February 19, 2014
TOUGH LOVE
1 Corinthians 5
Matt Arnett
Central Truth
One test of deep love is whether there is a willingness to confront tough issues.
Key Verse | 1 Corinthians 5:5
[Y]ou are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:5)
1 Corinthians 5
Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 1 5:5 Some manuscripts add Jesus
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, 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 sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church 2 5:12 Greek those inside whom you are to judge? 13 God judges 3 5:13 Or will judge those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Dive Deeper | 1 Corinthians 5
In this challenging passage, we find Paul addressing the church in Corinth and calling them to action on an issue of sin in their church. A man in their congregation had committed an act of sexual sin that was utterly detestable and, to make matters worse, the church in Corinth was condoning his behavior! It may not seem like it at first, but Paul's challenging response to the church is actually a call to love.
When we read it today, verse 5 can seem very confusing. The majority of scholars acknowledge that in this passage, Paul is not literally telling the church to "deliver the man to Satan," but is instructing them to remove him from their church. The problem here is that the church is not only allowing sinful behavior, they are supporting it. Paul is concerned for the well being of the entire community, and so it must be made clear that this man's actions are not OK! Paul tells the church to remove this man from the congregation so that both he and the rest of the church will realize that his behavior is, in fact, a sin against God.
When Paul writes that removing this man is "for the destruction of his flesh" (verse 5), there is a connection here to Paul's conversation about "flesh" in Galatians 5:19-21. The "flesh" that needs to be destroyed is not the man's physical body, but the sinful practices that the church is condoning. Paul is telling these people to confront sin head on and to remove it. He wants the church to confront the sinful practices they are entangled with so that the entire community can be healthy.
There is no question that Paul's words to the Corinthian church in this chapter are really tough, but we can see that these words of correction are in the best interest of the church. His words are tough, but they are words of love.
Discussion Questions
1. What are some areas in which you have received or given "tough love" in the past?
2. What are some of the outcomes you have seen from confronting areas of sin in your life?
3. Are there currently areas in your life that need to be addressed so that you can grow closer to Christ and to your community?