A Little Leaven

Reading:  1 Corinthians 5:6-8
    
    Paul is not just concerned about the Christian in Corinth with the incestuous relationship.  He also warns about the impact this situation can have on the others in the group.  “Your boasting is not good.  Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”(1 Cor 5:6).  If we turn a blind eye to one person’s continual sin, that attitude of permissiveness catches on.  How likely are we to call out future sins?  How likely are we to take our own sin seriously?  Paul likens this style of thinking to leaven, which has a pervasive, unseen impact on the whole lump of dough.  Leaven makes the bread into something entirely different.  This is why “your boasting is not good”; before long, the entire group stands for nothing. 

    Leaven was also a key part of the Jewish Passover feast, in which unleavened bread was eaten as a sign of the haste with which the people left Egypt after God’s deliverance (Ex 13:6-7, Deut 16:3).  “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, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”(1 Cor 5:7-8).  Since Jesus has died as “our Passover lamb,” we too have been saved and made holy.  So we need to “cleanse out the old leaven”(removing sin from the group) and honor God with “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”  God’s people do not harbor sin, nor do we comfort unrepentant sinners.  Instead, we are characterized by sincerity and truth—brutal honesty about our own sin and diligent zeal about living righteously.

    Leaven is a metaphor for influence.  Paul does not seem concerned that the entire group will begin incestuous relationships.  His focus is on their “boasting”(v. 6) about tolerating open rebellion against God.  Christians are not harsh and uncaring toward sinners; we know that we struggle too.  But we are united by a determination not to sin.  Any sense that continual sin is acceptable is dangerous because we influence one another to accept what God does not.  A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

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One Thing to Think About:   Why is it so hard to maintain the proper attitude toward sin?

One Thing to Pray For:   Sincerity and truth in my life—and in my local church
 

Deliver This Man to Satan

Reading:  1 Corinthians 5:3-5
    
    Paul is frustrated that the Corinthians have allowed a man in their midst with a sinful incestuous relationship.  What does he want them to do?  “Let him who has done this be removed from among you”(1 Cor 5:2).  Paul describes his own judgment:  “For though 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”(1 Cor 5:3).  Unlike other cases, Paul does not advocate gentle restoration (Gal 6:1) or repeated admonitions (Titus 3:9-11).  This man appears to be involved in continual, eyes-wide-open sin.  Something must be done.

    Paul wants the group to act.  “When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his sprit may be saved in the day of the Lord”(1 Cor 5:4-5).  Note the repeated references to Jesus here.  Despite modern misunderstandings, Jesus advocates strong action when his followers persist in sin.  Paul is also with them (“my spirit is present”).  Together, they “deliver this man to Satan.”  This is similar to when Paul speaks of two men whom he “handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme”(1 Tim 1:20).  The Corinthians are declaring that the man is now serving Satan rather than Jesus and has no part among the people of Jesus.  This action is “for the destruction of the flesh,” an odd phrase that may mean that he can experience again the sting of sinful living.  But Paul stresses the ultimate goal of expelling the man is “that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”  We take such actions to save our erring brothers.

    Paul’s words stress that there are times when a group of believers must act to remove unrepentant sinners from among them.  In some cases, patient, gentle approaches are out of place.  Jesus wants his people to be united in their love for their brothers and their hatred of sin.  We care too much to act as if sin is no big deal.

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One Thing to Think About:   Why does this seem harsh to many modern readers?

One Thing to Pray For:   Courage and love to act appropriately about others’ sin
 

A Time to Mourn

Reading:  1 Corinthians 5:1-2
    
    Paul has heard some bad news about the Corinthian church.  “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife”(1 Cor 5:1).  The term “actually” conveys Paul’s shock.  Can it be that the broader Gentile world condemns an immoral practice that Jesus’ disciples accept?  A man “has his father’s wife,” indicating an ongoing sexual relationship with either his mother or stepmother.  The Corinthians have a severe misunderstanding of God’s will on “sexual immorality,” as the coming chapters will illustrate (5:9-11, 6:12-20, 7:1-5).  Everyone recognizes this is evil, yet they are tolerating it.

