1 CorinthiansChapter 5

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It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among the pagans: a man is living with his father's wife.

And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned, so that the man who did this would be removed from among you?

For though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit, and I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, as though I were present.

When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and my spirit is with you, along with the power of our Lord Jesus,

hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

Clean out the old yeast, so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

So let us keep the feast, not with the old yeast, nor with the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with the sexually immoral—

not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave the world.

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a reviler, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a person do not even eat.

For what business is it of mine to judge those outside? Are you not the ones to judge those inside?

God will judge those outside. "Remove the wicked man from among you."

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Summary2

Chapter 5

Main Theme: Paul exhorts the congregation to exercise church discipline and keep themselves pure from sin.

Content: Paul criticizes the congregation for tolerating a man who is living in a sexual relationship with his father's wife—a sin so serious that even pagans distance themselves from it. He commands them to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved. Using the image of leaven permeating the whole batch of dough, he emphasizes that sin must be removed from the community. The congregation is to judge its own members, but leave judgment of those outside to God.

Key Words/Images:

Leaven (ζύμη): A little leaven permeates the whole batch of dough—sin in the congregation affects the entire community.
Passover Lamb (πάσχα): Christ is our Passover lamb who has been sacrificed; the congregation must live in purity.
Hand over to Satan: Exclusion from the congregation with the purpose of repentance and ultimate salvation.
Judge those within: The congregation has responsibility to judge its own members, not those outside.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for 1 Corinthians 5

Events and Customs

Sexual Norms in Greco-Roman Culture

The specific sin Paul addresses—that a man "has his father’s wife" (γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν)—refers to a sexual relationship with a stepmother. Paul emphasizes that this was forbidden "even among the Gentiles" (οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν). Roman law explicitly prohibited marriage between a stepson and stepmother, and the renowned jurist Gaius classified such acts as incest. Cicero condemned similar cases in his speeches. Mosaic law also categorically forbade this (Leviticus 18:8). The fact that the church tolerated something both Jewish and Gentile morality rejected shows how deeply the Corinthian mindset of freedom had taken root.

Passover Language

Paul uses Passover terminology: "clean out the old leaven" (ἐκκαθάρατε τὴν παλαιὰν ζύμην) and "our Passover lamb has been sacrificed" (τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν ἐτύθη). In Jewish practice, all homes had to be cleansed of leavened bread before the Passover celebration (Exodus 12:15–19). This "bedikat chametz" (search for leaven) was a thorough ritual cleansing. Paul transfers this image to the moral cleansing of the church, indicating that the Corinthian Christians were familiar with Jewish Passover traditions.

Key Terms

Πορνεία (porneia) – Sexual Immorality

This Greek word covers a broad range of sexual sins outside marriage. Its use here specifically denotes the incestuous relationship that the church tolerated.

Παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᾷ (paradounai tō Satana) – Hand Over to Satan

The phrase "hand over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh" (v. 5) describes a formal exclusion from the fellowship of the church. Outside the church—the body of Christ—one was in Satan’s domain. "Destruction of the flesh" (ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός) may refer either to physical suffering or to the destruction of the sinful nature. The goal was the salvation of the spirit (ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ), showing that this discipline was restorative, not merely punitive.

Ζύμη (zymē) – Leaven

Leaven functioned as yeast in antiquity and was often used as a metaphor for something that spreads invisibly and permeates everything. In Jewish tradition, leaven frequently symbolized sin or corruption. Paul’s point is that tolerating obvious sin "leavens" the entire church—it affects the character and standards of the community.

Chapter-Specific Insights

"The Previous Letter"

In verse 9, Paul refers to a previous letter he wrote to the Corinthians (Ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ). This indicates that what we call "1 Corinthians" was not actually his first letter. This "lost letter" apparently dealt with sexual immorality but was misunderstood by the church. They thought Paul meant they should avoid all contact with sinners in general, whereas he clarifies that it concerns internal church discipline toward professing believers living in open sin.

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