Verses 1-2
-
A man in this church was in blatant sexual immorality, and the church wasn't doing anything about it. They were being arrogant to think that they would be okay if they just ignored it.
-
Understand that it is dangerous to a church to let willful sin remain in the community (verse 6). Deal with these situations or delegate to someone who can.
-
Verses 3-5
-
Paul used his authority to “judge” this man in sin, and told the community to do the same.
-
Believers are responsible to judge other believers in their own community in the act of removing them from the fellowship if they are continuing in a sinful practice after several rebukes (see Matthew 18:15-17).
-
Use your own discernment to know what kind of sin should receive this kind of judgment; but know that blatant sins are especially worthy of discipline.
-
-
Judgment in the church—or church discipline—is meant to keep a person's salvation. It will motivate a person to repent more quickly through the griefs of isolation from the church and the painful consequences of sin.
-
In other cases, when a person is out from under the protection of community, Satan has more access to them, and they are more likely to suffer greater harm from their sins. This can also motivate repentance. For this reason, it is good to turn a person over to the devil, in the act of sending them away, if they need a wake-up call.
-
-
Verse 3. What did Paul mean when he said that he was “absent in body but present in spirit” (also see Colossians 2:5)? In the Scriptures, there are mentions of men being taken to places in their spirits, but not in their bodies. Ezekiel is one example (Ezekiel 8:3).
-
So, there is an ability for a person's spirit to go somewhere that the body does not go, and there is an ability for the body to be taken somewhere also (Acts 8:39, Ezekiel 3:14).
-
Verses 6-8
-
Any sin in the church that's tolerated, without correction and repentance, negatively affects the whole church, just as a little yeast leavens an entire loaf of bread. Any one member has an effect on all (1 Corinthians 12:26).
-
Therefore, remove “leaven” from the church by exposing sin, helping each other repent, and removing unrepentant members from the fellowship.
-
-
And just as Passover is celebrated by eating unleavened bread, believers in a church should operate in honesty and genuine repentance.
-
Christ was sacrificed so that we could be saved. Honor His sacrifice by participating in His church with repentant behavior. Stop sin, and don't let it continue unchecked.
-
Verses 9-13
-
Verses 9-10. We will have to, and should, be around unbelievers who are in sin, in order to lead them to Christ.
-
Inviting unbelievers to activities and eating with them is encouraged as a means of evangelism!
-
-
Verse 11. But if someone in your church, who is recognized as a believer, continues in blatant sin after being corrected multiple times, exercise judgment on them: Don't welcome them to church gatherings (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).
-
This is for their own good, and it is the most loving thing to do.
-
-
Verses 12-13. We have authority to judge fellow believers—people who are our own. This principle is supported even in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 17:12).
-
But do not be a judge of unbelievers, as they are judged by God.
-
This simply means do not go to your unbelieving friends and tell them that you won't spend time with them unless they repent of their sins. You can't expect this of an unbeliever.
-