1 Corinthians
Summary
Immorality in the Church and the Leaven of Sin: 1 Corinthians Chapter 5 addresses a shocking report of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church that was being tolerated, and even boasted about. Paul rebukes the church for their lack of mourning and commands them to "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh," so that the spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord. He uses the metaphor of leaven to explain that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump," urging the church to "purge out the old leaven" of malice and wickedness. Paul clarifies the extent of Christian separation, instructing believers not to associate with those who claim to be brothers but live in flagrant immorality.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that a man has his father’s wife!
And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, not even to eat with such a person.
For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."