The city of Corinth, where the church to whom Paul was writing resided, was a thriving metropolis known for its wealth, cultural diversity, and rampant immorality. As a major center for trade and commerce, it was a city deeply influenced by pagan practices and indulgent lifestyles, and these influences often crept into the church. The congregation in Corinth, while diverse and gifted, struggled with various issues, including divisions, immorality, and spiritual arrogance. The Apostle Paul, who had established this church during his second missionary journey, maintained a deep pastoral concern for their spiritual health. Upon hearing troubling reports of disunity and moral failure within the Corinthian church, Paul felt compelled to address these matters in his letter.
The purpose of 1 Corinthians was to correct the spiritual and moral failings that had taken root among the believers. Paul wrote to remind the church of the holiness required of them as followers of Christ and to bring them back to the foundational principles of Christian living. Throughout the letter, Paul tackles various issues, including divisions among believers, misunderstandings about spiritual gifts, and, as we will explore today, the dangerous pride that allowed them to tolerate serious sin in their midst. By writing this epistle, Paul sought to restore the church’s unity and integrity, calling them to reject the worldly influences around them and live as a sanctified body of believers. The passage we focus on today, 1 Corinthians 5:1-12, is a key section where Paul confronts a specific case of immorality and the spiritual pride that allowed it to persist unchecked in the church.
In this passage, Paul addresses a situation of grave immorality within the Corinthian church: a man living in a relationship with his father’s wife, a sin so outrageous that even those outside the church would condemn it. Yet, rather than being grieved over this transgression, the Corinthians were proud, boasting about their tolerance. They mistakenly saw their indifference to sin as a mark of spiritual maturity, thinking that their supposed understanding of grace elevated them above the need for correction or discipline. Paul sharply rebukes them for their arrogance, calling their pride not a sign of wisdom, but of spiritual blindness.
Spiritual pride is a subtle and dangerous force. It causes us to ignore or excuse sin, leaving a congregation vulnerable to moral decay. I have seen this pattern personally in several churches where sin was allowed to flourish. I have witnessed pastors, deacons, and church members engaging in affairs, both within and outside the congregation. In each of these cases, the result was devastating: the churches fell apart, families were torn, and congregants scattered to other places of worship. Like the Corinthians, these churches were blinded by spiritual pride, ignoring sin in their midst rather than addressing it in humility and love. And just as Paul warned, the consequences were ruinous, as unchecked sin inevitably led to division and collapse. Paul’s words remind us that tolerating sin under the guise of grace is not a virtue; it is a manifestation of pride that endangers the health of the entire church community.
In response to the situation, Paul’s rebuke is stern and uncompromising. He admonishes the Corinthians for their failure to act, telling them that instead of being filled with pride, they should have been mourning. Their spiritual arrogance had blinded them to the seriousness of sin, and Paul instructs them to remove the offender from their fellowship. This act of discipline was not out of cruelty but out of a desire to bring about repentance and restoration. Paul’s goal was to ensure that the man's spirit might be saved, even if it meant delivering him over to Satan, which refers to removing him from the protection of the church community (v. 5).
This form of church discipline is a necessary response to sin that remains unrepentant. The Corinthians had allowed spiritual pride to convince them that their tolerance was a demonstration of grace, but in reality, it was a failure to uphold the holiness to which Christ calls His followers. By refusing to confront sin, they jeopardized not only the spiritual health of the individual involved but also the entire congregation. Sin, when left unchecked, spreads and corrupts like yeast in dough. Paul's instruction emphasizes the importance of accountability and the responsibility the church has to safeguard its members from the destructive power of sin.
In my own experience, I have seen churches torn apart when they failed to take action against serious sin. Whether it was a pastor, a deacon, or a member of the congregation, when immorality went unaddressed, the consequences were severe. Families were devastated, trust was broken, and the church ultimately crumbled under the weight of spiritual pride and moral decay. Paul's call to discipline is not about judgment but about love and restoration. It is a reminder that the church must be a place of holiness, accountability, and truth, where sin is confronted in a spirit of humility, with the goal of restoring both the individual and the community to a right relationship with God.
Paul continues his exhortation by using the analogy of yeast to illustrate the corrupting nature of sin. He warns the Corinthians that just as a small amount of yeast affects an entire batch of dough, allowing even one unchecked sin within the church can spread and corrupt the whole body of believers. Spiritual pride had led the Corinthians to believe that they could tolerate sin without consequences, but Paul sharply refutes this idea. He reminds them of their identity as a new creation in Christ, purified by the sacrifice of the Lamb, and calls them to remove the "old yeast" of sin, so that they might be a holy and pure "batch of dough."
