Sexual Immorality in 1 Corinthians 5

[Soloist]

Paul is clearly saying we should not associate with unrepentant sinners who claim to be brothers in our churches - ""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.

Mennonites tend to think this is a membership thing and that it’s referring to communion. I think the text is very clear but the history around the ban has made people unwilling to accept this.

[nett]

Paul is clearly saying we should not associate with unrepentant sinners who claim to be brothers in our churches - ""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.

Mennonites tend to think this is a membership thing and that it’s referring to communion. I think the text is very clear but the history around the ban has made people unwilling to accept this.

Are you saying you think the text is in support of the ban, in contrast or agreement with the mennonites?

[Soloist]

Are you saying you think the text is in support of the ban, in contrast or agreement with the mennonites?

The text supports the ban in contrast to Mennonites. Perhaps not to the extent the Amish take it.

[nett]

• I'm not sure if Paul is saying that this church is boasting about having this member living in sin, I seems like the church is boasting about themselves in general, while ignoring the rampant sin in the congregation.
• Paul mentioned the man's salvation once, but exhorts the church to shun him multiple times. This suggests that removing his harmful influence and stain of sin extremely important. I would say it carries higher lever of importance than his salvation, Paul says nothing about trying to turn him from his ways, love him, have grace for him, or anything like that. He simply says that the man's flesh has been turned over to satan.
• I'll admit, I have no idea what it means that his spirit can be saved one day, by turning over his body to satan.
• Paul makes an analogy to leaven, implying that tolerating a little of this sin will corrupt the whole body. his implication is that to even eat with this person would be tolerating their sin.
• Paul uses the remainder of the tractor to clarify that this standard applies only to the brotherhood, not to unbelievers.
• Paul does not hold this standard for immorality only, other mortal sins are included, and should be taken just as seriously.
• He concludes the chapter with an exhortation to the ban again

[nett]

Are you saying you think the text is in support of the ban, in contrast or agreement with the mennonites?

The text supports the ban in contrast to Mennonites. Perhaps not to the extent the Amish take it.

ok, agreed. It's hard to argue that the Amish ban is not applied for far less than just the mortal sins that Paul is talking about.

[Bootstrap]

Paul is clearly saying we should not associate with unrepentant sinners who claim to be brothers in our churches - ""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.

Mennonites tend to think this is a membership thing and that it’s referring to communion. I think the text is very clear but the history around the ban has made people unwilling to accept this.

Even clearer:

Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

[Soloist]

So, does an unrepentant church member who is placed under the ban allowed to come to church? Not saying you can actually physically stop them.

[Bootstrap]

So, does an unrepentant church member who is placed under the ban allowed to come to church? Not saying you can actually physically stop them.

Let's take this question back to the text. What does the text in this passage tell us? Do you think the man Paul is talking about would be allowed to come to church, based on this text? This also seems relevant to me:

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 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. 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.

[Bootstrap]

• I'll admit, I have no idea what it means that his spirit can be saved one day, by turning over his body to satan.

I find it really helpful to make lists of questions like that.

Can we find other things in this passage where we aren't sure what is meant? I suspect we may have done a lot of the basic observation, moving on to questions like this might be a good next step.

[Soloist]

I find looking at Job to be helpful in that regard.