What does "Expel the wicked man from among you" mean in 1 Corinthians 5:13? Historical Setting in Corinth Corinth was a cosmopolitan trade hub marked by religious pluralism and sexual immorality. A man in the church had entered into an incestuous union (“a man has his father’s wife,” 1 Corinthians 5:1). The congregation, rather than mourning, had grown proud (v. 2). Paul responds with apostolic urgency, situating discipline within the life-or-death stakes of covenant purity. Immediate Literary Context Paul lays out a five-step argument (vv. 1-13): 1. The sin is egregious even by pagan standards (v. 1). 2. The church’s tolerance is sinful (v. 2). 3. The offender must be “handed over to Satan” for the destruction of the flesh (v. 5). 4. The community must rid itself of “old leaven” (vv. 6-8). 5. Paul concludes with Deuteronomic language: “Expel the wicked man from among you” (v. 13). Old Testament Foundation of the Phrase “Purge the evil from among you” recurs in the Septuagint for capital offenses in Israel (Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7; 19:19; 22:24; 24:7). The covenant community removed unrepentant offenders to protect holiness and social order. Paul cites this formula verbatim (καὶ ἐξαρεῖτε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν) to show continuity between Israel and the church: both are God’s sanctified people (cf. 1 Peter 2:9). Theological Rationale 1. Holiness: “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Sin spreads corporately. 2. Witness: Tolerated scandal discredits the gospel (Philippians 2:15). 3. Restoration: Delivering the man to Satan aims “that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord” (v. 5). Discipline is remedial, not vindictive. Purpose of Church Discipline • Guard the Lord’s reputation (2 Samuel 12:14). • Protect weaker believers from contagion of sin (Hebrews 12:15). • Call the sinner to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). • Preserve doctrinal and moral integrity (Titus 2:11-15). Procedure and Due Process Paul’s directive presumes prior private appeals (Matthew 18:15-17). When those fail, the church acts: 1. Public identification of unrepentant sin (1 Corinthians 5:4-5). 2. Formal removal from fellowship and the Lord’s Table (v. 11). 3. Ongoing prayer and pursuit of restoration (2 Colossians 2:6-8). Restorative Outcome 2 Corinthians 2:6-8 records the offender’s repentance and Paul’s call to reaffirm love: evidence that biblical discipline, applied rightly, results in healing and stronger communion. Protection of the Covenant Community Expulsion is corporate self-purification, echoing Passover imagery: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). Relation to “Handing Over to Satan” (v. 5) Outside the church’s protective sphere, the man enters the realm where Satan can afflict his “flesh” (physical life, sinful nature). Such temporal chastening mirrors Job 2:6 and 1 Timothy 1:20. God sovereignly uses even satanic opposition to drive the elect to repentance. Pastoral and Ethical Considerations • Discipline must be sorrowful yet resolute (2 Colossians 2:4). • Leaders guard against hypocrisy (Galatians 6:1). • Restoration is the goal; bitterness or gossip is sin (Ephesians 4:31-32). Historical Examples Early church manuals (Didache 15; 1 Clement 57) echo Paul’s command, prescribing removal of the obstinate. Reformers practiced church censure to guard purity, while modern congregations often adopt membership covenants rooted in 1 Corinthians 5. Modern Application • Churches must maintain meaningful membership. • Gross, public, unrepentant sin requires corporate action. • A biblically ordered process balances holiness and mercy, culminating in either repentance and restoration or continued exclusion. Conclusion “Expel the wicked man from among you” mandates decisive, compassionate discipline to preserve the church’s holiness, awaken the sinner, and magnify Christ’s glory. Properly applied, it displays both the severity of God toward sin and the kindness that leads to repentance (Romans 11:22). |
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