What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 5:5? Hand this man over to Satan Paul instructs the assembled church, acting with Christ’s authority (1 Corinthians 5:4), to remove the unrepentant offender from fellowship. This “handing over” is not vindictive; it is church discipline carried out in love. • Jesus prepared the way for this process—“If he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). • Paul models the same step with Hymenaeus and Alexander, “whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Timothy 1:20). • Exclusion from the gathered body places the person back in the world’s realm—under Satan’s sway (Ephesians 2:2)—so he feels the weight of separation from God’s people. for the destruction of the flesh “Flesh” here points to the sinful nature that dominated this man’s behavior. Paul expects the shock of separation to shatter that dominance. • “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). • The aim is not bodily harm but the breaking of stubborn, fleshly resistance—freeing him from the sin of incest condemned in 1 Corinthians 5:1. • God sometimes allows hardship as discipline: “We are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). so that his spirit may be saved Church discipline always pursues redemption. By feeling the consequences of sin, the offender may turn, repent, and be restored. • “Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). • Salvation is the goal; Paul longs to see this brother stand forgiven, just as the Corinthian church later welcomed a repentant sinner back (2 Corinthians 2:6–8). • God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), including those under discipline. on the Day of the Lord The final horizon is Christ’s return, when every life will be evaluated. Paul wants this man ready for that day. • “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). • Believers will stand “blameless in holiness … at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:13). • Discipline now safeguards eternal joy then: “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; yet he himself will be saved—but only as through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:15). summary Paul commands the Corinthian church to remove an unrepentant brother from fellowship, placing him back in Satan’s realm. The purpose is not punishment for its own sake but the breaking of sinful stubbornness, leading to repentance and ultimate salvation. Loving, corrective discipline today prepares sinners—and the church—to stand pure and ready when Christ returns. |
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