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(1) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father's wife. (2) And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned, so that he who has done this would have been removed from among you? (3) For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present I have already pronounced judgment (4) in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, (5) you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (6) Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? (7) Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. (8) Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (9) I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons-- (10) not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. (11) But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one. (12) For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? (13) God will judge those outside. "Drive out the wicked person from among you."

1 Corinthians 5 NRSV

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1 Corinthians 5

Tricky Situations in Community

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It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality [pornea] among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father's wife. (1Cor 5:1)

pornea = all extra-marital sex

“to have” = sexual relations

the sketchy details

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The son’s mother, alive or dead?The father’s wife, slave or free? young or

old?The father and wife divorced?The father Christian?The son Christian?The woman Christian?

… we just don’t know, but Paul and the church in Corinth did.

the possibilities

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(2Co 7:12) “…it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged…”

the son did wrongthe father was wrongedsilence about the woman’s conduct or any

consequences indicates she was not Christian

Paul is much more concerned about the attitude of the church

the parties

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Would ordinary society in Corinth have been shocked and outraged at a marriage between a man and the second wife of his father?

“No one who has studied the state of Greek society will answer that question in the affirmative.

Everyone knows that there was not in those cities such strictness of moral judgement.” Ramsay, Historical Commentary on First

Corinthians, 37

the ‘obvious’ question

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Large port city, two harboursHosted the Isthmian GamesTemple to Aphrodite, goddess of ‘love’Openly sanctioned brothelsIntellectually astute, financially wealthy,

morally corrupt

Corinthian (im)‘morality’

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“Greek custom and law has always been very lax as to restrictions on marriage. Marriage of uncle and niece, or aunt and nephew, had always been freely permitted in Athens. Stepbrother and stepsister might contract marriage with one another, if their relationship were through their father (though not if it were through the mother)....It would be hard to find proof of any Greek objection to this Corinthian marriage even in the strictest period of Greek morality, if there ever was any strict period.”

“In short, the Corinthian church, when it condoned this crime, was simply judging as the Corinthians had always judged. It was not sinking below its pagan level. It was standing contentedly on that level.” Ramsay, 38

big slack Greek wedding

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“not” ουδε - oude , oo-deh' From G3756 and G1161; not however, that is,

neither, nor, not even: - neither (indeed), never, no (more, nor, not), nor (yet), (also, even, then) not (even, so much as), + nothing, so much as.

“named” ονομαζω - onomazo, on-om-ad'-zo From G3686; to name, that is, assign an

appellation; by extension to utter, mention, profess: - call, name.

“not named among the pagans”

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What the Corinthian church would have to deal with therefore was an indistinct borderline moral issue which would not be considered a judicial matter in Corinth.

And yet, it was very offensive to the Christian father whose Christian son had taken up with his (probably non-Christian) wife.

“not named” [as a crime]

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There were all sorts of moral conundrums for the early Christians within Greco-Roman society slave marriages (not legally recognised, dissoluble

by the master)infant exposuresexual abuse of slavespolygamy, adultery, incest etc…

In many instances a moral judgement or rescue of a Christian was out of reach for the church.

social norms

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his options for justiceSue at law?

“Not named” as a crime!

Murder/Retribution?It’s his son!

Disinherit?“avenge not

yourselves”

For the powerless in pagan society there was one last recourse…to invoke the

judgment of the gods upon the offender.

Physical affliction was expected (fever)

Imprecation was feared and respected

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“These forms played a great part in ancient life, and many examples of them have been preserved to our time. We find divine wrath and punishment thus invoked against thieves, slanderers, poisoners, assassins, an adopted child who had raised his hand against his foster mother, users of false weights, persons who refused to restore money deposited in their case, and so on. Even a mere advertisement of lost property was accompanied by a curse consigning to divine punishment anyone that found and did not restore the lost article.” Ramsay, 46

imprecations?

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Christianised version of invoking the godsPaul mentions this also in 1 Tim 1:20

“among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

Satan here is seen as God’s agent, not God’s enemy

The church surrenders an offender to God for rebuke, affliction and instruction

Imprecatory prayer brings relief, catharsis, reassurance and release to the victim

“deliver to Satan”

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Deut 32:35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; because the day of their calamity is at hand, their doom comes swiftly. (36) Indeed the LORD will vindicate his people, have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone, neither bond nor free remaining.

Rom 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

“avenge not yourselves”

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And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned…? (v.2)

Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? (v.6)

The church members:indulged Christian freedom from ‘law’dismissed the father’s need for justice and supportwere unconcerned about church reputationwere insensitive to a member’s possible alienation

complacent church

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that Christians are not free from moral lawthe bodycommunal concern for one anotherresponsibility to the reputation of the

gospel

Paul contends…

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it is not the business of just one or twosome problems affect the whole

communitythe ultimate aim is restoration, not

judgement the problem is not so much in the facts of

the case, but the emotional state of the parties, what they can or can’t deal with

sometimes people just need space and time apart

church response to offence

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the yeast of malice and evil vs the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (v.8)Boasting “puffs up” It is their complacency that Paul condemns

Drive out the evil from among you. (v.13)does not say evil person or wicked onePaul says nothing about reversing the sexual

alliancesPossibly it is the arrogance and boasting, and not

the offending man, which Paul calls on them to purge

yeast… again!

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Jesus: ate with any and all who invited himPaul: requires commitment/accountabilityHe adds ‘slanderer’ and ‘drunkard’ to the

vice listsIn 1st century cultures, eating with

someone was a form of social approval

shunning?! “don’t get mixed up with”

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In church scandals there is no such thing as a consensus. Everyone has their supporters

A censured offender can simply go to another church

Avoiding specific people can only be a personal decision; we cannot command it for others

Does it work?Does it make us feel better?What have we learned about ‘delivering to

Satan’

discussion