Conflict Management - 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

 

Lesson 4: The Church’s Problems—Discipline

 

 There was a time, not too long ago, when you could see a movie without wondering about its content. The industry had standards that regarded profanity and nudity as inappropriate subject matter. Writers and producers objected, however, claiming that such restrictions prevented them from portraying real life. They pushed the standards lower and lower, eventually replacing them altogether with a rating system. (Television is now moving in the same direction.) If the goal is to portray real life (which is a euphemism for depravity), then they are correct. Real life is often vulgar and lewd. We find the sinking state of morals in our society disturbing and are not sure what, if anything, we can do to stem the flow. Indeed, there may be little we can do, but when that same state of affairs is in our church, we dare not do nothing, for our inaction reflects not on society but on us. That is the second issue Paul addresses in this letter: the church’s response to sin in its midst.

 

             B. Discipline       5:1-13

 

1 Cor 5:1 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. 2 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?

 

1.        Symptom

•       Unchecked immorality (v. 1)²⁴

 

Comment: About “…does not occur even among pagans” (v. 1)

 The moral standards of Greek society were not very high to begin with, as one writer from that day remarks: “Mistresses we keep for the sake of pleasure, concubines for the daily care of the body, but wives to bear us legitimate children” (Demosthenes, Private Orations 59.122, quoted in Fee 1987:196). This liaison at Corinth, however, went beyond even liberal Greek or Roman sensibilities (see Fee 1987:201). That such behavior should come to be known outside the church was scandalous and could only damage its testimony.

 

2.        Cause

•       Pride (v. 2)           

—Discipline

Comment: About “And you are proud” (v. 2)

 This discipline problem may be another symptom of the previous issue. The groups may be so caught up in their own interests that they cannot or will not deal with this threat to the integrity of the church as a whole.

 

1 Cor 5:3 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. 4 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, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

 

                   3.    Remedy

    a. Expel the offender (v. 5, cf. v. 13, = “Hand…to Satan”?).²⁵ 

 

Comment: About “I have already passed judgment” (v. 3b)

 God holds His people to a stricter standard. For example, when He instituted the Passover as a permanent ordinance, He intended it only for Israel and not for the gentiles, which is understandable considering that the exodus marked Israel’s deliverance not the gentile’s deliverance. So that there would be no misunderstanding, God specifically said, “No foreigner is to eat of it” (Exod 12:43). Only when a gentile becomes part of Israel is he required to observe the festival and permitted to partake of the paschal lamb. In such cases, God said, “the same law applies to the native born and to the alien among you” (v. 49).²⁶  Likewise, at Corinth, Paul does not hold unbelievers to the same standard to which he holds believers: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?” (v. 12a). Not only would it be wrong, it would be impractical. How could you possibly enforce it? That does not mean, however, that there is no standard for unbelievers. Obviously there must be or God could not judge them (v. 13a). Rather, their standard is not as demanding as ours is, although it is sufficiently demanding to lead to their condemnation in the end.²⁷

 

1 Cor 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 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. 8 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.

 9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—10 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. 11 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. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

 

                           b. Purify the congregation (v. 7).

      • This is old business you should have finished already.²⁸

 

Comment: About “anyone who calls himself a brother but is…” (v. 11)

 Although Paul’s chief concern is the immoral member, he mentions several others whose reprehensible behavior also makes them subject to church censure. Anyone who claims to be a believer but whose actions consistently speak otherwise has no part in the congregation, and his continued presence hurts the testimony of the church before a watching world which will see no difference between the lives of the so-called godly and of the ungodly.²⁹ If “anyone…in Christ…is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17), then those who belong to Christ must put aside their former way of life,³⁰ or they do not belong in the community of those who have (Fee 1987:224). Expulsion is the final step in a procedure Jesus outlined to his disciples,³¹ but it is a necessary step in response to unrepentant sin.

 

 Paul dealt with this problem in his previous correspondence with them, where he gave the same instructions he reiterates here: “Don’t associate with this unrepentant member” (v. 9). They misunderstood him, though (intentionally?), and interpreted his reply as forbidding contact with sinners outside the church. Paul clarifies his original instructions here, and he uses their preparation for Passover to illustrate what they should do:

Soon you’ll purge your homes of leaven. You’ll be very careful to get it all out so that what food you prepare will have no chance of rising (cf. Exod 12:19-20). After all, “…a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (v. 6). Just as you get rid of the old leaven in your home, so you must get rid of this old leaven in the church, lest it permeate the whole congregation (cf. 3:16-17).³²

Note the timing here. It was necessary to purge the house of all leaven before one could partake of the Passover sacrifice. Paul emphasizes that this matter of purging the immoral member from the congregation is something they should take care of immediately. The time is (almost) upon them, “[f]or Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (v. 7). Until this yeast is gone, they’ll not be able to “keep the Festival…[with] sincerity and truth” (v. 8).

 

Query: How do you reconcile Paul’s instruction here about excommunication (v. 13) with his prohibition elsewhere against judging?³³ Hint: See Jesus’ clarification in…³⁴ John 7:24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.

 

           -Discipline

Query: How does the church fare on discipline today?

 We should not be judgmental, should we? After all, the church is composed of sinners. Right? …Wrong! The church is composed of repentant sinners. Several passages attest that the local church has a responsibility to keep itself pure in at least two ways (see the Ecclesiology unit in Manuel 2013c):³⁵

•         Doctrinal purity

Rom 16:17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

Tit 1:11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Tit 3:10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

2      John 10 anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.

•         Moral purity

2      Cor 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

Eph 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people…. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God…. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them…. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

2 Thess 3:6 …we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  

 

Query: How should the fact that an expelled member can simply go to another church influence discipline? What can we do about it? (Remove the member from the role and inform any other church of his expulsion.)

 

 Upon hearing there is little discipline in the Corinthian church, Paul’s principle is simple.

•         He allows free (although not intimate) associations outside the church, because God (and not the church) will judge unbelievers in the end, and…

•         He advocates strict discipline within the church, because the church (and not God) is responsible to judge believers now.

The free association of the church with society enables the church to be a testimony.³⁶ In order for that testimony to be effective, though, the church must be perceptibly (morally) different from society.³⁷