Sexual Immorality Rebuked

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, namely, that someone has (A)his father’s wife. [a]You (B)have become [b]arrogant and [c]have not (C)mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be (D)removed from your midst.

For I, on my part, though (E)absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. (F)In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and [d]I with you in spirit, (G)with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided [e]to (H)turn such a person over to (I)Satan for the destruction of his [f]body, so that his spirit may be saved on (J)the day of the [g]Lord.

(K)Your boasting is not good. (L)Do you not know that (M)a little [h]leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our (N)Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, (O)not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote to you in my letter (P)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 (Q)idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. 11 But [i]actually, I [j]wrote to you not to associate [k]with any so-called (R)brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or (S)an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what business of mine is it to judge (T)outsiders? (U)Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God [l]judges. (V)Remove the evil person from among yourselves.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 5:2 Or have you...?
  2. 1 Corinthians 5:2 Lit puffed up
  3. 1 Corinthians 5:2 Or have you...?
  4. 1 Corinthians 5:4 Lit my spirit, with the power
  5. 1 Corinthians 5:5 Or that you are to turn
  6. 1 Corinthians 5:5 Lit flesh
  7. 1 Corinthians 5:5 One early ms Lord Jesus
  8. 1 Corinthians 5:6 I.e., fermented dough
  9. 1 Corinthians 5:11 Lit now
  10. 1 Corinthians 5:11 Or have written
  11. 1 Corinthians 5:11 Lit together if anyone called a brother is
  12. 1 Corinthians 5:13 Or will judge

Paul Condemns Spiritual Pride

I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother.[a] You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit.[b] And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church.[c] I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed[d] and he himself[e] will be saved on the day the Lord[f] returns.

Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.[g] So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread[h] of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread[i] of sincerity and truth.

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer[j] yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”[k]

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Greek his father’s wife.
  2. 5:3 Or in spirit.
  3. 5:4 Or In the name of the Lord Jesus, you must call a meeting of the church.
  4. 5:5a Or so that his body will be destroyed; Greek reads for the destruction of the flesh.
  5. 5:5b Greek and the spirit.
  6. 5:5c Other manuscripts read the Lord Jesus; still others read our Lord Jesus Christ.
  7. 5:7 Greek has been sacrificed.
  8. 5:8a Greek not with old leaven.
  9. 5:8b Greek but with unleavened [bread].
  10. 5:11 Greek a brother.
  11. 5:13 Deut 17:7.