1 Corinthians 5

Introduction

Chapter 5 marks an abrupt shift in the letter. Paul has spent four chapters addressing the problem of factionalism and the Corinthians' inflated self-regard; now he turns to a specific moral crisis that makes their arrogance all the more outrageous. A man in the congregation is living in a sexual relationship with his father's wife (likely his stepmother), and the church -- far from being grieved -- is actually proud of its tolerance. The sin itself exceeds even pagan moral standards; the community's willingness to boast about it reveals a deeper confusion — about holiness, about the boundaries of the covenant community, and about the difference between genuine Christian freedom and moral indifference.

Paul's response is swift, authoritative, and theologically dense. He issues a verdict of excommunication (vv. 1-5), grounds it in the theology of Passover and the metaphor of leaven (vv. 6-8), and then clarifies a misunderstanding from a previous letter about what it means to avoid immoral people (vv. 9-13). Throughout, Paul insists on a distinction that the Corinthians have blurred: the church is responsible for the moral integrity of those within its fellowship, not for judging outsiders. This chapter lays the groundwork for the discussion of lawsuits and sexual ethics in chapter 6, and the broader questions of Christian freedom and community life that dominate the rest of the letter.

The Case of Sexual Immorality (vv. 1-5)

Notes

• πορνεία ("sexual immorality") -- This word appears twice in verse 1 for emphasis. Porneia is a broad term covering all forms of sexual sin outside of marriage. It derives from pornē ("prostitute") and the verb pernēmi ("to sell"). In the New Testament it functions as a catch-all for sexual transgression -- fornication, adultery, incest, and other violations of God's sexual ethic. Paul specifies that this particular porneia is of such a kind (toiautē) that it does not occur even among the Gentiles (ethnesin). Both Roman law (the Lex Iulia de adulteriis) and Jewish law (Leviticus 18:8; Deuteronomy 22:30; Deuteronomy 27:20) prohibited sexual relations with one's stepmother. The phrase γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν ("to have a father's wife") uses the present infinitive echein ("to have, to possess"), indicating an ongoing relationship rather than a single incident. The expression "father's wife" rather than "mother" strongly suggests a stepmother.

• πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστέ ("you are puffed up") -- The verb physioō ("to inflate, puff up") returns from 4:6, 18, 19, now in the perfect passive: the Corinthians are in a settled state of inflation. This is the same distinctive word Paul uses throughout the letter for the Corinthians' arrogance (it appears seven times in 1 Corinthians, more than in all the rest of the New Testament combined). The scandal is not simply that an individual is sinning but that the community is proud in the face of it. What exactly they were proud of is debated: perhaps they saw their tolerance as a sign of spiritual maturity or freedom, or perhaps their arrogance was a general attitude unrelated to the specific case. Either way, Paul sees their pride and the man's sin as a single interconnected crisis.

• ἐπενθήσατε ("you mourned, grieved") -- The verb pentheō means "to mourn, to grieve, to lament," the kind of grief associated with death or catastrophic loss. It is used in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn") and for mourning the dead (Mark 16:10). Paul's point is that sin within the body of Christ is not an occasion for boasting about one's liberality but for grief -- it is a kind of death in the community. The aorist tense (epenthēsate) points to an action they should have already completed: their mourning should have already led to the removal of the offender. The verb αἴρω ("to take up, remove") in the purpose clause (hina arthē, "so that he might be removed") carries a charged irony — it is the same verb used for Jesus "taking away" the sin of the world (John 1:29).

• κέκρικα ("I have judged, I have decided") -- The perfect tense indicates a settled, completed verdict. Despite being physically absent (apōn tō sōmati, "absent in body"), Paul considers himself present tō pneumati ("in spirit"). This is not a mystical claim but an apostolic one: Paul's authority operates even at a distance. The contrast between σῶμα ("body") and πνεῦμα ("spirit") here refers to physical presence versus spiritual-apostolic engagement, not to the body/spirit dualism of Greek philosophy. Paul has already rendered his verdict; the syntax of verses 3-5 is difficult, but the essential meaning is clear: when the Corinthian assembly meets in the name and power of the Lord Jesus, with Paul's apostolic authority standing behind them, they are to carry out the sentence.

• παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ Σατανᾷ ("to hand over such a person to Satan") -- The verb paradidōmi ("to hand over, deliver up") is the same verb used for Judas "handing over" Jesus (Matthew 26:15) and for God "handing over" sinners to the consequences of their sin (Romans 1:24, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:28). To "hand over to Satan" means to put the person outside the sphere of the church's protection and into the domain of Satan -- the realm outside the covenant community. The only other occurrence of this exact phrase is 1 Timothy 1:20 (Hymenaeus and Alexander). The purpose is not vindictive but remedial: εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός ("for the destruction of the flesh"). The word olethros means "destruction, ruin" (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:9). Whether "flesh" (sarx) here means the physical body (i.e., physical suffering or death) or the sinful nature (i.e., the destruction of the sinful impulse) is debated. The ultimate goal is redemptive: ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ("so that the spirit may be saved") on the Day of the Lord.

• ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ("on the Day of the Lord") -- This eschatological phrase reaches back to the Old Testament "Day of YHWH" (Amos 5:18; Joel 2:1; Zephaniah 1:14) -- the day of God's final intervention in judgment and salvation. Paul has already used it in 1 Corinthians 1:8 and 1 Corinthians 3:13. There is a textual variant here: some manuscripts (the Byzantine and Textus Receptus traditions) read "the Lord Jesus" (tou Kyriou Iēsou), while the earliest manuscripts (P46, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) simply read "the Lord" (tou Kyriou). The shorter reading is almost certainly original. The entire sentence reveals Paul's conviction that even severe church discipline is oriented toward the eschatological horizon -- the point is to save the person's spirit at the final judgment, even if the process involves devastating temporal consequences.

• κατεργασάμενον ("the one who has carried out, accomplished") -- The verb katergazomai is a strengthened form of ergazomai ("to work"), meaning "to work out thoroughly, accomplish, produce." It implies deliberate, sustained action rather than a momentary lapse. Paul uses the same verb in Romans 7:15-20 for sin "producing" death, and in 2 Corinthians 7:10 for godly grief "producing" repentance. The choice of this verb underscores that the man's behavior is not a slip but a settled pattern of conduct.

Interpretations

• "Destruction of the flesh" (ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός) -- Two main readings exist. The physical suffering view holds that being placed outside the church's spiritual protection exposes the person to Satan's domain, resulting in illness, affliction, or even physical death as divine discipline (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30, where Paul attributes physical illness to divine judgment). The moral/spiritual view understands "flesh" (sarx) in its Pauline ethical sense -- the sinful nature -- and reads the phrase as the destruction of the person's fleshly impulses through the painful experience of excommunication. Most commentators favor the physical reading, given that olethros elsewhere refers to tangible destruction, but both views agree that the ultimate goal is redemptive.

• The scope and authority of church discipline is also debated. Some traditions read this passage as granting significant ecclesiastical authority to formally excommunicate members, with real spiritual consequences attending the act. Others see it as describing a more informal community response -- the withdrawal of fellowship and table companionship (cf. v. 11, "do not even eat with such a person"). The Roman Catholic tradition has historically cited this passage in support of formal excommunication as a sacramental act with binding spiritual power. Most Protestant traditions view it as a congregational responsibility exercised through church governance, with the "power of the Lord Jesus" (v. 4) residing not in a clerical office but in the gathered assembly acting in Christ's name.

• The relationship to eternal salvation raises questions about perseverance. The phrase "so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord" assumes the person remains saveable despite being handed over to Satan. Reformed interpreters see this as evidence of the perseverance of the saints -- even severe discipline cannot ultimately separate a true believer from salvation. Arminian interpreters note that the conditional structure ("so that ... may be saved") implies salvation is not yet guaranteed and depends on the person's ultimate repentance.

The Leaven of Sin and Christ Our Passover (vv. 6-8)

Notes

• καύχημα ("boasting, ground for boasting") -- This noun refers not just to the act of boasting but to the thing boasted about -- the basis or content of one's pride. Paul uses the kauch- word group extensively (it appears over 50 times in his letters). The Corinthians' kauchēma -- their self-congratulation in the face of the incest case -- is emphatically οὐ καλόν ("not good, not fine"). Their proud tolerance of gross sin is not merely inadequate but positively destructive.

• μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ ("a little leaven leavens the whole lump") -- This was a proverbial saying in the ancient world (cf. Galatians 5:9, where Paul quotes the same proverb). Ζύμη ("leaven, yeast") is almost always negative in biblical symbolism. Jesus warned against "the leaven of the Pharisees" (Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1), and at Passover all leaven was to be purged from the house (Exodus 12:15-19). The word φύραμα ("lump of dough") appears five times in the New Testament, all in Paul (here, v. 7; Romans 9:21; Romans 11:16; Galatians 5:9). The metaphor is precise: tolerating even a small amount of moral corruption will eventually permeate the entire community.

• ἐκκαθάρατε ("clean out, purge") -- The verb ekkathairō is an intensified form of kathairō ("to cleanse, purify"), with the prefix ek- ("out of") adding the sense of thorough removal. It appears only here and in 2 Timothy 2:21 in the New Testament. The aorist imperative conveys urgency: do it now, do it completely. The allusion is to the Jewish practice of bedikat chametz -- the ceremonial search for and removal of all leaven from the house before Passover (Exodus 12:15, Exodus 13:7). Paul is saying the Corinthian church needs to conduct its own spiritual housecleaning.

• ἄζυμοι ... τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός ("unleavened ... Christ our Passover has been sacrificed") -- The adjective ἄζυμος ("unleavened") connects to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed Passover (Exodus 12:17-20). Paul's theological claim is striking: the Corinthians already are unleavened (kathōs este azymoi, "as indeed you are unleavened") by virtue of Christ's sacrifice. This is the indicative-imperative pattern central to Paul's ethics: because you are already cleansed (indicative), now live in accordance with that reality (imperative). The verb ἐτύθη (from thyō, "to sacrifice, to slaughter") is the aorist passive -- Christ was sacrificed, a completed historical event. The identification of Christ with the Passover lamb is a central typological connection in the New Testament (cf. John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6).

• ἑορτάζωμεν ("let us celebrate the feast") -- This is a present subjunctive (hortatory), suggesting continuous or habitual celebration. The verb heortazō appears only here in the New Testament. Paul is not speaking of the literal Jewish Passover or even of the Lord's Supper specifically, but of the entire Christian life as a perpetual Passover feast. Since Christ, the true Passover lamb, has been sacrificed once for all, the whole of the believer's existence is now a festival of deliverance -- and it must be celebrated with the right kind of bread.

• κακίας καὶ πονηρίας ... εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας ("malice and wickedness ... sincerity and truth") -- Paul constructs a contrast between two kinds of leaven/bread. Κακία is a general term for moral badness, depravity, or ill will. Πονηρία denotes active wickedness, evil in action. Together they represent the "old leaven" of the pre-Christian life. Against these Paul sets εἰλικρίνεια ("sincerity, purity of motive") -- a word whose etymology is debated but may derive from heilē ("sunlight") and krinō ("to judge"), meaning "tested by sunlight, found pure when examined in the light." Ἀλήθεια ("truth") is not merely intellectual correctness but moral integrity, genuineness, and faithfulness. The unleavened bread of the Christian feast is characterized by transparent sincerity and truth.

Judging Those Inside the Church (vv. 9-13)

Notes

• Ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ("I wrote to you in my/the letter") -- Paul refers to a previous letter he had written to the Corinthians -- a letter that predates our "1 Corinthians" and is now lost. This means that our canonical 1 Corinthians is actually at least the second letter Paul wrote to this church. The lost letter (sometimes called "the previous letter" or "Corinthians A") apparently contained instructions about avoiding immoral people, which the Corinthians misunderstood as requiring total separation from all sinners. Paul now corrects that misreading. The definite article tē before epistolē ("the letter") indicates a specific, known letter.

