1 Corinthians 5 (6)

Pray Psalm 40.4, 5.
Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.

Sing Psalm 40.4, 5.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
Blessed are all who trust in You, turning both from lies and pride.
Countless wonders, LORD, You do, and Your thoughts with us abide.
LORD, Your worth who can declare? None with You can e’er compare.

Read 1 Corinthians 5.1-13; meditate on verse 12, 13.

Prepare
1. Whom are we supposed to judge?

2. What must we do with evil in our midst?

Meditation
It’s always easier to pronounce judgment on “them” rather than “us” or “me”. But we are not called to judge those who are “outside” the church, Paul says. God judges them (v. 13), and even now He is pouring out His wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress His truth in one way or another (Rom. 1.18-32). If those outside the Body of Christ need judging, we can trust the Lord to handle it. That does not preclude our calling the world to repentance, only condemning it.

But we must lovingly judge with righteous judgment ourselves and those who are our brethren in the Lord, not to condemn, but to correct. It’s always best to begin with ourselves of course, listening for the Spirit to judge, convict, and redirect us (Ps. 139.23, 24; Jn. 16.8-11). But we do not help our brethren increase in Christlikeness by “blinking” at their sin—observing it and passing on without saying anything. Love for God requires that we honor Him by helping our brother repent; love for our brother seeks not to condemn but only to restore to the path of righteousness (Heb. 12.3-11).

In verse 13 Paul quotes Deuteronomy 17.12, a text showing that capital punishment is how the Israelites were to “put away” an unrepentant sinner. The Church does not have that duty in its remit; the sword for wickedness belongs to the State (Rom. 13.1-4). But excommunication, which involves turning one over to the devil for the destruction of his fleshly ways (v. 5), can seem like a death sentence. And indeed, it is, but one that holds the prospect of repentance, revival, and renewal as its desired outcome.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11.28-30).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (Jn. 3.16, 17).

God has lifted the dire burden of judging the world off our shoulders. Whew! Even Jesus was not sent to condemn the world, but to save it. What a relief! We should feel so free, so unburdened, so rested!

Nobody needs or wants us to do this. We can let it go.

The only people who will miss us playing this role are the comedians who love to make fun of our over-zealous super-righteousness. You know, like the inimitable “church lady” of Saturday Night Live fame.

Before God gave the Law to Moses, He said to him: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine” (Ex. 19.4, 5). Then “God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I AM the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.’” Then He gave them the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20. 1-17).

The Law was given to us to keep.

And we are, in fact, our “brothers' keeper” (Gen. 4.9) and are to care as deeply and tenderly for their souls as we care for our own. The judgment we are to render to our family in Christ is to be an act of love, not vindictiveness. A means of sending them out to bring them in, as God did with His people: “Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers” (Deut. 6.23).

No one ever exposes their loved ones intentionally to anything that would cause them harm. We just don’t.
Why are we so uncaring about sin and its deathly pervasiveness and finality? For most assuredly, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6.23).

Let us take the utmost care to keep ourselves and God’s people clean from sin. Because “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5.25-27).

If it’s important to Him, it should be important to us.

For reflection
1. What would you recommend to new believers as practice for continually judging themselves?

2. How should a local church exercise judgment over its members?

3. Why do we need the Law of God to keep us from falling into sins?

Paul uses an expression taken from the Old Testament, partly because he is hinting that the Corinthians will be great gainers in being freed from a kind of plague and partly to show that this kind of thing is no novelty but goes right back to the beginning. Even Moses the lawgiver thought that people like this should be cut off, but he did it with greater severity than is shown here. Moses would have had the man stoned, but Paul thinks only of trying to lead him to repentance. John Chrysostom (344-407), Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians 16.3

Pray Psalm 40.1-3, 6-10.
Call on the Lord to open your eyes and ears to hear His Word and Spirit. Listen for any word of conviction, and confess your sins accordingly. Ask God to give you discernment from His Word, so that you follow in His way and freely proclaim His truth.

Sing Psalm 40.1-3, 6-10.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
I waited patiently for God; He inclined and heard my cry,
lifted me up above the sod, set me on a Rock on high!
New songs in my mouth He gave; may He through me many save.

Off’rings You do not require—open now my ears, O LORD!
What from me do You desire? Firm delight to do Your Word.
Take my life in ev’ry part; write Your Law upon my heart.

LORD, Your truth will I proclaim to Your people gathered ‘round,
nor will I my lips restrain—let Your precious ways resound!
Of Your saving grace and Word I would speak, most loving LORD.

T. M. and Susie Moore

The Church in Corinth was in need of revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today is in need of revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.