Sin in the Church Addressed

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1. Observe

   What specific sexual sin does Paul say was being reported in the Corinthian church (v. 1)?

   • Adultery between two married members of the congregation
   • A man living with his father's wife (his stepmother)
   • A group of men visiting prostitutes near the temple of Aphrodite
   • A believer divorcing his wife to marry a younger woman

2. Observe

   What does Paul say about the role of "yeast" in verses 6-8, and what event does he connect it to?

   • A little yeast symbolizes the gospel spreading through the whole city; the connection is Pentecost
   • A little yeast leavens the whole lump — so they must purge the old yeast; Christ our Passover has been sacrificed and they must celebrate the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth
   • Yeast represents false doctrine; they must burn it to purify the congregation's teaching
   • Yeast symbolizes growth; a small community will eventually fill the city

3. Interpret

   Paul instructs the church to "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (v. 5). What is the purpose of this severe discipline, and why does it not contradict Christian love?

   • It is retribution that ensures the man suffers for what he has done
   • It permanently removes unrepentant sinners from the possibility of salvation
   • Removing the offender from the protective community of the church — exposing him to the realm where Satan operates — is aimed at breaking the power of the sin and bringing him to repentance so that his eternal spirit is ultimately rescued; it is the most loving possible response precisely because it takes both his soul and the community's holiness seriously
   • It is a temporary measure until Paul can visit and interview the man personally

4. Interpret

   Paul distinguishes between associating with immoral people in the world (which is unavoidable) and associating with a "so-called brother" living in unrepentant sin (which he forbids). What principle drives that distinction?

   • Christians are responsible for everyone's behavior, so they must avoid all sinners
   • The outside world is hopeless, but believers can be corrected through social pressure
   • The church's shared identity in Christ and its testimony of transformed lives depend on its members holding each other accountable — allowing a member to live unrepentantly in serious sin without consequence implies that Christ's lordship and the community's new life in him are optional; no such claim is made about outsiders, whom God judges directly
   • Social separation from the world is required as a sign of holiness

5. Apply

   The Corinthians were "puffed up" about tolerating the man's sin, perhaps boasting of their open-mindedness. Paul says they should have been mourning instead (v. 2). What does this teach about a healthy church culture's response to known, unrepentant sin among members?

   • Public condemnation and shaming of the offender is the first step toward church health
   • Since all sin is equally serious, the church should treat moral failures as ordinary spiritual struggles requiring only private encouragement
   • A genuinely healthy Christian community grieves rather than celebrates tolerance of serious sin — mourning reflects love for the offender, care for those damaged by the sin, and seriousness about Christ's honor — and that grief rather than pride is what motivates the hard step of discipline
   • Only ordained leaders have standing to grieve sin; ordinary members should remain neutral

6. Apply

   Paul uses the Passover imagery of purging leaven (vv. 7-8) as a basis for church discipline. How does the fact that "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed" both motivate purity and set the tone for how discipline is pursued?

   • Since Christ has already paid for all sin, discipline is purely symbolic and optional
   • The Passover sacrifice means severity without mercy is the correct model
   • Because the decisive sacrifice has already been made and the new life of the feast has already begun, the church is called to live out what it already is — unleavened, clean — rather than tolerating what contradicts its new identity; and because this purging flows from the grace of Christ's sacrifice rather than from self-righteousness, it can be done in a spirit of grief and hope rather than contempt
   • The Passover imagery is historical and does not apply to church life today

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