Chapter 5 is a very relevant chapter for today. Paul recognizes the church’s knowing acceptance of sexual immorality among its folks. Specifically, a member of the body is sleeping with his father’s wife. Paul calls the church out. Paul says that rather than celebrating the sin, they should be mourning it and separating the church from the man committing the act.
Tolerance is a difficult subject to discuss. The Bible is clear, sexual immorality is a sin that has impact on those that commit it and the world around them. Biblically, Sexual relationships are to be limited to the marriage bed. Sex is to be between one man and one woman. Culturally, that was the expectation until the 1970’s when the world decided to change its mind.
Now we are living in chaos. We as a society have taken all boundaries away. Our children are now being taught that traditional marriage and traditional ideas about gender and propriety are ridiculous. Sadly, throughout time, cultures have done that.
God’s word and teachings have not changed. Human sexuality is not ambivalent noris it to be taken lightly. We as a body of Christ cannot simply look the other way and say anything is OK as long as one means well. We are called to hate sin and not to ignore or celebrate it. We can still love the sinners as we see God love us as sinners. We cannot, however pretend that the lies the world puts forth are somehow now truth.
As a church, we must take the heart of God and of our Lord and stand firm in the truth. We must not celebrate sexual immorality, but instead celebrate and teach purity and the sanctity of God’s plan for marriage, family, and life.
God Bless You
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 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.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
Walking With God 