Apostle Paul expounded a great
deal about the cause and its prescription for the quarrels and dissensions among
the church members at Corinth recorded in Chapter 1 through 4. Now, he changes
the subject to sexual immortality in the church. What is sex? It’s a mystery
which only God can teach and reveal what it is. Sex is one of the powerful
drives and urges in humanity. Although it is a dangerously powerful drive in
our humanity which causes a lot of problems like sexual immortality, God is delighted
to give sex even in full measure within the marriage boundary.
“It is actually reported that
there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not
tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud!
Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your
fellowship the man who has been doing this?” (1 Corinthians 5:1-2)
Why is sexual immorality wrong?
Even though it is wrong, why was it reported in the church at Corinth? It’s
happening everywhere even in the church. Sexual immortality is wrong because it
violates the fundamentality of humanity. Humans are essentially sexual. God
intended mankind to be sexual by making male and female in the beginning. “So
God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male
and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
Sexual immorality is denying
the essential sexuality of mankind. No one knows and understands what the
humanity is until made known what the sex is in light of the Creator. Understanding
that mankind is essentially sexual, it will be plain that sexual immortality is
wrong. Sexual immorality manifests the confusion and misunderstanding of sex. Sex
is the act of sexual intercourse between a male and a female physically,
psychologically, and spiritually. It’s God’s way of teaching for us to understand
the hidden mystery of sex. The ecstasy of orgasm is the outcome of sex. The
exquisite physical pleasure is the manifestation of spiritual meaning planted
in it.
Sex is the act of possession
and being possessed which is worship. We worship God as our yearning desire to
possess Him and be possessed by Him. Our Lord Jesus says the mysterious seven
words, “I in Him and He in me.” The Father and the Son are totally united each
other. That’s the relationship our Lord Jesus was never out of line during the
earthly life.
“My prayer is not for them
alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that
all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they
also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John
17:20-21)
God planted the relationship
mystery between God and the church of Christ in sex. So, sexual immorality is
completely wrong because it is worshipping the false gods. Idolatry is an act
of worship to possess them and be possessed by them. Sexual immorality is a
form of idolatry because God has allowed to have sex only within the marriage.
Violating the command of God is so dangerous and serious that it provokes His
burning wrath. God made mankind in His image and in His likeness. Humans are
made to worship God only and no other. Especially God called the redeemed
people His possessions.
“But now, this is what the LORD
says-- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for
I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’” (Isaiah 43:1)
Even though pagans do not
tolerate this kind of immorality but the Corinthian Christians did the person
who slept with his father’s wife (step mother). Why did they tolerate such a
detestable thing before God? It’s out of their pride. “And you are proud! Shouldn’t
you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man
who has been doing this?” (1 Corinthians 5:2) They were still mere infants in
Christ, not living by the Spirit. They were carnal not spiritual. They should
have gone into mourning and have put out of their fellowship the man who had
been doing the sexually immoral thing. But they were worldly, acting like mere
humans not the mature.
“For my part, even though I am
not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you
in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on
the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in
spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan
for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of
the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 5:3-5)
That’s how they should handle
the man who did commit sexual immorality. This is exactly following the command
of the Lord Jesus Christ who told His disciples how to handle the person who
sinned against God in the church.
“If your brother or sister
sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen
to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two
others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two
or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and
if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or
a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)
There are three steps involved
to deal with the sin problem in the church. This is always the case all
churches must follow carefully and watchfully. The point is forgiveness, not
damnation. Firstly, tell the person in private between two of them. If they
listen and repent, then forgive them and the matter is over. But if they will
not listen, then take the next step, bringing one or two other witnesses and
tell them. If they listen and repent, then forgive them and the matter is over.
But they still refuse to listen, tell it to the assembly of church, and if they
refuse to listen even to the church, then treat them as pagans or tax
collectors.
What does it mean to treat like
a pagan or a tax collector? It doesn’t mean to excommunicate them at all. It
means to treat them as non-Christians who do not have any fellowship with
Christ the Lord. They will not inherit the kingdom of God. Anyone who acts in
the flesh has no share in the kingdom of God. Even the Christians who continue
to walk in the flesh not in the Spirit do not share the fellowship with Christ
although they may repent. For example, if anyone watches pornography, there is
no peace, joy, and love in him.
“Or do you not know that
wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the
sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor
thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Paul is saying that it is an
act of handing the person over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so
that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. It is a way of giving them
a chance to see the realities realistically and repent. Why should the church not
tolerate such a person who continues to involve in sexual immorality and refuses
to repent?
“Your boasting is not good.
Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 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. Therefore let us keep the
Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
The church must not tolerate
sexual immorality because it is impossible for them to handle it properly and
rightly. We humans have no power to handle the evils. But they assumed that
they were able to handle the problem, so they were boastfully proud. Apostle
Paul admonishes Timothy to flee the evil desires, not to trying to fight
against them. “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith,
love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2
Timothy 2:2)
Yeast is used here as the
symbol of bad influence. A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. That’s
how powerful a little yeast is. So does sexual immorality. So, we must get rid
of the old yeast without allowing an iota of yeast because we are already a new
unleavened batch redeemed through the blood of Christ Jesus. We have nothing to
handle the evil desires in our flesh. So, we are completely poor and humbled in
that sense. That’s why our Lord Christ has been sacrificed as the Passover lamb.
“None of the rulers of this age
understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:8)
There should not be any bit of
compromise to allow even a little yeast which indicates the seemingly small
things. For example, one might think that watching pornography would be okay,
just once. But as we have experienced enough that’s not true. A little malice
and wickedness should not be allowed to celebrate the Festival because such
things cannot stand before God. It must always be with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth because our God is holy and truthful.
“You are to be holy to me
because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be
my own.” (Leviticus 20:26)
One caution Paul says is not to
exclude all sexually immoral people, the people of this world who are immoral,
or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case we would have to leave
the world because the whole world is under the influence and grip of evils. There
is no exception in the world.
“I wrote to you in my letter
not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of
this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that
case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you
must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is
sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.
Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those
outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those
outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)
What Paul is saying is that we
shall not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister in Christ
but is sexually immoral or greedy, and idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or
swindler. We shall not eat with such people in the Lord’s Table because the
bread is holy and shall not be with any malice and wickedness and because such
people have no fellowship with Christ Jesus. What about those people outside
the church? It’s not our responsibility at all. In fact, we cannot do anything
at all about those wicked people in the world. God will judge those outside. But
we are responsible for dealing the wicked person in the church and expelling
them without allowing a little yeast among us.
That’s the command of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Sex is worship and blessing. It’s only allowed with the periphery
of marriage and no more. In it, the hidden mystery of God is revealed that we
are made to worship God only. In Christ Jesus, we were bought at a price, so we
are not our own any longer (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In Him, we have been made His
treasured possessions. So, anyone who comes to God must worship Him in truth
and in spirit (John 4:24).
Prayer: Thank you Father for teaching
us what sex is and why sexual immorality is completely and always wrong. Thank
you for making us be redeemed by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ and part
of a new unleavened batch of dough. Lord God, may we never forget that God is
holy and never allows any bit of malice and wickedness in His presence all
time. In Christ’s name. Amen.
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