KEEPING THE CHURCH PURE

1. Deceived by Pagan Influences (1 Corinthians 5:1-8)

2. An Authoritative Decision (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

3. Committed to God’s Standard (Matthew 18:15-17; Philippians 4:8-9; 1 John 2:15-17)

Central Truth: The Church is to remain holy in an impure world.

Focus: Evaluate internal threats facing the Church and commit to following God’s standard for living.

Evangelism Emphasis: Living according to God’s standards can be an effective witness to unbelievers.

Text: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

INTRODUCTION

     The theme for this commentary unit has been “Defending the Faith in a Secular Society.” Many in the world have accepted vain philosophies which discount or completely dismiss the things of God as being important to how we live in the world. Christians must be equipped with answers. One does not have to “check his or her brain at the door of the church” in order to be a good Christian. We are people of faith who also are seeking a rational understanding and expression of what we believe in order to better convince those to whom we have been called to witness.

     One major issue could undermine all of our best attempts to witness to a lost world—the presence of sin in the church. The problem is not so much that there is sin in the church, because most Christians would say we are “works in progress”; the real question is how we deal with it. We cannot be casual about sin because God is not casual about sin. We are called to yield our bodies as “instruments of righteousness” (Rom. 6:13). When we sin, we are to repent quickly, and the Lord has promised to forgive us and cleanse us (1 John 1:9). At the same time, when a Christian is not willing to repent of sin in his or her life, Scripture gives us guidance on how that individual is to be disciplined.

     If the church is unwilling to put measures in place and take steps to correct our own when needed, we can disqualify ourselves from being able to speak for God. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will not rest on such a church. We will appear to be no different than those we are called to reach, causing them to question why they should listen to us at all.

1.  DECEIVED BY PAGAN INFLUENCES

A. Sin in the Church (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)

     1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

     4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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.

     In this letter to the church at Corinth, Paul is forced to deal with grievous sin which was being ignored by the Corinthian believers. The issue was with a man who was having an illicit sexual relationship with his father’s wife (most likely referring to his stepmother). Not only was this behavior unacceptable in the family of God, it would not have been tolerated even under Roman law. This is why Paul refers to this immorality as “not exist[ing] even among the Gentiles” (1 Cor. 5:1 NASB).

     Instead of mourning for the sin which was present in their midst, Paul accuses the church of being “puffed up” (v. 2). One possible reason the Corinthian Christians were hesitant to correct this man was his high social standing. They knew to correct him would likely result in his excommunication from the church. Another possible scenario is they had become arrogant in their understanding of grace. Perhaps their understanding was because they had been forgiven by God’s grace, they did not have to worry about immoral behavior. Paul addressed this idea (which is called antinomianism, or “lawlessness”) in Romans 6. There he wrote, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (vv. 1-2 NKJV).

     Regardless of the reason behind their thinking, Paul calls for this man to be released from under the protective covering of the Lord and “delivered to Satan” (see v. 5). The aim of this drastic action is for this man to be allowed to feel the distinction between a life ruled by God and a life ruled by Satan “for the destruction of the flesh.” By the man’s “flesh,” Paul is not referring to the man’s physical body. Instead, he is referring to the lusts of the flesh from which this man needs to be delivered. The ultimate goal of this course of discipline is not punishment; rather, it is for his salvation “that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (v. 5).

• What is the ultimate purpose of church discipline?

B. Removing the Leaven (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

     7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.

     Paul appeals to the tradition of the Passover Feast, in which the Jews diligently removed all traces of leaven from their houses in preparation for the festival. Typically, this fermented dough would be preserved each week and added to a new lump of dough. But during Passover, this leavened dough was removed completely. The implications of Paul’s analogy seem clear. In the same way that leavened dough would cause the rest of the lump to become leavened, the destructive effects of sin could silently spread throughout the whole church community. Flagrant, unrepentant sinfulness cannot be ignored, lest the entire church become affected by its destructive power. Because of this threat, this man needed to be removed from the church.

     Christ was sacrificed to deliver His people from the destructive power of sin. We cannot come into agreement with that which cost Him so dearly on our behalf (v. 7). Paul concludes this section reminding the Corinthians (as well as us) that the worship of God cannot be mingled “with the leaven of malice and wickedness” (v. 8); instead, it must be with the “unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

The Danger of Compromise

     If you compromise on something when you shouldn’t, you yourself become compromised. You will then have to compromise more and more, and in the end you’ll find that you’ve been compromised all the way over to the other side (or very nearly).—Joshua Steely, “Must Say No,” Touchstone

2.  AN AUTHORITATIVE DECISION

A. In the World, but Not of the World (1 Corinthians 5:9-10)

     9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 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. 

