1 Corinthians 5
June 21, 2022
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?” (v1-2)
The Corinthians had so gone off the rails - that one of their church members was having sex with his stepmom. And the church not only tolerated it (v1); they celebrated it. They boasted about it – on the basis that they were “free in Christ,” and therefore, free to have sex with whomever, whenever. Paul isn’t just confronting the sexual sin, though. He’s confronting the church’s response to the sexual sin. “You are proud,” Paul says (in v2). The Corinthians are proud of how progressive they are - tolerating this sexual relationship between two consenting adults, who are simply being “true” to who they are. Paul, though, calls what is happening ‘immorality’ (v1), a betrayal of the One who loved them so much that He went to the cross for them. Paul’s concern isn’t just that they’re breaking a rule; it’s that they’re betraying a relationship. The church is so proud of their “progressive sexual ethic” – that they’re willing to forsake Jesus for it; willing to ignore His Word for it. Paul, therefore, calls them to expel this guy from their fellowship – in part, to test whether they will surrender to Christ and what He says about sex, or surrender to the culture and what it says about sex.
Father, I praise You for Your beautiful design for sex and human flourishing. Forgive us for the arrogance of believing that we can improve upon Your design. Forgive us for the arrogance of believing that we can ignore Your commands. Forgive us for the arrogance of worshiping the gift of sex more than You, the Giver of sex. I pray that You would cultivate in Your people a deep trust that You know what is best, and a willingness to follow You, even when Your ways stand in opposition to the ways of culture. Give us the courage to proclaim the truth of Your Word on this subject, and the grace to love those to who hate what Your Word says on this subject. And give us such a deep love for you, Jesus, that we seek to stay faithful to You in a sexually-crazed, sexually-confused world.
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
-
Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
-
Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
-
➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