• συναναμίγνυσθαι ("to associate with, to mingle together with") -- This compound verb is built from syn ("with") + ana ("up, among") + mignymi ("to mix, mingle"). It pictures thorough mixing — like ingredients folded together in dough, a fitting image given the leaven metaphor Paul has just deployed. It appears only here (vv. 9, 11) and in 2 Thessalonians 3:14 in the New Testament. The instruction is not about casual contact but about intimate fellowship -- the kind of close association that implies acceptance and solidarity. Paul's distinction is sharp: total separation from the immoral people of the world would be impossible and is not required; but deliberate, ongoing fellowship with someone who claims to be a Christian while living in flagrant sin is prohibited.

• ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ("one called a brother, one bearing the name of brother") -- The participle onomazomenos (from onomazō, "to name, to call by name") is a present passive: someone who "is being called" or "bears the name of" a brother. The phrasing is carefully chosen. Paul does not say "a brother who sins" but "anyone called a brother" -- the emphasis falls on the claim to Christian identity. The issue is not whether the person is truly saved (Paul leaves that to God) but whether someone who professes to be a believer continues in a pattern of gross sin. The vice list that follows -- πόρνος ("sexually immoral person"), πλεονέκτης ("greedy person"), εἰδωλολάτρης ("idolater"), λοίδορος ("reviler, verbal abuser"), μέθυσος ("drunkard"), ἅρπαξ ("swindler, extortioner") -- expands the scope well beyond the specific incest case. Church discipline applies to all persistent, public sin that contradicts the Christian confession.

• μηδὲ συνεσθίειν ("not even to eat with") -- The verb synesthiō ("to eat together with") carries special weight in the ancient Mediterranean world, where table fellowship signified acceptance, intimacy, and shared identity. To eat with someone was to declare solidarity with them. This is why Jesus' habit of eating with tax collectors and sinners was so scandalous (Luke 15:2). The prohibition likely extends to both ordinary meals and the Lord's Supper (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:17-34). The emphatic mēde ("not even") indicates that shared meals are the minimum threshold of fellowship -- if you cannot even eat together, then all closer forms of association are also excluded.

• τοὺς ἔξω ... τοὺς ἔσω ("those outside ... those inside") -- Paul introduces a clear boundary distinction using the spatial metaphors "outside" (exō) and "inside" (esō). This language echoes rabbinic terminology: the rabbis distinguished between those "inside" (penimiyyim) the covenant community and those "outside" (hisoniyyim). Paul's logic is clear: the church has no jurisdiction over outsiders -- that is God's prerogative. But the church is both authorized and obligated to exercise moral judgment over its own members. The Corinthians had the situation exactly backwards: they were judging the world (as Paul will address in 6:1-8, taking disputes to pagan courts) while refusing to judge the flagrant sinner in their midst.

• κρίνειν ... κρίνετε ... κρίνει ("to judge ... you judge ... he judges") -- The verb krinō appears three times in verses 12-13, creating a concentrated meditation on the scope and limits of judgment. In chapter 4, Paul told the Corinthians not to judge prematurely (4:5), and some may have taken that as a blanket prohibition on all judgment. Here Paul corrects any such misunderstanding: the church must exercise judgment within its own community. The prohibition in 4:5 was about evaluating the hidden motives of faithful ministers; the command here is about responding to open, undeniable sin. These are two entirely different situations, and Paul expects the Corinthians to distinguish between them.

• Ἐξάρατε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ("Drive out the wicked person from among you") -- Paul concludes with a direct quotation from the Septuagint. The phrase exareis ton ponēron ex hymōn autōn ("you shall purge the evil from your midst") is a refrain that appears repeatedly in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 17:7, Deuteronomy 17:12; Deuteronomy 19:19; Deuteronomy 21:21; Deuteronomy 22:21, Deuteronomy 22:24; Deuteronomy 24:7) as the conclusion to laws prescribing the death penalty for serious offenses within Israel. The verb ἐξαίρω ("to remove, drive out, expel") is an aorist imperative, demanding immediate and decisive action. By citing this Deuteronomic formula, Paul grounds the church's disciplinary authority in the Old Testament pattern of Israel's responsibility to maintain the holiness of the covenant community. The wicked person (ho ponēros) -- whether read as masculine ("the wicked man") or neuter ("the wickedness") -- must be expelled so that the community's integrity is preserved. The New Testament church inherits the calling of Old Testament Israel to be a holy people, even though the form of the sanction has changed from execution to excommunication.