In 1 Corinthian 5:5 its says that the man living in sin with his stepmother should be thrown out the church and handed over to Satan. Can you explain to me what this means?
Let’s look at this important portion. First, we read in 1 Corinthians 5:1, “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.” It was known around that this man was committing a grievous sin. He was having relations with his father’s wife…his stepmother. This was something so serious that even the unsaved Gentiles did not commit such a thing.
Perhaps the Corinthian saints did not know what to do about this, but it appears they become proud of their tolerance of this man and his sin. We read in verse 2, “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” Indeed, they may have not known what to do about this situation, but at least they could have mourned over this terrible sin being committed. To be puffed up indicates they were proud of themselves. How sad when we become proud of our tolerance of sin, either in ourselves or in our fellow believers.
Something needed to be done, so the Apostle Paul instructs this local assembly (church) in what to do. We read in verses 3-5, “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Yes, this sinning man was to be excommunicated from the Corinthian assembly. By putting this man out of their circle of fellowship, he would be out of the company of fellow believers and subject to the devastating power of Satan. The purpose of this was so that he would see the wrong in his sin and repent. Notice that his salvation was not in question, indeed the discipline ministered by the Corinthian assembly was for his repentance and restoration to the Lord.
The Corinthian saints were warned that, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (Verse 6). They should not brag because of their tolerance of this man’s sin because to allow him to continue among the assembly, while living in known sin, would cause the entire assembly to be complicit and guilty of that sin. According to Paul’s instruction (which we now receive as the Word of God), the assembly must act to protect the purity of the assembly and to restore this man to Christ.
This discipline, which may appear to be harsh or too judgmental was used of the Lord to restore this man to the Lord and to the assembly. We live in an age where others constantly tell us not to judge. However, we see here that this assembly was instructed to identify this man’s sin, judge it as sin, and act accordingly to discipline him so that he would realize his great sin, repent, and be restored. We read in verses 12-13, “For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” Those who are ‘within’ are those who are fellow believers. Those who are ‘without’ are unbelievers. We are given the solemn responsibility to scripturally judge the sin in our fellow believers and act to restore this person back to the Lord. We can only imagine that if this assembly had not excommunicated this man, he would have continued in his terrible sin.
Whatever happened to this man after he was excommunicated from the assembly? He repented of his sin. We read in 2 Corinthians 2:6-8, “Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.” This man had been properly punished, or disciplined, by the Corinthian assembly and had repented of his great sin. So, now Paul instructs the assembly to forgive this man. In his repentance, the Lord had forgiven him, so the assembly must forgive him, too. They needed to let this man know he was loved by his fellow saints and welcomed back into fellowship with the local saints. (CC) (667.2)