Prep notes

Questions of the text:

v. 1 – What is sexual immorality? (porneia)

            Any violation of marital sexuality

- Does this mean that all forms of porneia are equal? Not necessarily

Where was it being “reported”?  Why was this embarrassing? How do our sexual ethics embarrass the church? Why does it matter?

Why would Paul act/be surprised at sexual immorality being among them?

Why doesn’t Paul use the man’s proper name?

- Paul is more interested in dealing with the Corinthians lack of concern for their church’s integrity and development than he is in the one man’s sin

Why is “father’s wife” especially egregious?

            - Possibly combining sex with an attempt to retain her dowry?

v. 2 – What does it mean to be proud? How is mournfulness an antonym?

- He’s carrying over the proud (lit. “puffed up”) language from chapter 4; The Corinthian church is content and complacent with themselves; Paul is trying to get them to realize that they have NOT made it spiritually; this is one example. 

What is Paul commanding them/us to do?

            Confront him!

v. 3 – What does it mean to be present in spirit?

Why does Paul pronounce judgment? (esp. in light of 4:4-5, where Paul seems to say that judgment is reserved for God)

v. 4 – How can Paul’s spirit be present?

What is the “power” Paul is here talking of?

v. 5 – How do you deliver a man over to Satan?  What will happen to him (what does it mean that his flesh is destroyed)?

Why does the destruction of his flesh save his spirit?

            Not physical flesh; sinful nature

v. 6 – What boasting?

- Is leaven here referring to sexual sin uniquely, or all/any sin?

v. 7 – Why would Paul use “old” vs. “bad”?  Is sin something “old”?

v. 8 – Was the man’s action really “malicious”?  Why are sincerity and truth antonyms to malice and evil?

v. 9 – What letter?

- How is someone defined as “sexually immoral”?  What separates (if anything) a sexually immoral act from a sexually immoral person?

v. 10 – How would someone go out of the world?

v. 11 – What does sexual sin have to do with greed, idolatry, slander, drunkenness, or swindling? Taking from someone else what belongs to them?

- How does someone bear the name ‘brother’?

- What does eating represent? (Lord’s Supper? Friendship? Marriage?)

v. 12 – How do we judge those inside the church here at Grace?  Who does it?