1 Corinthians 5: It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Problems in the church: first it was factions, now he addresses sexual immorality. And he begins with a specific incident, but then broadens it to all areas of sexual immorality.
Again, I am not preaching this because of some problem in our church. We preach through the Scripture so that we are aware of the whole counsel of God. And we preach it because we are living in a process as believers.
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.
As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.
"Forget about the repairs," the buyer said. "When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the site."
Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God's, the old life is over (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build.
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he isa new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Ian L. Wilson.
God doesn’t want purity in our actions. But also in our thoughts.
There is more than one problem addressed by Paul in regard to this sin in the Corinthian church. It’s not just the sin of fornication, there are other problems that have tagged along with it. Their witness in the community was affected. Even those who weren’t involved in the sin itself, were proud, unwilling to see their own blight. And they also had the problem of an unwillingness to properly deal with the individual who was sinning. And finally, they had an inadequate view of the Church as the bride of Christ.
So, let’s start by looking at the problems-fornication, reputation, arrogance, discipline, and view of the church.
I. The Problem of Fornication
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you,
What is fornication?
So, fornication is premarital sex, adultery, Homosexuality, Pornography, Bestiality, Prostitution, and incest.
So that’s the definition of fornication; any sexual intimacy outside of a relationship between one man and one woman in marriage.
The church needs to repent. This preacher needs to repent.
II. The Problem of Reputation
The fact that this was happening among the members of the Corinthian church, and not being dealt with, reflected negatively on the church’s reputation in the community.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
Let’s look at last things first. What do we know about the offending man? This man is a member of the Corinthian church. How do we know? Well look at verse one.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,
And look at verses 9-13
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate [e]with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or greedy, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Are you not to judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God will judge. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
So, this man had made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He had confessed Jesus as his Savior and Master. He had followed through with baptism and had his name added to the list of believers who were a part of the Corinthian assembly.
The second thing we know is his sin.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, “is said to have his father’s wife.”
“Is said to have his father’s wife.” He is having an intimate sexual relationship with his father’s wife.
Now who is this woman he is involved with? First off, she is not a member of the Corinthian assembly, she is not a believer. If she were, then Paul would be telling them to discipline them both.
And she is his “father’s wife.” Now, in all likelihood, this is what is happening here. A man who already has a son, marries a second time. So, the woman is the son’s stepmother. And it is quite possible that the son and the stepmother are close in age, considering how frequently men took younger wives. For example, she could have been 16, and the son 16. The father could have been 40. This was not uncommon. Then, the father dies some years, 5, 10, 15, later. Why do I say that he has died? Because the word “adultery” is never used here. Adultery is when someone violates their marriage vows. And adultery was punishable by criminal law in both Roman and Jewish courts.
So, it’s likely that the father has passed. But though she has the right to remarry, the laws concerning incest still apply.
Leviticus 18: 6None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. 8The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
You say, “Well that’s Old Testament law. We are not under the law, but under grace.” Yes, we are. In fact, Paul is the one who said that. But here he is saying that this is the sin of fornication. So, are we under any Old Testament law? Yes, we are. Let’s make it simple. When Paul said that we are not under the law, but under grace, he was talking about how we are justified, or made right before God. He was saying that the law is incapable of making you righteous before God; you need God’s grace in the cross for that. But he was not invalidating the observance of the whole law.
Paul was not throwing out the Old Testament. How do I know, because in all of Paul’s letters, guess what he does; he quotes the Old Testament to shore up his points.
So how do we know which Old Testament laws we have to follow. Let me show you another passage.
Romans 8:3-4 3 What the law could not do since it was limited[c] by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain,[d] and as a sin offering, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
That word “fulfilled” is very important. It is sometimes translated, “accomplished.” But it means to fully fill something up. To complete something completely.
So, Romans 8:3-4 tells us that Christ died on the cross so we could fill up completely the law’s requirements.
Now hold on to that thought. What are the law’s requirements? There were three kinds of laws given to Israel in the Old Testament. First, there was the ceremonial law. All those laws about the priesthood, the sacrifice of animals etc. Well, Christ died on the cross so you could complete your requirement of abiding by those laws. How did He do that? He became the final High Priest. He became the final sacrificial lamb. So that through faith in Him, your final sacrifice has been made. You don’t have to sacrifice animals because He filled the requirement bucket.
He is also the final High Priest. You don’t have to deal with a priest anymore. Because Jesus is still alive and serving as your priest.
So, that’s the ceremonial law, and it’s fulfilled. What other kinds of laws were there in the Old Testament? There were laws regarding Israel as a nation. Laws that were designed to set Israel apart as a people; to keep them separate from the world.
They had laws that said not to mix types of fabric; wool and cotton. There were certain foods they were not to eat; shellfish. They were to put tassels on their garments. And all of that served to keep them apart from the world. You see, they didn’t have the indwelling Spirit like we do. So, we have a resident guide. They needed some hard and fast guidelines. But guess what? Because Christ died on the cross, those standards of righteousness have fulfilled their purpose. They brought us to the indwelling Spirit. We no longer need them.
