Free Bible Commentary
“1 Corinthians 5:1-5”
Categories: 1 Corinthians“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. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. 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.”
---End of Scripture verses---
There was an issue in the church in Corinth that involved such gross immorality that even the heathens of their society would not condone (verse 1). A member of the congregation had either married or was living with “his father’s wife” (his step-mother I assume). The Corinthian culture was known for its rampant sexual immorality, but even they instinctively knew that incest is perverted and improper. All sinfulness is wrong, but some things are just so blatantly wicked that it must be dealt with immediately, directly and decisively.
Somehow some of the brethren were finding a way to “become arrogant” or “boast” about this atrocity instead of “mourning” over it (verse 2). In Romans 1:32, the Apostle Paul wrote about people who give “hearty approval” to the sinful actions of others that are deserving of death. Sin (whether our own or someone else’s) should never be a source of pride and rejoicing, but should always break our hearts. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
When it is our own sin that prompts us to mourn, we should turn from it and pray God for forgiveness. When it is the sin of other people, we should try to help them see the error of their ways so that they can repent and be saved before it is too late. That’s one of the reasons why “church discipline” is so vitally important for the properly functioning congregation of the Lord’s people. When we practice discipline for bad behavior, even all the way up to disfellowship, it is (should be) done with love for the brother and with the aim of saving his soul.
This sin was so manifestly horrible that Paul didn’t even need to be there and witness it to know what to do about it (verse 3). Paul said he had “already judged” the man who was committing such a heinous transgression. In 1 Corinthians 4:5 he wrote, “Judge nothing before the time.” In that situation he was talking about the unseen and unknowable intentions and motives of people’s hearts. This situation was obviously very different, however. This man’s horrendous actions demanded that he be “judged” on earth, with the hope that he would not stand condemned on the Final Judgment Day. Friends and brethren, sometimes it is right and necessary to judge!!!
Paul’s judgment and command was to “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” (verse 5). Notice that this disciplinary action was done, “in the name of the Lord Jesus, when you are assembled” (verse 4). The enforcement of Church discipline is done by the authority of Christ Jesus, and with the participation of the entire congregation involved. Many churches avoid confrontation with sin because it can make for a very uncomfortable situation. We must remember that the orders to do this come straight from heaven, and the blame for any unpleasantness incurred falls squarely upon the sinner and not the congregation!
It may seem like cruel and unusual punishment to “deliver” someone “to Satan”. But we must realize that when a person brazenly lives a life of open sinfulness and will not repent, he has already committed himself to the service of Satan anyway. The goal of Paul’s command is to go ahead and give a shove to the person who is allowing himself to be pulled back into the word. To go ahead and remove any modicum of restraint that the church may be supplying and to completely give him over to the consequences of his sins, with the hopes that he will finally wake up and come back to his senses. Jesus said this type of person is to be viewed as “a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17).
When we “deliver” someone to Satan for the “destruction of the flesh,” we are only doing what the Lord commands us to do, and what the Lord HIMSELF actually DOES. When a person chooses to ignore the grace and commandments of God, and abandons the will to control his lustful desires, the Lord “gives him over” to fall further and further into depravity (Romans 1:24-28). But the ultimate goal is that the sinner will fall so far into the sinkhole of sin that he will finally reach up for a hand that can help him crawl out. Consider the Parable of the Prodigal Son as a prime example of this principle (Luke 15:11-32).
Please read 1 Corinthians 5:6-13 for tomorrow and we will talk more about this subject, Lord willing.
Have a blessed day!
- Louie Taylor