Paul’s message is clear: the church is called to holiness, and with that comes the responsibility to address sin when it arises. Spiritual pride deceives us into thinking we are beyond correction, but true spiritual maturity requires humility and a commitment to purity within the body of Christ. By tolerating sin, the Corinthians were dishonoring the very sacrifice of Christ, who died to cleanse and sanctify them. Instead of boasting in their supposed tolerance, they should have been striving to maintain the purity of the church, not only for their own sake but for the sake of the gospel witness.
When sin goes unaddressed—whether through spiritual pride, fear of confrontation, or a misunderstanding of grace—it erodes the foundation of the church. The moral failure of one leader or member can lead to disillusionment, division, and a loss of trust, as I witnessed in churches that allowed affairs and immorality to persist unchecked. Paul’s call to "cleanse out the old yeast" is a reminder that the church must take seriously the responsibility of preserving its holiness, not in a spirit of judgment, but in a spirit of love, accountability, and restoration. We must be vigilant to address sin before it spreads, and to do so with the humility and grace that reflects our new identity in Christ.
In the final part of this passage, Paul clarifies an important distinction about judgment within the church. He acknowledges that while Christians are called to engage with the world around them, they are not to pass judgment on those outside the church. Instead, Paul emphasizes that judgment must begin within the community of believers. When Paul originally wrote to the Corinthians, instructing them not to associate with immoral people, they misunderstood him to mean they should avoid all people living in sin, whether inside or outside the church. However, Paul corrects this misconception, explaining that his instructions pertain specifically to those within the church who claim to be believers but continue to live in unrepentant sin.
Paul's concern is not with the immorality of the world, which he acknowledges is to be expected, but with the behavior of professing Christians. The church is meant to be a witness to the transformative power of the gospel, but when believers tolerate sin among themselves, they compromise their testimony. Paul calls for decisive action, urging the church to distance themselves from those who persist in sin without repentance. This is not about self-righteousness, but about preserving the integrity and holiness of the body of Christ. The goal of such discipline is always restoration, but it begins with recognizing that accountability is a responsibility the church must uphold.
I have personally witnessed the tragic outcomes when churches fail to follow Paul’s instructions. In cases where leaders or members engaged in immoral behavior, yet the church chose to overlook or excuse the sin, the community suffered greatly. Without accountability, the church’s witness to the world was compromised, and members became disillusioned, leading to division and collapse. Paul's teaching in this passage is a reminder that the church has a duty to confront sin within its walls—not to shame or condemn, but to protect the holiness of the body and to lovingly guide those in error back to repentance. The integrity of the church is upheld not by ignoring sin but by addressing it with humility, discernment, and a desire for spiritual restoration.
Paul’s message to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 5:1-12 serves as a powerful warning against the dangers of spiritual pride and the consequences of tolerating sin within the church. The Corinthians, blinded by their arrogance, believed that their tolerance of immorality was a mark of spiritual maturity, but Paul exposes this as a grave misunderstanding. Their failure to confront sin was not a reflection of grace but a sign of their pride, which was eroding the foundation of their community.
Spiritual pride is a subtle yet destructive force. It causes us to elevate our own perceived wisdom above the call to holiness and leads us to ignore or minimize the seriousness of sin. The Corinthian church, much like many churches today, fell into this trap, boasting about their so-called tolerance while neglecting their responsibility to uphold the purity of the body of Christ. Paul’s words are a sobering reminder that true spiritual maturity is marked by humility, a commitment to accountability, and a deep reverence for the holiness of God.
As I reflect on my own experiences with sin in the church, I am reminded of the devastating effects that arise when spiritual pride and a lack of accountability take root. I have seen churches fall apart because they refused to address immorality within their leadership and congregation. Instead of confronting the sin, they allowed it to fester, ultimately leading to division, disillusionment, and the scattering of members. These painful experiences echo Paul’s warning: when sin is tolerated, it spreads like yeast, corrupting the entire body and undermining the church’s witness.
In light of Paul’s teaching, it is clear that the church must be vigilant in maintaining its holiness. This does not mean we act in self-righteousness or harsh judgment, but rather in a spirit of love and restoration. Discipline, when done rightly, is an expression of care for both the individual and the congregation. The church must hold each other accountable, not to condemn, but to protect the spiritual health of the community and to honor the God who has called us to be holy. Ultimately, Paul’s instruction reminds us that humility and accountability are essential to preserving the integrity of the church and ensuring that we live in a way that reflects the transformative power of the gospel.
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