Remove the evil person from among yourselves.

1 Corinthians 5 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, namely, that someone has his father’s wife. ² You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

³ For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. ⁴ In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ I have decided to turn such a person over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? ⁷ Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; ¹⁰ I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. ¹¹ But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person. ¹² For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? ¹³ But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the evil person from among yourselves.

Today’s text deals with what might be one of the most difficult things that the church today needs to find the proper balance in dealing with. How do we balance the invitation to the world to come as they are because it is grace not works by which we are saved, with the reality that sanctification, becoming conformed to the image of Christ, is both the result and a necessary part of the Christian life? Paul does not skirt the issue at all saying: I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person. For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?  But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the evil person from among yourselves. This is not just Paul’s legalistic view though. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  The balance for the church then is do we wait for the Lord’s judgment on that day, or do we as Paul says, Remove the evil person from among yourselves.    

Jesus begins Matthew 7 saying:“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!” So, we are not to judge other, but having examined and judged ourselves, we are to help them to see clearly. Galatians 6:1 says: Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.  Before we would seek to remove anyone from among ourselves, we should seek to restore them.

In Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus sets a high standard for the patience we should have in forgiveness and restoration. Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Just prior though in verses 15-17 He said:  “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” In addition, just after saying we should not judge, but only help others to see clearly in Matthew 7, Jesus says: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Perhaps the vital element of this question rests in what Paul says: Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? It is vital that we do our best not to allow the sin of one to affect the rest. So, while a person known to be in sin should not be in a position of authority or influence, every evil is based in a lie which is the opposite of a spiritual truth. In Matthew 13:33 Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”  The goodness and righteousness of the kingdom has more power to permeate and change what is evil, than evil has to affect what is good. 2 Timothy 3:16; 4:1-4 says: All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness… I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.  It is incumbent on the leaders and teachers in the church then to preach and teach sound doctrine; scripture which is beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness and does not just tickle the ears.

In John 16:7-11 Jesus says: “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”  Along with sound doctrine, it is imperative that the Holy Spirit be present to convict those of the world. Jesus says: “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at the present time. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you.”

Amen. Holy Spirit be our guide and the leaven which spreads the kingdom of heaven through all the earth, that as Jesus taught us to pray, God’s kingdom would come, and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.