Sexual immorality in the Church
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians states,
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.
And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 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.
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.
Here Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about someone who claims to be a follower of Christ and is committing sexual immorality as Paul states,
“of a kind that does not occur even among pagans”
Whatever it was it must have been very serious for the city of Corinth was already considered by the Greeks a city of immorality. Aristophanes an ancient Greek writer coined the term “Korinthiazomai” meaning to act like a Corinthian. In Greek plays of the day Corinthians were portrayed as drunkards and reprobates.
Paul tells believers in Christ not to associate with this person who claims to be a follower of Christ.
Paul does not say to stop associating with such people outside the church. Paul states,
“I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 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.”
He then emphasizes
“But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.”
He tells the brethren not to even eat with such a person.
Paul then makes an important statement that all who call themselves believers in Christ need to heed. He states,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
As Christians we have no right to judge those outside the body of believers.
However we have every right to judge those who call themselves believers and stray from the truth of the Gospel of Christ in any way.
For they in calling themselves a follower of Jesus Christ are claiming to live by the moral values of Jesus. If they are not then according to Paul we have the right to judge them and correct them.
Please think about it.
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians states,
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.
And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 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.
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.
Here Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about someone who claims to be a follower of Christ and is committing sexual immorality as Paul states,
“of a kind that does not occur even among pagans”
Whatever it was it must have been very serious for the city of Corinth was already considered by the Greeks a city of immorality. Aristophanes an ancient Greek writer coined the term “Korinthiazomai” meaning to act like a Corinthian. In Greek plays of the day Corinthians were portrayed as drunkards and reprobates.
Paul tells believers in Christ not to associate with this person who claims to be a follower of Christ.
Paul does not say to stop associating with such people outside the church. Paul states,
“I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 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.”
He then emphasizes
“But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.”
He tells the brethren not to even eat with such a person.
Paul then makes an important statement that all who call themselves believers in Christ need to heed. He states,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
As Christians we have no right to judge those outside the body of believers.
However we have every right to judge those who call themselves believers and stray from the truth of the Gospel of Christ in any way.
For they in calling themselves a follower of Jesus Christ are claiming to live by the moral values of Jesus. If they are not then according to Paul we have the right to judge them and correct them.
Please think about it.
