What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 5:2? And you are proud! Paul’s first words hit hard. Instead of being shocked by blatant immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1), the Corinthian believers felt good about themselves—perhaps boasting in their tolerance or spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 5:6). • Pride blinds: “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). • When the church applauds what God condemns, it forfeits its witness (Revelation 3:17). • True love never celebrates sin but “rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief The proper response to sin among believers is broken-hearted sorrow, not smug indifference. • Godly grief produces repentance leading to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). • Nehemiah wept over Jerusalem’s ruins before he rebuilt (Nehemiah 1:4). • James urges, “Be wretched, mourn, and weep” so that sinners may be lifted up by the Lord (James 4:8-10). Such mourning aligns our hearts with God’s holiness and prepares the church to act redemptively. and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this? Because the offender persisted unrepentantly, love required decisive discipline. • Jesus outlines the process—private appeal, small group confrontation, then telling it to the church (Matthew 18:15-17). • Persistent defiance calls for separation “so that he himself will be saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5,13; 1 Timothy 1:20). • Discipline protects the flock: “A little leaven leavens the whole batch” (1 Corinthians 5:6; cf. Galatians 5:9). • Restoration remains the goal (Galatians 6:1), but fellowship cannot legitimize open sin (2 Thessalonians 3:6; Titus 3:10-11). summary 1 Corinthians 5:2 exposes three contrasts: proud tolerance versus humble mourning, passivity versus loving discipline, self-preservation versus gospel witness. Paul urges believers to grieve over sin, act to uphold holiness, and seek the offender’s ultimate restoration—all for the honor of Christ and the purity of His church. |
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