First Corinthians 5 deals with a shameful situation which existed in the Corinthian church. It was a circumstance in which the Corinthians apparently did not think warranted a query to Paul, although they had written a letter to him with questions about other matters. The circumstance was that a man had taken his father’s wife and the brethren were “puffed up, and did not rather mourn that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:2). The incident was a shameful matter “which was not even named among the Gentiles.” It left the church open to both the ridicule of the world and condemnation of the Lord.
Paul did not waste time in commanding the brethren on what to do to correct the matter. He had already judged the man who had committed the deed. His instructions were clear: “In the name of the Lord James, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 5:4-5).
The action the Corinthian Christians were commanded to take is a painful, difficult one. This explains why it is seldom practiced by churches today. However, the action was not optional; it was commanded by the Lord Jesus Himself, and demanded immediate action. Therefore, when a similar situation arises in churches today, action (or inaction) determines whether those in that church are disciples of Jesus (or not).
Why was such a drastic action commanded by the apostle? He wrote, “For the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” These statements applied to the man who was sinning. “For the destruction of the flesh” meant that this man had allowed the lusts of the flesh to control his actions, and this had to be destroyed because he lusted for the wife of another man. But if the action commanded by Paul was done, and its desired results attained, the “spirit” — the man’s soul == would be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Painful as the action was when it was implemented, it could produce the intended results: the man would repent of his sin. If this repentance were genuine, the man would return the woman to her husband (his father). And, if that true repentance followed, the spirit (soul) would be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. In the case of the sinful brother in Corinth, apparently that action did bring produce the desired end In 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 the narrative commands the church to receive the man back into their fellowship following his repentance.
What Paul commanded the Corinthian church was not optional. Brethren were ordered to publicly withdraw from him and the individual members were to withdraw from the wicked brother. Some churches read a letter of withdrawal, yet many members of the congregation continue treating the brother (or sister) as though nothing happened. Paul addressed such action by writing, “I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with a fornicator, not at all meaning with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world: but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that Is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11).
Allowing this sin to continue in the church without withdrawing from the guilty party placed the entire church in jeopardy: “…know ye not that a little leaven leaventh the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). If tolerated, others could be tempted to follow that example and bring destruction to all.
Being a New Testament church means that we practice what that church taught and did. Let us not cease to follow such a purpose for such is God’s will.
Jim McDonald