1 Corinthians 5:3-5
Scripture: 1 Cor. 5:3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgement on the one who did such a thing.
1 Cor. 5:4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
1 Cor. 5:5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
Teaching: These are stern words from Paul, and perhaps a bit jarring. The Corinthians are to deliver this man over to Satan for his destruction? What are we to make of such a command? As in all Scriptural interpretation, context is required. The apostles were given unique power and authority to make judgements in the early days of the Church for its foundation and doctrinal understandings. We see this primarily in their unique qualification to author Spirit-inspired Scripture, which we believe to be the inerrant Word of God today. Another aspect of their authority though, was to make determinations and execute earthly judgement for the good of Christ’s church (see Peter’s actions in Acts 5:1-11 against Ananias and Sapphira). Paul, even at a distance (i.e. not in Corinth personally), still held this authority.
Paul’s command is akin to that of Peter’s in Acts 5: this man must be destroyed, and it seems by the context, in a supernatural sort of way. By excommunicating him, or separating him from fellowship with the rest of the church body, the Corinthians are leaving him without support from the church from the attacks of Satan, who we know, is always prowling like a lion, seeking to attack (1 Pet. 5:8). (This should be a subtle reminder of the importance of being an active part of a Spirit-led church body). But because he is left out alone, the sense of Paul’s command is that Satan will end the life of the man. However, as Paul’s letters reveal, there is a difference between the flesh and the spirit, and Paul is calling for the man’s flesh to be destroyed SO THAT his spirit may saved. The word “saved “ is sozo, which can be a term for salvation in some contexts, but in this context does not seem to be the case. Sozo essentially means “delivered from the penalties of Messianic judgement.” That sense fits here, as Paul is referring to the day of the Lord, the biblical term for Christ’s judgement day, when he judges believers and assigns rewards. As Paul is suggesting that this man’s spirit will be present at this day and will be receiving a good outcome, we can see that this man was, indeed, a believer but who was unrepentant in sin. His salvation was not at issue, but rather, his rewards. Thus, we can see that Paul’s intention here is not vindictive or purely punitive – Paul was simultaneously looking out for the Corinthian church body and this man. For the church, purging them of a member who was detrimental to the flock by his unrepentance. For the man, ending his sinful flesh now rather than allowing him to continue living in it to his own eternal detriment.
Takeaway: Verse 5 begs a question to each of us: is it graceful to coddle or encourage sin, knowing Jesus is coming back? Or, it is more gracious to do everything possible now to rescue others from this world of sin? Jesus’ parables and really all of Matthew 6 (in addition to many epistles of the New Testament) testify to the reality of heavenly rewards for deeds done in this life. We are credited Christ’s righteousness and saved by faith alone, but what we do in our fleshly bodies until we die is seen, known, and rewarded in eternity by the Lord. As we saw in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, our works are put to the test by fire, and only what was truly for the Lord will be rewarded. If our work is burned up, we “will suffer loss, though [we] will be saved.” It seems that in the case of the man in question, Paul’s command to allow his flesh to be destroyed (i.e. his earthly life ended) was a grace in that it ended his rampant life of sin that was only serving to diminish his eternal reward. This is an extreme example but it teaches the truth about sin: sin is not to be coddled, encouraged, or tolerated. As we can see from verse 5, Paul is not condemning this man out of hatred nor anger, but rather out of love and grace because Paul’s primary concern, as should be ours, is his brother-in-Christ’s eternity. As far as how we should apply this verse in our own lives – knowing that none have the apostolic power today that Paul and Peter and the others did – the lesson is that it is more Christ-like to take strong action against unrepentant sin than allow that sin to live on and fester. That said, this must also be tempered by Matthew 7:3-5. The most sin any of us will likely deal with is our own; so, before we go inspecting the specks in other’s eyes, it is imperative that we remove the logs in our own eyes. However, the seriousness of sin remains the same: it is not to be coddled in our own lives nor in the lives of other brothers and sisters in Christ. It is far too destructive to both ourselves and the Body at large.