14. AVOID THE IMMORAL PROFESSOR - 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

 

In this passage Paul continues to explain to the Corinthian church what their responsibility before God is in reference to the sexually immoral man among them. They have a responsibility to both God and the man to exclude him from the church. Yet this principle of exclusion goes beyond sexually immorality as the passage makes very clear.

 

Please Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

 

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: Is what Paul directs the Corinthians in verse 9 possible? Explain your answer?

 

Verse 9: In this verse we discover that 1 Corinthians is not really the first letter that Paul sent to the Corinthian church. Paul had sent a letter to the Corinthians, previous to this one, dealing with the problem of sexual immorality. Perhaps in that letter he had already addressed the issue being addressed in the current letter. One thing is certain however, and that is that Paul has already explained to the Corinthians how they were to deal with the sexually immoral.

The way that the Corinthians were to deal with sexually immoral people was to withdraw from them. They were have no contact with such people at all (2 Thess 3:14).

QUESTION: With verse nine in mind, do we have all of the inspired Scriptures in our possession? Give reasons for your answer.

 

Verse 10: In this verse Paul qualifies what he said in verse nine (and in the previous letter), explaining that he was talking about withdrawing from those that professed faith in Christ, yet pursued a sexually immoral life. It would seem that the Corinthians had thought that in Paul’s previous letter he had meant the sexually immoral of the world or those outside of Christ (Gal 4:3; Eph 2:2; Col 2:8). This however was not what he had meant, as Paul goes on to explain.

It would be impossible to separate themselves entirely from those of the world who were sexually immoral, or for that matter, any group of people in the world that was sinful in any particular way. To do this you would need to be in heaven already, which is clearly not possible in this world (Jn 17:15).

QUESTION: Does this verse have any implications for monastic life? Explain.

 

Verse 11: In this verse Paul clarifies just who it is that Christians (and in particular the church at Corinth) are to withdraw from, even to the point of not eating with them. In doing so, Paul is explaining what he meant in his previous letter, which the Corinthians appear to have misunderstood. Those who they are to withdraw from are those that claim to be Christians yet live lives that are incongruous with their profession.

QUESTION: Why would Paul tell Christians to not associate with such professing Christians?

 

Paul extends the list of people to withdraw from to include those that live lives that are given over to any sort of sinful expression while claiming to be Christians. The list is not meant to be exhaustive, but to be representative of sinful lifestyles which are incongruous with a Christian profession.

To not associate with such professors of Christianity includes not eating with them. The false or fallen professor must be made to know that he has stepped outside of the norms of Christian behaviour. The professor is to be left in no uncertain terms that he is living in sin and is considered to be outside of the Christian community. Such action is not intended to forever remove such professors, but to be part of the restorative process of church discipline (Mt 18:17; 2 Thess 3:14,15) and to remove that which scandalises the church (2 Pet 2:13; Jude 12).

QUESTIONS: Are there any other areas of life, apart from eating meals with them, that Christians are to have no association with such sinful professors of Christianity? What does Paul mean then, by highlighting not eating with such professors?

 

Verse 12: Even though Christians will assist in judging the world at the last judgment (6:2), Christians currently have no right to judge unbelievers and the way that they live. This is currently out of their domain, belonging to God alone. Church discipline has reference only to those that are within the church, professing to be Christians. Paul and all other Christians do have a right and a duty to expose sinful lifestyles within the church, in order to bring about restoration for the sinning professor and to keep the church free of scandal. The church has been given the authority to exercise church discipline (Mt 18:15ff) and is expected to do so.

Verse 13: It is God’s role to judge those outside of the church and the final state of the sinning professor that is expelled from the church is left in God’s hands, for He alone knows the heart (Gen 18:25). With this in mind, all wicked professors of Christianity are to be excluded from the church.

 

Individual Discovery

What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 6:7 when he says, ‘you should let yourselves be defrauded?’

 

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17/10/2006

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