1 Corinthians 5:9-13 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.”
Paul is upset with the Corinthian church for allowing immoral behavior: incest, to exist openly in their congregation. Paul expresses to them something these Greek believers knew was true: this kind of sin is not even acceptable within the secular world. The sin of incest within their fellowship is not hidden, but openly known by the believers. The law of Moses’ states that A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonor his father’s bed. (Deuteronomy 22:30) This kind of behavior interferes with the harmony of existence, how God designed the world and the cosmos. We see life on earth, existing in an environment that is precise and integrated. Our bodies function cell by cell in harmony, in unity. We have everything needed within our bodies to sustain life. Life on earth functions in a designed environment for the benefit of biological existence. When people practice incest in their society, they open themselves to some damaging consequences for their offspring: lower intelligence or intellectual disability, heart dysfunctions, auto-immune problems, physical deformities, and so on. Paul is saying that incest is outside of God’s desire for men and women. Such sin will bring dire consequences. When people do not serve the living God, they fall into adverse, troubling and destructive behaviors that destroy the well-being and harmony of existence. Paul enumerates many of them in Romans 1: every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. People's deviant behavior outside of God’s design for them causes them to be gossipers, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful. They invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. (Romans 1:29-31) As with incest, all of this kind of behavior and action are categorized as sin. None of them contain the nature of God: harmony, peace, love and mercy. All of this iniquity separates man from God permanently. All disruption to God’s design for mankind and his existence will be judged harshly. Paul is telling the Greek Christians that disharmony with God's will brings death. Therefore, they should not associate with the deeds of death, but with God’s life-giving Spirit. The Way, the Truth and the Life which is found only in the fellowship of Christ. Paul tells them not to allow darkness to abide in their community without judgement on sinners' wayward behavior, not to associate with sexually immoral people. If the person’s sin is outward and brazen, Expel the wicked person from among you.
Of course in the world we will be involved with people who do not know God or do not want to know God. Atheists, agnostics and sinners will work with us, associate with us, maybe even be our friends. Some people will carry the tag on them that God has assigned to them. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is not one of them that does good. (Psalm 14:1) God includes all people in this category who are without the willingness to know God. The Bible says all people have gone astray from God; all people are lost sheep without the Shepard in their lives. Paul tells the Corinthian believers they are sheep in God’s fold: they are living under God’s protection and guidance; therefore, they should not entertain yeast that comes into the fold. Yes, they should love the people, but not fellowship in their sinful lifestyle, for yeast has a property that is very viral. It will infect anything and everything that comes into contact with it. Outside of the fold, Christians live most of their lives, but Christians also have the Holy Spirit, the power of God protecting their existence. We see this in Jesus’s time; in the wilderness, He was tempted by Satan. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness after He was baptized in water. The Holy Spirit had descended on him at that time. He now possessed the power and leading of God in his life. He will be exposed to Satan’s direct intervention. Satan’s voice will be real and compelling to the flesh. But Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, will combat the words of Satan with the Holy Scriptures. The devil is helpless when the scriptures are used against him, for they express the voice of God. so he goes away for a season. We too, who journey every day into the wilderness of life have the Spirit of God powerfully in us. We have the power to not be influenced by the sins and activities of men and women. We carry the tag on us placed by God as the children of God. We are eternal beings and we know it as a reality in our lives. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:8-11) We are IN GOD AND HE IS IN US, whether we are in the work place or at home. He will never leave us even in death. We will always be in the presence of the Lord, but we should not bring within the Tabernacle of our hearts or the church community the influence of sin. Paul is telling the Corinthians that in the church of the living GOD, they should not be fellowshipping with people who are openly INVOLVED in sin: sexually immoral, greedy, idolaters, slanderers, drunkards, swindlers. Do not bring the yeast of the world into the community of believers.
The God of the cosmos is holy, orderly and precise. All that is made comes from his hand, from his existence. Nothing exists outside of him and no aberration of his nature of love and mercy will exist without judgment. Sin is adverse to God’s authority, his nature of holiness, goodness and love. Mankind was made in God’s image so we have been given freedom to choose our lifestyle. Eve chose self over God’s authority; Adam chose his own self-will over God’s existence. Because of the uniqueness of MANKIND MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, not as the angels, we were cast out of the Garden, where before sin we possessed eternal life. The glory of God was given to us from the beginning and that glory is wrapped up in the word, eternal. We were initially given the privilege to be like God, to have his glory of eternal life. But that was terminated because of sin; the crown of eternal life was taken off our heads. So since that time, we are dust that will return to dust at our demise. Paul is now telling the Corinthians, remember who you are IN CHRIST. You are eternal, so do not associate with the deeds of death--judge this man who is embedded in incest. In and through Jesus, we know of God’s great love towards all people, even those who are his enemies. We see Jesus approaching Jerusalem to be crucified by the Romans. The people who greet him as He is moving towards Jerusalem are Jews who are crying Hosanna in the Highest, expecting Jesus to deliver them from the bondage of Rome. But Jesus fails their expectations. He is presented to them by Pilate as just a weak, frail man, no power to overcome the authority of Rome. We find them in Jesus’ last hours, yelling to Pilate, Crucify Him. Jesus knew this would happen to him, for Jesus did not trust the words and the honor of people. Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. (John 2:23-25) As Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He weeps. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus knew the people who are greeting him now, and those in Jerusalem will scream, Crucify him! But He loves them and knows they will be crushed by the Roman legions. Their temple will be torn down, and they will be slain by the thousands. He weeps for them out of his great love for them. Paul’s love for the man who is contaminating the Corinthian church with his sin is strong. He beseeches the believers to pray for the man's death so that his soul will be saved. Pray that he will find peace with God. This is the Good News that the disciples were to preach in every land: peace with God. Peter realizes what this commission means when God offers the Good News to Cornelius, a Roman officer in Caesarea. “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of PEACE through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (Acts 10:34-36) When the Roman officer and his household were offered the Good News, the peace with God, the whole household was filled with the Holy Spirit. When they accepted the Good News of faith in Jesus Christ, peace came to them through the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Now Paul is telling the Corinthian church, establish peace once again in your midst. Do not let a disruptive spirit interfere with your peace IN GOD. This man caught in the sin of incest repented, and his soul was saved. The Corinthian church was not perfect, as we all are not perfect, but the harmony of God, the design of God for each of us is that we have peace with God, so there is no division between us and God. Let that peace dwell richly in you today. Love, Dad and Mom
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