1 Corinthians 5 explained: A Scandal the Church Ignored

A shocking case (vv. 1-2)

A man in the church was living with his father's wife, most likely his stepmother, a relationship that both Jewish law and the wider Roman world condemned. Paul is troubled that the church felt proud of itself instead of grieving and removing him.

Putting the man out (vv. 3-5)

Paul, though far away, has already made his judgment and tells the church to act together in Jesus' name, which most read as putting the man outside the community and back into the world Paul saw as under Satan's sway. Scholars are unsure whether 'destruction of the flesh' means suffering, illness, or the end of his sinful desires, but Paul's stated aim is that the man will finally be saved.

Yeast and Passover (vv. 6-8)

Before Passover, Jewish families cleared every trace of yeast from their homes, and Paul notes that a little yeast spreads through a whole batch of dough, the way tolerated wrongdoing spreads through a group. Because he sees Jesus as their Passover lamb, already sacrificed, he urges them to live as a fresh, clean batch marked by honesty and truth.

Clearing up an earlier letter (vv. 9-11)

Paul mentions an earlier letter that has not survived, which they had apparently taken to mean cutting off all immoral people. He explains that he meant people who claim to belong to the church but keep living this way, and that they should not even share meals with them, since eating together was a sign of close fellowship.

Inside and outside (vv. 12-13)

Paul says judging outsiders is God's business, while the church is responsible for its own members. His closing line echoes a command repeated in Deuteronomy, applied here to removing the man from the community.

Key verse: 1 Corinthians 5:7

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on what Paul meant by handing the man over to Satan and on whether, and how strictly, churches today should remove members for ongoing wrongdoing.

Something to think about

When someone in a group you belong to does serious wrong, how do you weigh protecting the group against staying connected to the person?