Think of it this way. In the elementary school classroom, there is a rule. If you need to go to the bathroom, you must raise your hand, wait for the teacher to call on you, ask to go to the bathroom, maybe get a pass that shows you have permission, and be sure to return in 5 minutes.
Now, I still work in a school. But the last time I went to a teacher meeting, I found that I had to go to the bathroom. And do you know what I did? I got up and went. And when I returned, nobody said, “Excuse me, where did you go?” “Did you get permission?” “Did you raise your hand?” No. because those rules were given as a training tool for those who need some very black and white guidelines. But by adulthood, we hope that the adults know how to act. Did you know that is what Paul said about the law? It was our tutor, to hold our hand and make sure we made it to Christ. But once we have Christ, the purpose of those separation laws is fulfilled; complete.
But what about the third kind of law? The third kind of law are moral laws. Thou shalt not kill, steal, commit adultery, covet. And guess what, moral laws stand for all time and eternity. These are the laws that we are always bound to keep. These laws will be kept in heaven.1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Legacy Standard Bible
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
You say, then how did Christ fulfill the righteous requirements for the moral law. Look back at Romans.
Romans 8:3-4 3 What the law could not do since it was limited[c] by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain,[d] and as a sin offering, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us,
He fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law, by taking on Himself the penalty for breaking those laws. In Christ, we no longer have a weight of sin that requires atonement. The price has been paid. But does that mean that we are now free to break the moral laws to our hearts content? No, look at the end of verse four.
as a sin offering, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Now we live by the Spirit. And the Spirit directs us away from sin; the sins enumerated in the moral law. It is still a sin to lie. As a Christian we may still lie. But we are grieving the Spirit and subjecting ourselves to possible discipline from God.
So, all of that to say that the laws against incest were a part of the Old Testament moral law. So, they stand for all time.
And there was a problem, not only in the sin itself, but in the witness to the community. Paul points something out. He points out that even the Gentiles did not practice this kind of incestuous relationship.
So, this man and woman were involved in something that was regarded as vile, even among the Gentiles. I found this about 1st century Roman law.
In Latin legal and moral discourse, stuprum is illicit sexual intercourse, translatable as "criminal debauchery"[62] or "sex crime".[63] Stuprum encompasses diverse sexual offenses including incestum, rape ("unlawful sex by force"),[64] and adultery. In early Rome, stuprum was a disgraceful act in general, or any public disgrace, including but not limited to illicit sex.[n 6
There were criminal laws against three kinds of sexual relationships; incest, rape, and adultery.
Roman civil law prohibited marriages within four degrees of consanguinity.[2]
(con-san-guin-ity)
And even today, most countries in the world still have laws against certain types of incest. And that is Paul’s point. You have someone in your church who is publicly involved in sin, and not just any sin, but a sin that even the world around is repulsed by. You need to deal with the sin, not only because it is sin, but also because your witness in the community is at stake.
Our witness in the world is to be above reproach. 1 Peter 2:12 ESV Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.Matthew 5:16 ESV In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
In his book, I Almost Missed The Sunset, Bill Gaither writes:
Gloria and I had been married a couple of years. We were teaching school in Alexandria, Indiana, where I had grown up, and we wanted a piece of land where we could build a house. I noticed the parcel south of town where cattle grazed, and I learned it belonged to a 92-year-old retired banked named Mr. Yule. He owned a lot of land in the area, and word was he would sell none of it. He gave the same speech to everyone who inquired: "I promised the farmers they could use it for their cattle."
Gloria and I visited him at the bank. Although he was retired, he spent a couple of hours each morning in his office. He looked at us over the top of his bifocals.
I introduced myself and told him we were interested in a piece of his land. "Not selling," he said pleasantly. "Promised it to a farmer for grazing."
"I know, but we teach school here and thought maybe you'd be interested in selling it to someone planning to settle in the area."
He pursed his lips and stared at me. "What'd you say your name was?"
"Gaither. Bill Gaither."
"Hmmm. Any relation to Grover Gaither?"
"Yes, sir. He was my granddad."
Mr. Yule put down his paper and removed his glasses. "Interesting. Grover Gaither was the best worker I ever had on my farm. Full day's work for a day's pay. So honest. What'd you say you wanted?"
I told him again.
"Let me do some thinking on it, then come back and see me."
I came back within the week, and Mr. Yule told me he had had the property appraised. I held my breath. "How does $3,800 sound? Would that be okay?"
If that was per acre, I would have to come up with nearly $60,000! "$3,800?" I repeated.
"Yup. Fifteen acres for $3,800."
I knew it had to be worth at least three times that. I readily accepted.
Nearly three decades later, my son and I strolled that beautiful, lush property that had once been pasture land. "Benjy" I said, "you've had this wonderful place to grow up through nothing that you've done, but because of the good name of a great-granddad you never met."
"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." (Prov. 22:1).
Leadership, Summer 1993, p. 61.
The problem of the fornication and the problem of reputation
That is what is at issue in the Corinthian church, and in the church today. If we don’t have a good reputation in the community, we have nothing. That’s why we address sin in the church.
1 Peter 2: 15 For [q]such is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
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