1 Corinthians · Lesson 6
Judgment on the Evildoer
Setting
Paul begins to address another serious issue in the Corinthian church—sexual immorality and the church’s condonance of it. Paul is gravely concerned over the members’ complacent attitude. He urges them to eradicate the evil-doer from among them.
Did you know?
- Sexual immorality (): the word is used of every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse. 3
- The verb form of this word means “to prostitute” or “to become a harlot”. 4
- “A man has his father’s wife” (): The LORD forbid anyone among the Israelites to have sexual relations with one’s father’s wife ().
- The day of the Lord () is the day of the Lord’s return (cf. ; ; )
- Eat with (): “Table fellowship had great significance in the ancient world, meaning acceptance of those with whom you dined.” 5
- “Purge the evil person from among you” (): This injunction is found numerous times in the Old Testament, where God commanded the Israelites to put to death the evildoer in the assembly of Israel (; , ; ; , , ).
Outline
- Report of Sexual Immorality and the Attitude of the Corinthians
- Judgment on the Sinner and Order to Deliver Him to Satan
- Cleansing out the Old Leaven
- Warning to Not Associate with Evildoers in the Church
Questions
On the whole lesson
Under what circumstances should the church excommunicate a member?
How should the church excommunicate someone?
· Report of Sexual Immorality and the Attitude of the Corinthians
What constitutes sexual immorality?
What was the attitude of the Corinthian church about the sexual immorality found among the believers?
What can we infer about how they might have expressed this attitude?
· Judgment on the Sinner and Order to Deliver Him to Satan
What does it mean to deliver someone to Satan?
What is the outcome of delivering someone to Satan?
· Cleansing out the Old Leaven
What is the point behind the analogy, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump”?
How does the imagery of removing the yeast relate to Christ our Passover lamb?
What does it mean for us to celebrate the festival?
How do we celebrate the festival “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”?
· Warning to Not Associate with Evildoers in the Church
What does reveal about associating with unbelievers in our lives?
Is it contrary to Christian love to not associate with a sinful church member?
How do we reconcile Jesus’ teaching not to judge and Paul’s teaching here that we ought to judge evildoers in the church?
Sources
- Some Bible translations, based on certain manuscripts, have "against you" in Matthew 18:15. But the words "against you" are not found in the earliest and best textual witnesses and were probably added by scribes in later manuscripts.
- Arndt, William, et al. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago UP, 2000, pp. 282.
- Arndt, William, et al. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago UP, 2000, pp. 854.
- Hauck, Friedrich, and Siegfried Schulz. "πόρνη, πόρνος, πορνεία, πορνεύω, ἐκπορνεύω." Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by Gerhard Kittel et al., translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 6, Eerdmans, 1964, pp.575-595, pp. 581.
- Arnold, Clinton E. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, vol. 1, Zondervan, 2002, pp. 373.