Immoral Church Members

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality(A) among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated[a] among the Gentiles(B)—a man is sleeping with his father’s wife.(C) And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief(D) and remove from your congregation the one who did this? Even though I am absent in the body, I am present in spirit.(E) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who has been doing such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,(F) so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.(G)

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven[b](H) leavens the whole batch of dough?(I) Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb(J) has been sacrificed.[c] Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil,(K) but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Church Discipline

I wrote to you in a letter not to associate(L) with sexually immoral people.(M) 10 I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy(N) and swindlers(O) or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world.(P) 11 But actually, I wrote[d] you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister(Q) and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard(R) or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 For what business is it of mine to judge(S) outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? 13 God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.[e](T)

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Other mss read named
  2. 5:6 Or yeast, also in vv. 7,8
  3. 5:7 Other mss add for us
  4. 5:11 Or But now I am writing
  5. 5:13 Dt 17:7

Confronting sexual immorality in the church

Everyone has heard that there is sexual immorality among you. This is a type of immorality that isn’t even heard of among the Gentiles—a man is having sex with his father’s wife! And you’re proud of yourselves instead of being so upset that the one who did this thing is expelled from your community. Though I’m absent physically, I’m present in the spirit and I’ve already judged the man who did this as if I were present. When you meet together in the name of our Lord Jesus, I’ll be present in spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus. At that time we need to hand this man over to Satan to destroy his human weakness so that his spirit might be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your bragging isn’t good! Don’t you know that a tiny grain of yeast makes a whole batch of dough rise? Clean out the old yeast so you can be a new batch of dough, given that you’re supposed to be unleavened bread. Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed, so let’s celebrate the feast with the unleavened bread of honesty and truth, not with old yeast or with the yeast of evil and wickedness.

I wrote to you in my earlier letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 But I wasn’t talking about the sexually immoral people in the outside world by any means—or the greedy, or the swindlers, or people who worship false gods—otherwise, you would have to leave the world entirely! 11 But now I’m writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls themselves “brother” or “sister” who is sexually immoral, greedy, someone who worships false gods, an abusive person, a drunk, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with anyone like this. 12 What do I care about judging outsiders? Isn’t it your job to judge insiders? 13 God will judge outsiders. Expel the evil one from among you![a]