In 1 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul admonished the congregation there for maintaining fellowship with a sexually immoral man, “such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!” (1).
He called upon them to withdraw their fellowship from this man. “Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh…” (5). The purpose of this disciple was “…that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (5).
This withdrawal of fellowship is called a purging of leaven (cf. 7) with the recognition that the leaven of sin, if left in a congregation, can spread to other members (cf. 6). They were “not to keep company with sexually immoral people” (9). Such an immoral man should “be taken away from among you” (2).
Sexual immorality is not the only sin that must be dealt with in the church. Paul explicitly mentions in the context covetousness, idolatry, reviling, drunkenness and extortion (cf. 11). In fact, all unrepented sin must be dealt with in this way. Why? For the purpose mentioned in our text, “that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
Does such discipline meted out by “the majority” (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:6), always work? In one sense, yes it does. It serves the purpose of removing the leaven of sin from God’s people. This in and of itself is an important result of church discipline. It is always a direct statement that the impenitent sinner’s actions are disapproved by both God and His people. This is true in every case of legitimate church discipline.
However, it doesn’t always bring a sinner to repentance. The reason for this is that a man’s heart must be receptive to the discipline meted out. Some are chastened by the action, some are not. It must be understood that regardless of the response of the sinner himself, such discipline is not optional. When the Corinthians failed to discipline this sinner, Paul called them “puffed up” (2), and told them, “Your glorying is not good” (6). To say that God’s pattern for church discipline is not proper or effective is to exalt ones’ own thinking above that of God Himself.
In our example, the man repented. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man” (2:6). It was sufficient because it brought about the desired result—their punishment had led to his repentance and restoration.
So, it was not necessary for the punishment to continue. Discipline is not designed to punish for punishment’s sake. It is designed to bring reform. It brought reform in this case, so Paul wrote further, “…so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him” (2:7-8).
Sin must always be dealt with for two reasons: 1) to purge out the leaven of sin; and 2) “that his spirit may be saved.” When such a man repents, and is restored to standing with God, heaven rejoices and so should we.
Too often Christians are overly concerned about hurting feelings or straining relationships. Such inclinations are understandable, but fail to take into consideration the serious consequences of sin against God. Would you rather have a temporary relationship with the impenitent while on earth? Or would you rather bring him to repentance so that you may enjoy eternity together? God’s way is the best way! A proper respect for God brings obedience to His commands.
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