When the Church Looks More Like Corinth 1 Corinthians 5

Open your Bible to 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

A man in the Corinthian church is in a sexual relationship with his stepmother. Paul says even the pagans around them found this shocking — Roman law actually prohibited it. The church knew. And they had done nothing. If anything, they seemed proud of their restraint.

Paul says: "Shouldn't you rather have gone into mourning?" (1 Corinthians 5:2, NIV)

Somewhere along the way, the Corinthians had mistaken silence for grace. Paul sees it as something else — not sophistication, but a failure of love.

The Problem.

The church was puffed up. The same pride that drove their theological factions had now shown up in their moral passivity. They had a name for it — grace, tolerance, not judging. Paul had a different name for it.

There is a difference between genuine grace toward sinners and a silence that leaves people undisturbed in patterns that are hurting them.

The Purpose.

Paul calls the church to remove the man from fellowship. That sounds severe — until you read the reason: "that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 5:5, NIV)

The goal is not punishment. The goal is restoration. And if you read 2 Corinthians, you find it worked. The man repented. Paul then urged the church to welcome him back warmly.

But Paul doesn't stop at discipline. Right in the middle of these instructions, he breaks into Gospel:

"Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch — as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthians 5:7, NIV)

As you really are. Not: become holy so God will accept you. Rather: you already are a freed people — now live like it. Christ is the Passover Lamb. The sacrifice has been made. The deliverance is done. Holiness flows from that reality, not toward it.

The Parameters.

Paul closes with a clarification. He is not asking the church to avoid immoral people in the world — you would have to leave the planet. The church is called to be fully present in the world, bringing the Gospel to people in all their complexity.

What he is describing is something more specific — the integrity of the covenant community itself. When someone claims to follow Christ but shows no interest in what that actually means, the community's silence is not neutral. It sends a message.

Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. The old leaven can be purged because the feast has already begun.

Here are three questions to sit with — from Coach Brian:

The Problem invites us to ask: is there something in your life you have quietly made peace with, that deserves a more honest look?

The Purpose invites us to ask: when someone has cared enough to tell you something hard, what made it possible — or difficult — to receive?

The Parameters invites us to ask: what shifts when holiness begins with what God has already done, rather than what you still need to do?

Take those with you into your day.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:06):
Please open your Bible to 1 Corinthians chapter
5.
Now a man in this Corinthianchurch is in a apparent sexual
relationship with hisstepmother, and Paul says even
the pagans around them foundthis shocking.
Actually Roman law prohibitedit, and the church knew that,

(00:29):
and yet they had done nothingabout it.
If anything, they seemed veryproud of their restraint.
Paul says in verse two,shouldn't you rather have gone
into mourning?
Now somewhere along the way theCorinthians had mistaken silence
for grace.
Have you seen that?

(00:49):
Silence for prayer, silence forpatience, silence for grace when
there is an apparent and obviouswrong being done?
And Paul sees this as somethingelse, not sophistication, but a
failure of proper love.
The problem the church waspuffed up.

(01:13):
The same pride that drove theirtheological factions had now
shown up in their moralpassivity.
They had a name for it grace,tolerance, not judging, and Paul
had a different name for it.
There is a difference betweengenuine grace toward sinners and

(01:34):
silence that leaves peopleundisturbed in patterns that are
hurting them.
The purpose Paul calls thechurch to remove the man from
fellowship.
Remove him.
And that sounds severe until youread the reason five, that his

(01:54):
spirit may be saved on the dayof the Lord.
You see, the goal is not justpunishment or revenge for that
matter, the goal is restoration.
And if you read SecondCorinthians, you find it worked.
And the apostle encouraged thechurch to welcome him.

(02:15):
Now um but the apostle doesn'tstop at discipline.
Right in the middle of hisinstructions, he breaks into
gospel.
Verse seven, get rid of the oldyeast, that so that you may be a
new unleavened batch as youreally are, for Christ, our

(02:36):
Passover lamb, has beensacrificed.
Remember, holiness flows fromour identity in Christ, that
reality, not toward it.
And lastly, the parameters.
The apostle closes with aclarification.
He's not asking the church toavoid immoral people in the

(02:57):
world.
You would have to leave theplanet and its impossibility.
The church is called to be fullypresent in the world, bringing
the gospel to people in alltheir complexity.
What he is describing issomething more specific, the
integrity of the covenantcommunity itself.

(03:17):
When someone claims to followChrist but shows no interest in
what that actually means, thecommunity's silence is not
neutral.
It sends a message.
And I would dare say it sendsthe wrong message.
Christ, our Passover Lamb, hasbeen sacrificed.

(03:37):
The eleven can be purged becausethe feast has already begun.
So here are some questions tosit with from our Jubilee coach.
The problem invites us to ask,is there something in your life
you have quietly made peace withthat deserves a more honest

(03:58):
look?
The purpose invites us to ask,when someone has cared enough to
tell you something hard, whatmade it possible or difficult to
receive that concern or care?
And lastly, the parametersinvites us to ask, what shifts
when holiness begins with whatGod has already done rather than

(04:22):
what you still need to do?
Well, that's it for us today.
Thanks again for joining us, andto all who love the Lord with an
undying love, Godspeed.