November 30, 2007

I Corinthians 5-8
Click above for full KJV Online

Thought for the day:previous - - - - - - - - - - - - next
Following Scripture Verses
Click above to go directly to TFD

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.
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.
3. 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,
4. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5. 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.
6. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10. Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13. But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

1. Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4. If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6. But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8. Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
12. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
14. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
15. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
3. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
4. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
5. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
6. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
7. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
10. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
11. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
12. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
13. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
16. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
17. But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
18. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
19. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
21. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
22. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
23. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
24. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
25. Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
26. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
27. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
28. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.
29. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
30. And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31. And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
32. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33. But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
36. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
37. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
38. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
39. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
40. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

1. Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
2. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
3. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
4. As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
5. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
6. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
7. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
8. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
9. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
10. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
11. And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12. But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Thought for the day:
You may click on verses for Scripture

I Corinthians 5 deals with the subject of church discipline. There are few areas of Biblical instruction that are more overlooked than this one, and it would do us well to see what the Apostle Paul thought about this subject. Of course it was the Lord Himself Who instituted this in Matthew 18. Paul simply takes a situation in the church at Corinth to make a practical application of the teachings of Jesus.

The church at Corinth had a member who was involved in an immoral relationship. In fact, it was so vile a relationship that even the unsaved frowned upon it. Yet rather than deal with the sin problem, the Corinthian church not only allowed it to continue, but were in fact proud of their "openness" and their ability to accept such wicked behavior from one of their own. Paul tells them that they should have been in mourning over their brother's transgressions, and prayed that the offender might either repent or be removed. Herein lies the first problem that the church had: they were not grieved over the sinful lifestyle of a fellow member and its effect upon the community. I wonder how much it bothers us when other Christians, particularly those of our own assembly, mess themselves up with sin. Do we grieve over it, or do we simply look down our spiritual noses at them while patting ourselves on the back for not having the same problem? In addition, do we grieve over the loss of the church's testimony that always accompanies this type of situation? How many times in church history have unbelievers been driven away from the Word of God because of the errant behavior of those who profess to believe in It? The church may not be able to stop a member from committing evil, but it certainly can, and must, deal with the sinner once the action has become known.

Paul then exerts his Apostolic authority. He tells them that he has already made a decision concerning this man, and the church needs to follow through on the course of action that he is recommending. It should be noted here that Paul had an authority over churches that no longer exists today. A member or pastor of one church does not have the right to exercise any authority over another congregation. There is no teaching of a church hierarchy in the Scriptures, and we need to remember that Independent Baptist churches need to stay Independent! However, Paul had the particular office gift of the Apostle, and thus he had greater authority than would a pastor today.

There are several factors in Paul's statements that deserve our attention. First of all, he intends for the church as a whole to take the action of discipline. The pastor and/or deacons are not to act on their own, but the decision is to be made "when ye are gathered together". The church brings its members in, and the church should take them out. Secondly, Paul shows why it is important that discipline should take place. He says that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump", which means that a little bit of sin left unchecked within the church will spread like wildfire throughout the congregation and ultimately impact every member. Therefore he instructs the church to "purge out the old leaven" so that the body can be pure as God intended. He then instructs the church not to keep company with fornicators. He makes it clear that the immoral people that he is referring to are within the church, because he says that to separate from the ungodliness that exists outside the church would require the believer to leave Earth. Thus, if any person who is a Christian is "a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner", then the church is to have no fellowship with him, which requires his removal until such a time as he is willing to repent. Note that Paul says that to remove a person from membership is to "deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh." Apparently the church provides some form of security and protection that the believer forfeits when he places himself outside of the assembly.

Church discipline may seem harsh, but it is God's means for keeping His church pure. In addition, it often brings the sinner back to Christ, as was the case with this individual (II Cor. 2:6-8). God's ways are always right, and we as individuals, and church members, must follow them.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery