1 Corinthians 5

The Explanation

Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, a city full of temples, markets, and people from everywhere. Inside this young church, something has gone very wrong. A man is living with his father's wife, most likely his stepmother, and nobody in the church seems bothered by it. Paul says this is a kind of wrong that even people outside the church, people who do not know God at all, would be shocked by. Yet the Corinthian Christians are not sad about it. They are, Paul says, "arrogant" (verse 2), meaning they are proud of themselves instead of grieving over what is happening among them.

Paul tells them clearly what must happen: this man should be removed from the church community, "delivered to Satan" (verse 5), a hard phrase that seems to mean he is sent out of the church's protection, so that the seriousness of his sin becomes real to him, in the hope that he will turn back and be saved in the end.

Then Paul uses a picture from the kitchen. Yeast is what makes dough rise and spread through the whole loaf. "A little yeast leavens the whole lump" (verse 6), he says, meaning that one piece of wrongdoing, if ignored, can spread through a whole community. He connects this to the Jewish Passover feast, when people cleaned all yeast out of their houses. Paul says Christ, our Passover, has already been sacrificed for us, so we should live as people who have thrown out the old yeast of "malice and wickedness" and instead live with "sincerity and truth" (verse 8).

Finally, Paul clears up a misunderstanding. He never meant Christians should avoid all sinful people outside the church, that would be impossible, since the whole world is full of imperfect people. He meant something else: do not close your eyes to persistent sin inside the church family, among those who call themselves brothers and sisters.

What Does This Mean?

This chapter is uncomfortable, and it is meant to be. Paul is not writing a rulebook to control people. He is worried about something real: a community that no longer notices when something is deeply wrong, and even feels proud instead of sad. That numbness is dangerous. Paul is not asking the church to hunt for every fault in each other's lives. He is asking them to care enough about each other, and about God's name, that they do not pretend serious wrong is fine.

The Common Thread

Right in the middle of this hard chapter, Paul mentions something wonderful: "Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed" (verse 7). This is the heart of the whole story. Long ago, at the first Passover, a lamb died so God's people could be spared and set free from slavery in Egypt. Paul says Jesus is that lamb, sacrificed once for all, so we could be freed from sin's grip. Because of what Jesus already did, this church did not need to pretend or cover things up. They were free to be honest about sin and still know they belonged to Him.

For You

You will not become a judge sorting out everyone else's mistakes, and that is not what this chapter asks of you. But you can ask yourself an honest question: when a friend does something clearly wrong, do you go along with it just to keep the peace, or do you care enough to be honest? Kindness does not mean pretending everything is fine when it is not. And when it is you who has done wrong, do you want people around you who only tell you what you want to hear, or people who love you enough to be truthful? That kind of honesty, wrapped in real care, is exactly what Paul is asking for here.

Talk About It

Why do you think the Corinthian church felt proud instead of sad about what was happening? What does that tell you about how easy it can be to get used to something wrong?

Paul says Jesus is "our Passover" who was sacrificed for us. What do you think it means that Jesus makes it possible to be honest about sin without being crushed by it?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, thank You that You were sacrificed for us, so we do not have to hide or pretend. Give us honest hearts, hearts that notice when something is wrong, and hearts that are gentle enough to help each other back to You. Amen.