Immorality Defiles the Church

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even [a]named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s (A)wife! (B)And you are [b]puffed up, and have not rather (C)mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. (D)For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the (E)name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, (F)with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, (G)deliver such a one to (H)Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord [c]Jesus.

(I)Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that (J)a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore [d]purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed (K)Christ, our (L)Passover, was sacrificed [e]for us. Therefore (M)let us keep the feast, (N)not with old leaven, nor (O)with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Immorality Must Be Judged

I wrote to you in my epistle (P)not to [f]keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go (Q)out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company (R)with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—(S)not even to eat with such a person.

12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore (T)“put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 5:1 NU omits named
  2. 1 Corinthians 5:2 arrogant
  3. 1 Corinthians 5:5 NU omits Jesus
  4. 1 Corinthians 5:7 clean out
  5. 1 Corinthians 5:7 NU omits for us
  6. 1 Corinthians 5:9 associate

Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

It is actually reported that there is (A)sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, (B)for a man has his father's wife. And (C)you are arrogant! Ought you (D)not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

For though (E)absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled (F)in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are (G)to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so (H)that his spirit may be saved (I)in the day of the Lord.[a]

(J)Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that (K)a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, (L)not with the old leaven, (M)the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote to you in my letter (N)not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 (O)not at all meaning (P)the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, (Q)since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone (R)who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging (S)outsiders? (T)Is it not those inside the church[b] whom you are to judge? 13 God judges[c] those outside. (U)“Purge the evil person from among you.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 5:5 Some manuscripts add Jesus
  2. 1 Corinthians 5:12 Greek those inside
  3. 1 Corinthians 5:13 Or will judge

行淫乱的人应当赶出教会

听说你们中间竟然有淫乱的事,这样的淫乱在教外人中间都没有,就是有人和他的继母同居。 你们还是自高自大!难道你们不该觉得痛心,把作这件事的人从你们中间赶出去吗? 我身体虽然不在你们那里,心灵却与你们在一起,好象我亲身在那里审判了作这件事的人, 就是当你们奉我们主耶稣的名聚集在一起,我的灵在那里,我们主耶稣的权能也同在的时候, 要把这样的人交给撒但,败坏他的身体,使他的灵魂在主的日子可以得救。 你们这样自夸是不好的。你们不知道一点面酵能使全团面发起来吗? 你们既是无酵的面,就应当把旧酵除净,好让你们成为新的面团;因为我们逾越节的羊羔基督已经被杀献祭了。 所以我们守这节,不可用旧酵,也不可用又邪又恶的酵,而是要用纯洁真实的无酵饼。

我以前写信告诉你们,不可与淫乱的人来往。 10 这话当然不是指这世上行淫乱的、贪心的、勒索的,或拜偶像的人;如果是这样,你们就非脱离这世界不可。 11 但现在我写信告诉你们,如果有称为弟兄,却是行淫乱、贪心、拜偶像、辱骂人、醉酒或勒索的,这样的人,不可和他来往,连和他吃饭都不可。 12 审判教外的人,跟我有甚么关系?教内的人不是你们审判的吗? 13 至于教外的人, 神会审判他们。你们要把那恶人从你们中间赶出去。

Church Discipline

It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with[a] his father’s wife. And you are proud![b] Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed the one who did this[c] from among you? For even though I am absent physically,[d] I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present.[e] When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus,[f] and I am with you in spirit,[g] along with the power of our Lord Jesus, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved[h] in the day of the Lord.[i]

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast[j] affects[k] the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough—you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. So then, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.[l]

