin. (either boasting about what is going on in their midst, or more likely, boasting about their maturity but being immature) Allowing sin among the believers spreads the sin and defiles all.

The Passover Lamb already sacrificed. Observe the celebration by cleaning out the yeast and presenting a holy/pure bread. Humble and prepare yourselves. Replace malice and evil with sincerity and truth. Honesty and pure motives rather than evil intent and unholiness.

The Resolution

5:9-13 separation or not associating is not meant to be toward unbelievers, that’s impossible. You would have to go out of the world completely. The purpose is to separate out those who claim to be believers but continue in unholy ways, unrepentant, flaunting sin.

1 Corinthians 5:11 NIV

11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

In this chapter, we often point to the sexual immorality statements and completely overlook the real purpose. Many other sins stated here. The worst is the arrogant pride.

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 NIV

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 person from among you.”

5:12 don’t judge outsiders (outside the family of faith) (Matthew 7) 13 God judges them. Period. Our role is to bring the message of the cross to them.

5:13 Judge those inside. Remove that which is evil from among you. (translated evil person, could be person, but more likely evilness. It’s actually an adjective.) Remove the (presence and influence of) evil from among you.

Conclusion

Report of someone in gross sin, the congregation is arrogant (about their supposed maturity) and yet allowing this to go on. Response must be mourning, removing the one who is unrepentant for the purpose of breaking down the sin nature and restoring to fellowship.

Stop arrogant boasting because sin left untreated infects the rest of the body. Replace evil intent and unholiness with pure motives and honesty/holiness.

Nobody is perfect yet. We all wrestle with attitudes and weaknesses that lead to sin. How do you know who is to be removed? Just sexually immoral? Not according to this passage. Just the list? Not that either. It is just an example list and it expands each time he names it. The main thought is that the offender’s attitude is not one of remorse for sin but rather intent to continue.

Big Idea: Remove the presence and influence of evil from among you.

What About You?

How has pride blinded us to the presence of sin among us?

Are there signs of evil or sin among our fellowship that need to be removed?

What personal sin habits do I excuse but really need to purge?

What am I going to do about it?

1 Corinthians 5:1–13 NIV

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, 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 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 to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. 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 person from among you.”