1 Corinthians 5 - Introduction

Dealing With The Disorderly First Corinthians Five

First Corinthians chapter five states implicitly that if you as a Christian, are living a wicked, depraved, or degenerate lifestyle then you are living in the wrong kingdom. You are in the devil's kingdom if you are living that kind of life. The church at Corinth faced the very grievous problem of a man living sexually with his father's wife!

Sadly every Christian in Corinth knew about this wickedness that had infected the church. This matter had become common knowledge. This was an evil so great that even none Christians would avoid it. It had become a great scandal against the church of our Lord. God had given a principle in Deuteronomy 27:20 that this man was violating. He had said, "Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen."

Instead of dealing with the situation the brethren at Corinth were filled with pride. They ought to have been troubled over it; they should have been mourning, but instead, what were they doing? They were indulging their own pride. They had become vainly self-confident by their own "spiritual purity." Paul wanted to know why they had not mourned enough to take care of the problem before now. In the church, acts of discipline should always take place with a spirit of mourning that there has to be any discipline at all, not with a spirit of pride, anger, or revenge. There should be deep grief on our part that there is the occasion for it, and, of course, only a spirit of tender compassion for the one that has offended God.