     In these two verses, Paul is not referring to “sexually immoral people” outside the church, nor “the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters” (NIV). It would be impossible for Christians to never interact with such people; otherwise, it would be necessary for Christians to leave this world.

     We should not be surprised when those who do not know Jesus engage in beliefs and behaviors contrary to God’s Word. Inevitably, those who are lost from a life full of meaning in the embrace of God’s love will behave as if they are lost. It is those who claim to know God and to have received the benefits of His grace who should honor God and His Word. In our daily life of school, work, and commerce, we are going to encounter and keep company with people who do not share our Biblical worldview and values. Our goal should be to live a life above reproach by seeking to honor God with every aspect of our being. In doing so, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity to share the reason for the hope that we have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15).

Discipline Needed

     Let the church of Jesus Christ consider once again the Biblical authority for church discipline and prayerfully seek to exercise it. Let there not be willful display, but rather a manifestation of the Scriptural principle of being pure, carried out in the spirit of Christ. The limits of the Word of God must not be overstepped. All selfish interests must be avoided. Adhering strictly to the Bible and seeking the mind of God are sure guarantees against mistakes and abuse.—Paul R. Van Gorder, The Church Stands Corrected

B. Judgment in the House of God (1 Corinthians 5:11-13)

     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 idolater, 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.

     “Those outside the church” (v. 12 NIV) may refer to an ancient Semitic expression for those outside the community of God, which in this passage is the body of Christ. The distinction is not necessarily based on who may be in attendance at a particular worship gathering. The distinction is found in Paul’s concern about unrepentant sin by “any man that is called a brother” (v. 11). The same thing is true of any woman that is called a sister. The concern here is for one who is part of a church community, who identifies as a follower of Jesus Christ, yet who openly embraces their sinful behavior without repentance or remorse.

     In an effort to reach lost men and women with the Gospel, it is a mistake to blur the distinction between the Church and the world that Paul makes here. This is true for at least two reasons. First, holding this distinction prevents Christians from having a judgmental attitude toward those who are not part of the Church, washed in the blood of Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. As has already been stated, one cannot expect someone who is not a Christian to behave as a Christian.

     Second, holding this distinction between the Church and the world drives home the necessity of the Biblical practice of discipline within the local congregation. When a Christian’s sinful behavior is exposed, the task of the church is to act quickly to lead that individual to repentance and restoration. In Galatians 6:1, Paul cautions us that this should be done “in a spirit of gentleness” (NKJV). There is no place for heavy-handedness when it comes to church discipline. But the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 make it clear that when there is no repentance on the part of the one guilty of sin, it may become necessary for that individual to be removed from the church community. However, even then the hope is that they will ultimately be saved and restored to God and His people.

• Discuss the two questions posed in verse 12.

3.  COMMITTED TO GOD’S STANDARD

A. The Process of Correction (Matthew 18:15-17)

     15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

     In Matthew 18, we are given guidelines by our Lord to help the church in dealing with an offending brother or sister in a godly manner. The first step is between two people—the one who has sinned and the one who is aware of the fellow disciple’s sin. The believer is his “brother’s keeper,” and we should not be afraid to lovingly confront a brother or sister who is in error and possibly in danger of falling away. Ideally, this conversation will be sufficient for the offending brother or sister to hear the correction, repent, and be restored (v. 15).

     If this cannot be done by just one person, or if the conversation between the two individuals does not resolve the issue, the next step is to involve “one or two more” individuals (v. 16). In this way, a third party is able to witness to the content of the conversation and how it was received. Again, the ideal outcome is for the offending brother or sister to receive correction, repent, and be restored.

     If the second stage of correction does not resolve the matter, the next step is to take the matter before the local congregation. Hopefully, the offending brother or sister will hear the unified voice of the congregation and will repent and be restored. Failing this, the next step would be to remove that individual from the fellowship of the church community. When Jesus says to treat them as “a pagan or a tax collector” (v. 17 NIV), it is possible He is using a Jewish idiom to describe an individual who is ostracized for being deliberately rebellious against God.

     One goal in view in this passage is to limit the conversation to as few people as possible to potentially protect the offending brother or sister and prevent gossip from spreading through the church. In many cases, repentance and restoration can take place with just a few people involved, rather than a person confessing to the congregation.

     However, there are times when repentance and confession, as important as they are, are not enough. This is true in cases where laws have been broken or vulnerable ones have been endangered by a person’s actions. There can still be repentance and forgiveness, but that does not protect a person from being answerable to the laws of the land.

