Dealing with Immorality in the Church

Studies in 1 Corinthians Series [14]1 Corinthians 5:1-13

August 17, 2014Pastor Paul K. Kim

A CASE OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY IN THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH

• Who: A church member in defiant sexual immorality.

• What: An ongoing sexual relation with his father’s wife [incest].

• Church’s Response: Did nothing [tolerance].

• Church’s Attitude: Proud and arrogant.

HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH?

1) In dealing with immorality in the church, we are to humbly submit to God and mourn over sin in the church.

 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,

and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has

his father's wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn?

Let him who has done this be removed from among you. (vs. 1-2)

The Corinthian church was arrogant because of misguided spirituality—e.g., freedom in Christ, grace over justice, etc.

Consequently, they thought of their tolerance of this sexual immorality as “spiritual” and “mature” in arrogance.

Yet, we are to mourn over sin and submit not to the people’s consensus but humbly to God’s will revealed in the Scriptures.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression,

you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit

of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH?

2) In dealing with immorality in the church, we are to practice church discipline for the restoration of the person from sin.

 3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present,

I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.

4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit

is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 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. (vs. 3-5)

The first of the twofold purpose in church discipline is not to punish the brother/sister but to restore him/her spiritually.

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and

him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your

brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others

along with you, that every charge may be established by

the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses

to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be

to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.Matthew 18:15-17

HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH?

2) In dealing with immorality in the church, we are to practice church discipline for the restoration of the person from sin.

 3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present,

I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.

4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit

is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 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. (vs. 3-5)

The first of the twofold purpose in church discipline is not to punish the brother/sister but to restore him/her spiritually.

The four-step process is this: (1) go alone; (2) take one or two; (3) take it to the church; (4) remove him from fellowship.

In our modern application, we must avoid the two poles of extreme—tolerance/cheap grace as well as abusive power.

HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH?

3) In dealing with immorality in the church, we are to practice church discipline for the purity of the church.

 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old

leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For

Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore

celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice

and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (vs.

6-8)

The second of the twofold purposes in church discipline is to keep the purity and edification of the church.

In so doing, we must remember the sacrifice of the Passover lamb [Christ’s death]—that we are “unleavened” by it.

We are to get ride of all leaven (sin) from the body of Christ to keep pursuing holiness as his purpose of salvation.

HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH?

4) In dealing with immorality in the church, we are to pursue radical difference of the church from the world.

 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral

people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or

the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would 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 if he is guilty of sexual immorality

or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to

eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders?

 Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges

 those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (vs. 9-13)

The limit/boundary of this mandate is within the church.

With outsiders, we are to pursue them with grace and love.

With a brother/sister in defiant sin we are to purge him/her.

• A Sign of True Spirituality

• The apprehension of God’s presence is the ultimate core of genuine Christian experience, and the touchstone of its authenticity is the believer’s vision of the character of God. [Jonathan] Edwards felt that every experience of God could be counterfeited except those which involved an insight into his holiness. It is significant that during the Great Awakening a sense of the infinite excellence of the divine nature was common among those undergoing conversion. In our own time so many forms of Christianity have become man-centered that this experience is seldom generated by our preaching.

• — Richard F. Lovelace

THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE

1. How will you change your attitude toward immorality [defiant sin] in the church? In your own life?

2. In what ways will you take an active role in a discipline process for restoring a member from a sinful way of life?

3. In what ways will you take an active role in a discipline process for sanctifying the church community from a “little leaven”/sin? To pursue purity of the church?