We receive warning in the Word of God regarding leaven and what it has the power to do. Paul poses this question to the Corinthian church because there is unrepentant sin being practiced by someone in the congregation of believers, and this willful sin is not being addressed appropriately by the brethren:
"Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" 1 Corinthians 5:6In 1 Corinthians 5:1, Paul directly informs the church that there is fornication in the church. A man is fornicating with his father's mother. Paul does not dance around the topic. He does not pretend it isn't there. He does not look the other way. He does not remain silent. He addresses the sin (the leaven) head on. Defiling action in the body of Christ is unacceptable. It must be addressed. It cannot be sidestepped. It cannot be watered down. It cannot seem acceptable.
When one domino falls to serving sin, the next one in line topples over, and it effects the next domino, until that body of believers has compromised the Word of God for SIN.
Paul does not mince words 1 Corinthians 5:9-13:
9 - I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:Above, Paul acknowledges that "in the world" there are a multitude of fornicators. He knows that there is no way to completely avoid being around unbelievers who are practicing sin because believers live on the same Earth as unbelievers (1 Corinthians 5:10). He further states that those who are unbelievers will be judged by the Lord.
10 - Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11- But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 - For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 - But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
However, please note what Paul says regarding those who are practicing sin INSIDE the church. "Do not ye judge them that are within?" (verse 12). Within what? The church. It is the responsibility to handle matters of sin when they arise in the church. When fornication is being practiced. When lying is being practiced. When stealing is being practiced. When anything that goes against the Word of God enters the church, it must be dealt with in order to avoid the entire congregation from becoming defiled by sin. Sin. Any sin. Sin stands in stark opposition to the Truth of the Word of God. Jesus is described as the Word of God. (John 1:14). When we truly believe in Him, we believe in ALL of Him. Paul does not say, "Let him go on sinning, and I'm sure he will snap out of it eventually." No, that is not what this man of God says.
In the last verse of chapter 5, Paul uses the word "therefore." That word is being used to indicate a final decision. The word "therefore" in any sentence represents a conclusion on the matter that has been addressed:
"Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." (1 Corinthians 5:13)Wow, Paul! The word wicked is surely a strong word. Who does he call wicked? Remove the
What or who is Paul trying to protect? This body of believers. All body of believers.
Jesus addresses sin as well:
In these two verses, Jesus addresses the audience as thy and thine, and if we revert to verse 1 of this chapter, we can see that Jesus is speaking to His disciples. I am a disciple of Christ, so I understand that He is also speaking to me here. If something in my life “offends” me, then it must be removed, or I am in danger of hell fire. These verses are spoken by Jesus Himself (the Word made flesh).Matthew 18,
8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
offend - skandalizo - to entrap i.e. trip up (fig. stumble or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure)
This is a crucial question here: Do we believe Jesus is saying this to His disciples in order to damn them? No. Of course not. He is speaking this in order to save them. To save them! What a Saviour!
Jesus says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one to another” (John 13: 34-35).The same Jesus who just warned His disciples to remove sin and enticements of sin or
Do we believe Paul did not love the brethren when he spoke out against the sin that was occurring in the Corinthian church? Of course not.
Church, the Lord is Holy and does not want, His Bride, to be made corrupt. Corruption will be cut out of the true Church. He will not allow unrepentant sinners to remain in His Body. Withered branches on the vine indicate corruption and defilement. Those branches are removed and cast into the fire (John 15). When we abide and obey the Lord, His Holy Spirit teaches us and guides us out of sin. He purifies us.
However, when practicing sin is not repented of, the Lord is clear in John 15:6 and 1 Corinthians 5. The person must be removed. It is not the will of an Almighty God that an entire tree or church congregation be made corrupt by a "little leaven". Sin cannot be winked at within a church.
Do we pray that the practicing sinner will come to repentance? Absolutely. That is the hope of Paul in verse 5:
"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."By removing the member who is committing sin (or as Paul calls him the "wicked person"), he is now subject to Satan destroying his flesh. Why? To prevent sin from growing in the church & to hopefully bring the sinning man to repentance. The word "that" in the verse above is the Greek word "hina". It means: "in order that (denoting the purpose or the result)". This demonstrates that excommunicating this fornicating church member "may" lead to godly sorrow unto repentance. (1 John 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, Hebrews 6:4, 6:5, 6:6, 6:7, 6:8, 10:26, 10:27, 10:28, 10:29, 10:30, 10:31) No repentance equals no salvation.
1 Corinthians 5:8 "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."Paul, who has given very strict instructions to this Corinthian church, is sincere and is truthful. By today's standards, these actions would be deemed cruel. But by the Standard of the Word of God, these actions are sincere, and they are truthful.
In the Word of God, we are told that the Lord is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:11)
The wicked. What did Paul just call the member of the Corinthian church who is practicing sin? The one who has not repented of his sin? Wicked. Paul, the loyal apostle to Jesus Christ, calls him that. He does not separate the sin of fornication from the person who is committing it. He does not "allow" it ~because~ Jesus does not make allowances for it.
We must not be afraid of the whole counsel of God. Every word written in His book is good. All of it. All of it is love. Every word of warning is good. Every word of encouragement is good. All of it. All of it is true because Jesus is that Truth. We can't pick and choose what part of Jesus we want to share. We must be led of the Holy Spirit.
If we have made up our minds that we are just not going to address sin and repentance, we have failed an Almighty God. We have been BAMBOOZLED by Satan himself. Hook, line, and sinker. There are a multitude of people headed for an eternal lake of fire. Does this burden you? It does me. I don't want anyone screaming in agony on that lake for all eternity. Are only the "soft" things of God to be spoken in order to save people? Not according to Paul. Not according to Jesus. And not according to Jude below:
Jude 1:20-21
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
keep - tereo - to guard (from loss or injury)
22And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
A warfare like no other is waged the moment one begins following Christ. As long as the believer IN CHRIST through prayer, faith, and obeying the Spirit, Satan cannot have the believer, but if a believer is hardened by sin and refuses to repent, that once believer does not have eternal life in Christ. God is merciful and will give a believer who is sinning ample opportunity to repent. However, if that believer does not “keep himself in the love of God”, there is no mercy and no eternal life. Faith in Christ and love for Christ are everything. This type of faith/love/belief is demonstrated by our obedience to Him. We are not working to be saved by our own self-righteousness. Thank God! We, must however, be fully in-tune to the Holy Spirit of God and obey when He directs us. If we say we believe in Christ, all the while believing that we can't overcome sin and shouldn't warn others who are sinning in the Body, we are following a false gospel.
We are living during a dangerous age when speaking the "hard" things of God are frowned upon. Paul's actions in the Corinthian church would, today, be deemed unloving and divisive.
We are living during a dangerous age when speaking the "hard" things of God are frowned upon. Paul's actions in the Corinthian church would, today, be deemed unloving and divisive.
Oh, how far we have fallen away from the fundamental elements of the Word of God.
In sincerity and truth, Paul warned this church against accepting that which was against God. Was he doing it to hurt them? No, he was attempting to prevent corruption/sin from growing (a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump) and defiling the church. The body of Christ is arranged in order to edify one another. To teach. To instruct. To guide. To perfect. What a beautiful plan by a just and righteous God, whose desire is to see man saved, rather than lost eternally.
Other words of note spoken by Paul:
Other words of note spoken by Paul:
2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18“16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
Galatians 6:8“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
2 Corinthians 12:21
And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
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