Hard Lessons

     I bear my willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in the Lord’s workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most.—Charles Spurgeon     

B. Preemptive Correction (Philippians 4:8-9; 1 John 2:15-17)

     Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

     1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

     It is important to have a Biblical understanding of church discipline, but it is also important to have a Biblical view of discipleship in general. The goal of Biblical teaching and Christian formation should be to guide people in learning how to live in a way that is above reproach and honors God in every aspect, consequently not requiring the more extreme measures of church discipline. Such a worthy aim in discipleship ministry could be likened to building a guardrail at the top of a cliff instead of merely parking an ambulance at the bottom. This involves our thought life and our affections and desires.

     In Philippians 4:8, we are urged to be responsible in what thoughts and ideas we allow to dominate our thinking. Scripture is clear that we have a great deal of authority and power to control our own thoughts. Paul tells us to focus on things which are “true . . . noble . . . right . . . pure . . . lovely . . . admirable . . . excellent or praiseworthy” (NIV). This implies there are a host of things we are not to allow to dominate our thinking. By looking at the opposites of the things Paul mentions, we can see this list includes falsehoods, dishonesty, wrongs, impurity, ugliness, corruption, and contemptible things. This is not to say Christians are immune to negative thoughts—only that we have responsibility for the thoughts on which we choose to dwell. In the words of Martin Luther, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”

     However, our focus should not just be on right thinking. We must also attend to our affections, which we might define as the “abiding dispositions” of our hearts. We know from Scripture that love is the preeminent affection, but it is a complicated word. In her book Theology of Love, Margaret Wynkoop offers a helpful reflection on the topic of love. She notes we have one word for love in the English language, but in the Greek language (the language of the New Testament) there are at least four words for love. Philia refers to a warm personal friendship, or deep affection between two or more people. This is the word used to describe Jesus’ love for Lazarus in John 11. Storge refers to family affection. It is a strong personal loyalty to those in a family-type social structure. This is often translated as “brotherly affection” or “kindly affectioned” in Scripture. Eros is implied, but not actually used, in the New Testament. One way we can think of eros is “romantic love.”

     There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these manifestations of love. These types of relationships form the fabric that holds our society together. But sometimes, these relationships get distorted and become something less than what we want them to be. For example, people who are in a romantic (eros) relationship become self-centered instead of self-giving. Lust and infidelity can corrupt eros.

     Agape is love at a whole other level. It is so powerful that all of our relationships in life will derive their character from it. Agape, in its purest form, flows to us from God. We are able to respond to God with agape when we receive this love He pours on us. The Bible tells us agape overflows into all our relationships, which means all those relationships just mentioned—eros, philia, and storge.

     In 1 John 2:15, John cautions us about what happens when our agape is misdirected. Instead of having agape love for God, it is possible to have love for the world system and all of its trappings. When this happens, we become increasingly influenced by “the lust of the flesh . . . the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (v. 16). Our hearts are corrupted, resulting in sin.

     It is the work of the Holy Spirit to redirect our agape in a properly ordered way. When we are born again and justified, Paul says God’s agape, which we might also refer to as “holy love,” is poured out in our lives by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). This holy love has a transforming, or sanctifying, effect on the Christian. The deeper our relationship with the Lord, the more our affections are transformed by holy love in the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we will no longer be controlled by lustful passions but will live Christlike lives in the beauty of holiness. While “the world and its desires pass away,” we will live “forever” (1 John 2:17 NIV).

• Based on Philippians 4:9, how should we be like the apostle Paul?

LOOK IN THE MIRROR

     When we think about the things that are wrong in the world, it is so easy to look at everything going on outside the church and pass judgment. But, a faithful reading of Scripture will cause us as Christians to turn away from the window and spend some time looking in the mirror. There is a Scriptural standard which must be upheld by the people of God. The goal of Christian discipleship is not just to increase our intellectual knowledge, but to lead lives that honor God and are governed by the two greatest commandments: (1) love God supremely and (2) love our neighbors as ourselves. When our lives are governed by this agape love poured out in our hearts by the Spirit of God, we will find ourselves increasingly living in ways that are conformed to the likeness of Christ. Such living is above reproach and provides a faithful witness both inside and outside the church.

Daily Devotions

M.  Keep From Willful Sins (Psalm 19:7-14)

T.  Defiled by Deeds (Psalm 106:34-39)

W.  In the Valley of Decision (Joel 3:14-16)

T.  Decision to Follow Christ (John 6:60-69)

F.  Walk Worthy of Your Calling (Ephesians 4:1-3)

S.  Guard Against False Teachers (Jude 3-13)

Adopted from the Evangelical Sunday School Lesson Commentary 2020-2021.