    Paul seems more scandalized by the Corinthians’ attitude than by the sin itself:  “And you are arrogant!  Ought you not rather to mourn?  Let him who has done this be removed from among you”(1 Cor 5:2).  Just as they are puffed up about their teachers (4:6) and arrogantly asserting Paul is scared to visit them (4:18-19), so they are also arrogant about this man and his sin.  It might be that the Corinthians are arguing that they are free to indulge such sexual immorality (see 6:12).  They also seem to have felt that sex is just something the body does without affecting the soul (see 6:13).  Whatever the precise reasoning, their reaction is tragically backward.  Rather than arrogance, this man’s sin should produce mourning and a desire to remove him from their midst.

    “Ought you not rather to mourn?”  There is a time to mourn.  While Christians are a joyful people, the discovery of sinful relationships among us does not bring joy.  We know what sin does to our hearts, our relationships, and especially to our God.  We know what it cost to take away even one sin.  We know God’s will that sin not reign in his people.  We still love our brother and want him to change, but we cannot act as though his sin is unimportant.  Sin makes us sad.  

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One Thing to Think About:   Do I ever overlook sin in my brothers, in my family, or in myself?

One Thing to Pray For:  The appropriate reaction to sin—and to those in sin
 

A Father’s Admonition

Reading:  1 Corinthians 4:14-21
    
    Paul has been chiding the Corinthians for several chapters now and he acknowledges his difficult tone.  “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.  For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers.  For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel”(1 Cor 4:14).  Sometimes children (and others!) need to be sternly challenged when their behaviors and attitudes are out of line.  Paul pictures himself as the father who has this responsibility for his kids.  Along with the warmth and closeness of their relationship comes the duty to discipline.

    This delicate task is part of the reason for Paul sending Timothy “to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church”(1 Cor 4:17).  He wants Timothy to work with the Corinthians and prepare the way for his coming.  Although some accuse Paul of being afraid to come (v. 18-19), he insists that he will soon enough see them face to face.  The question is the manner of his coming:  “What do you wish?  Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?”(1 Cor 4:21).  Paul’s visit can be painful or pleasant; it is all up to them.

    All of us have points in our spiritual lives when harsher voices are needed.  Sometimes we do not see our weaknesses, bad habits, and dangerous thinking.  Occasionally those who know us well will, like Paul, challenge our understanding, behavior, or attitude.  Perhaps our study of the Bible will convict us with this type of strong rebuke.  Will we accept this instruction?

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One Thing to Think About:   Do I have anyone who can admonish me?

One Thing to Pray For:  Humility to accept correction—both the harsh and the gentle
 

What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive?

Reading:  1 Corinthians 4:6-13
    
    Paul’s main problem with the Corinthians’ overvaluing of certain men is that it is making them “puffed up in favor of one against another”(1 Cor 4:6).   Thinking too much of these teachers means that they are thinking too much of themselves; when we separate into groups and condescend to others, it is because we think we know best (and we chose the right team).  Paul takes aim at the pride involved:  “For who sees anything different in you?  What do you have that you did not receive?  If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”(1 Cor 4:7).   God gave us all good gifts to unite us and humble us—not to puff us up and divide us.

    The next section drips with sarcasm as Paul contrasts his humble, unglamorous lifestyle with the Corinthians’ view of themselves.  “Already you have all you want!  Already you have become rich!  Without us you have become kings!  And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!”(1 Cor 4:8).  The Corinthians think of themselves as already kings in a way that Paul mocks.  His way of “reigning” is far different:  “To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless”(1 Cor 4:11).  Even though Paul’s ministry has its hardships, it is actually God’s work (see v. 9) and prevents his arrogance.  “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ.  We are weak, but you are strong.  You are held in honor, but we in disrepute”(1 Cor 4:10).  The sarcasm is thick here; the Corinthians think of themselves as superior to the apostles who lead them.

    In addition to specific instructions, the Corinthians need an attitude adjustment.  “What do you have that you did not receive?” is a powerful question to challenge our pride.  We often become consumed with our intelligence, judgment, possessions, achievements, and reputations.  What part of this did we not receive?  If “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above”(James 1:17), what room do we have to boast and condescend?      

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One Thing to Think About:   What do I have that I did not receive?

One Thing to Pray For:  The strength to endure when treated poorly