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian[m] who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive,[n] or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.[o]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 5:1 tn Or “someone has married”; Grk “someone has,” but the verb ἔχω (echō) is routinely used of marital relationships (cf. BDAG 420 s.v. 2.a), including sexual relationships. The exact nature of the relationship is uncertain in this case; it is not clear, for example, whether the man had actually married the woman or was merely cohabiting with her.
  2. 1 Corinthians 5:2 tn Or “are puffed up/arrogant,” the same verb occurring in 4:6, 18.
  3. 1 Corinthians 5:2 tn Grk “sorrowful, so that the one who did this might be removed.”
  4. 1 Corinthians 5:3 tn Grk “in body.”
  5. 1 Corinthians 5:3 tn Verse 3 is one sentence in Greek (“For—even though I am absent in body, yet present in spirit—I have already judged the one who did this, as though I were present”) that has been broken up due to English stylistic considerations.
  6. 1 Corinthians 5:4 tc On the wording “our Lord Jesus” (τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ, tou kuriou hēmōn Iēsou) there is some variation in the extant witnesses: ἡμῶν is lacking in א A Ψ 1505; Χριστοῦ (Christou, “Christ”) is found after ᾿Ιησοῦ in P46 א D2 F G 33 1881 M co and before ᾿Ιησοῦ in 81. The wording τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ is read by B D* 1175 1739. Concerning Χριστοῦ, even though the external evidence for this is quite good, it may well be a motivated reading. Elsewhere in Paul the expression “our Lord Jesus” is routinely followed by “Christ” (e.g., Rom 5:1, 11; 15:6, 30; 1 Cor 1:2, 7, 10; 15:57; 2 Cor 8:9; Gal 6:14, 18, Eph 1:3, 17; 5:20; 6:24; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:3; 5:9, 23, 28). Less commonly, the wording is simply “our Lord Jesus” (e.g., Rom 16:20; 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thess 2:19; 3:11, 13; 2 Thess 1:8, 12). A preference should thus be given to the shorter reading. As for the ἡμῶν, it is very difficult to decide: “the Lord Jesus” occurs as often as “our Lord Jesus” (cf. 1 Cor 11:23; 16:23; 2 Cor 4:14; 11:31; Eph 1:15; 1 Thess 4:2; 2 Thess 1:7; Phlm 5). Although scribes would tend to expand on the text, the only witnesses that have “the Lord Jesus” (without “our” or “Christ”) are A Ψ 1505. On balance, then, “our Lord Jesus” is the best reading in this verse.
  7. 1 Corinthians 5:4 tn Verses 4b-5a are capable of various punctuations: (1) “and I am with you in spirit, through the power of our Lord Jesus turn this man over to Satan”; (2) “and I am with you in spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn this man over to Satan”; (3) “and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn this man over to Satan” (as adopted in the text). The first option suggests the Lord’s power is needed when the church is to hand the man over to Satan; the second option suggests that the Lord’s power is present when Paul is gathered with the Corinthians in spirit; the third option leaves the relation of the Lord’s power to the surrounding phrases vague, perhaps implying that both are in view.
  8. 1 Corinthians 5:5 tn Or perhaps “turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of your fleshly works, so that your spirit may be saved…”; Grk “for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved.” This is one of the most difficult passages in the NT, and there are many different interpretations regarding what is in view here. (1) Many interpreters see this as some sort of excommunication (“turn this man over to Satan”) which in turn leads to the man’s physical death (“the destruction of the flesh”), resulting in the man’s ultimate salvation (“that [his] spirit may be saved…”). (2) Others see the phrase “destruction of the flesh” as referring to extreme physical suffering or illness that stops short of physical death, thus leading the offender to repentance and salvation. (3) A number of scholars (e.g. G. D. Fee, First Corinthians [NICNT], 212-13) take the reference to the “flesh” to refer to the offender’s “sinful nature” or “carnal nature,” which is “destroyed” by placing him outside the church, back in Satan’s domain (exactly how this “destruction” is accomplished is not clear, and is one of the problems with this view). (4) More recently some have argued that neither the “flesh” nor the “spirit” belong to the offender, but to the church collectively; thus it is the “fleshly works” of the congregation which are being destroyed by the removal of the offender (cf. 5:13) so that the “spirit,” the corporate life of the church lived in union with God through the Holy Spirit, may be preserved (cf. 5:7-8). See, e.g., B. Campbell, “Flesh and Spirit in 1 Cor 5:5: An Exercise in Rhetorical Criticism of the NT,” JETS 36 (1993): 331-42. The alternate translation “for the destruction of your fleshly works, so that your spirit may be saved” reflects this latter view.
  9. 1 Corinthians 5:5 tc The shorter reading, κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”), is found in P46 B 630 1739; κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ (kuriou Iēsou, “Lord Jesus”) is read by P61vid א Ψ M; κυρίου ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (kuriou Iēsou Christou, “Lord Jesus Christ”) by D; and κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (kuriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou, “our Lord Jesus Christ”) by A F G P 33 al. The shorter reading is preferred as the reading that best explains the other readings, especially in view of the mention of “Jesus” twice in the previous verse.
  10. 1 Corinthians 5:6 sn In this passage (5:6-8) yeast represents the presence of evil within the church, specifically the immoral person described in 5:1-5 and mentioned again in 5:13.
  11. 1 Corinthians 5:6 tn Grk “a little yeast leavens.”
  12. 1 Corinthians 5:8 tn Grk “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
  13. 1 Corinthians 5:11 tn Grk “a brother,” but the Greek word “brother” may be used for “brother or sister,” “fellow Christian,” or “fellow member of the church.” Here the term “brother” broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).
  14. 1 Corinthians 5:11 tn Or “a reviler”; BDAG 602 s.v. λοίδορος defines the term as “reviler, abusive person.”
  15. 1 Corinthians 5:13 sn An allusion to Deut 17:7; 19:19; 22:21, 24; 24:7; cf. 1 Cor 5:2.