1 Corinthians 5

Paul confronts the Corinthian church regarding their failure to discipline an incestuous member, demanding they remove the offender to preserve the purity of the community. He clarifies that the church is responsible for internal judgment while leaving external judgment to God, grounding this instruction in the sacrificial work of Christ.

• Paul denounces the report of sexual immorality (incest) and the church's arrogant tolerance of the sin.
• Paul asserts his apostolic authority to judge the situation despite his physical absence, commanding the exclusion of the unrepentant offender.
• Paul explains the purpose of discipline: to protect the church's holiness (the 'lump') and to hope for the eventual salvation of the offender's soul.
• Paul clarifies the scope of the church's discipline, distinguishing between 'those within' (believers) and 'those without' (the world).

• The sin of incest (having his father's wife).
• The church's attitude is described as 'puffed up' (physióō).
• The metaphor of 'a little leaven' (sin) spreading through the 'whole lump' (the church).
• Christ identified as the 'passover' (pascha) sacrifice.
• The distinction between those 'within' the church and those 'without'.

This chapter establishes the necessity and gravity of church discipline, demonstrating that communal holiness is derived from the Passover sacrifice of Christ and that the church’s witness depends on internal purity.

Tolerance of unrepentant sin within the church body corrupts the witness of the whole; therefore, the church must exercise discipline to honor Christ's holiness and seek the offender's restoration.

The chapter moves from an indictment of the congregation's failure to a prescriptive directive for excommunication, culminating in a clear definition of the church's moral jurisdiction.

• That the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 5:5)

• Purge out therefore the old leaven (1 Corinthians 5:7)
• Put away from among yourselves that wicked person (1 Corinthians 5:13)

• Your glorying is not good (1 Corinthians 5:6)
• Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (1 Corinthians 5:6)

• Corinth was a cosmopolitan city known for sexual promiscuity, yet the sin mentioned (incest) was condemned even under Roman law, making the church's tolerance of it particularly scandalous to the outside culture.
• The 'leaven' metaphor draws upon the Jewish practice of searching for and removing all leaven from the house before Passover (Exodus 12:15).

• The 'puffed up' or arrogant attitude mentioned likely reflects the Corinthian misuse of 'wisdom' or 'knowledge,' where they may have prioritized intellectual pride over moral duty.

• This chapter shifts from the earlier discussion of teachers and divisions (chapters 1-4) to a direct address of moral failure within the membership.

• Paul explicitly links the church to the Passover tradition, identifying Christ as the sacrificial lamb whose death necessitates a holy, 'unleavened' lifestyle.
• Matthew Henry observes that the bad example of a man of influence is highly mischievous, noting that without holiness, we cannot live by faith in Christ or join in ordinances with profit.

• Exodus 12:15: The command to purge leaven for the Passover serves as the Old Testament legal framework for Paul's metaphor.

• πορνεία (porneía) [G4202]: Used here to denote sexual immorality, specifically incest; it signifies a breach of covenantal and moral law.
• φυσιόω (physióō) [G5448]: Literally 'to inflate,' used to describe the Corinthians' arrogance or 'puffed-up' state regarding their tolerance of sin.
• ἐξαίρω (exaírō) [G1808]: A strong verb meaning to remove or take away, utilized as a formal term for ecclesiastical excommunication.
• κρίνω (krínō) [G2919]: To judge or condemn; Paul uses this to delineate the authority the church possesses over its members.

• The distinction between a 'brother' (v11) who acts wrongly versus an unbeliever (v10). The church is not called to cut off all contact with non-believing sinners, but rather to cut off the professing believer who remains unrepentant.

• Scholars debate the meaning of 'deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh' (v5). Some view this as an extraordinary apostolic miracle resulting in physical illness or death (similar to 1 Cor 11:30 or Acts 5). Others interpret it as a strictly ecclesiastical procedure—excommunication—which removes the person from the protection and fellowship of the church body, placing them back into the realm where Satan has influence.