Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 1 CORINTHIANS #5 - 5:1-13)
II. 1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-7:40 ON ADULTERY AND MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIPS
A. 5:1-13 PURGE ADULTERY FROM CHURCH
1. 5:1-8 A WARNING: DEAL WITH ADULTERY
a. 5:1 EXTREME FORNICATION
HOlos aKOUe-tai en huMIN porNEIa [4202], kai toiAUte porNEIa HEtis ouDE en tois ETHne-sin [1484],
Fornication is actually reported among you, and such fornication as isnot even among the nations,
HOste guNAI-KA [1135]ti-na tou paTROS Echein.
that one has his :father's wife.
b. 5:2 LACK OF CONSCIENCE IN THIS
kai huMEIS pe-phu-si-oMEnoi [5448]esTE, kai ouCHI MALlon e-penTHEsa-te [3996],
And you are puffed up, and did not rather mourn,
HIna arTHE[1808]ek MEsou huMON ho to ERgon TOUto PRAxas [4160].
that who had done this deed be taken away from among you.
c. 5:3-5 PAUL'S SERIOUS METHOD OF JUDGMENT
E-GOmen gar, aPON [548]toSOma-ti paRON de toPNEUma-ti,
For I verily, being absent in :body but present in :spirit,
EdeKEkri-ka [2919]hos pa-RON [3918]ton HOUtos TOUto ka-ter-gaSAme-non [2716],
have already as if present judged him that has so wrought this,
en tooNOma-ti tou KuRIou heMON IeSOU, su-nachTHENton [4863]huMON,
4in the name of our :Lord Jesus, you being gathered,
kai tou eMOU PNEUma-tos, sun teduNAmei tou KuRIou heMON IeSOU,
and my :spirit, with the power of our :Lord Jesus,
pa-raDOUnai [3860]ton toiOUton toSa-taNA [4567]eis Ole-thron [3639]tes sarKOS,
5to deliver the such to :Satan for destruction of the flesh,
HIna to PNEUma soTHEen teheMEra tou KuRIou.
that the spirit be saved in the day of the Lord.
d. 5:6a Your glorying is not good.
Ou kaLON to KAUche-ma [2745]huMON.
e. 5:6b Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
ouk OIda-te HOti miKRA ZUme[2219]HOlon to PHUra-ma [5445]zuMOI?
f. 5:7a Purge out the old leaven, that you be a new lump, even as you are unleavened.
ek-kaTHAra-te [1571]ten pa-laiAN ZUmen, HIna Ete NEon [3501]PHUra-ma, kaTHOS es-te Azu-moi [106].
g. 5:7b-8 PROPER OBSERVANCE OF CHRIST'S PASSOVER
kai gar to PAScha heMON eTUthe[2380], ChrisTOS: HOste he-orTAzo-men [1858], meen ZUmepa-laiA,
For our :passover also has been sacrificed, Christ: 8wherefore let us keep festival, not with old leaven,
meDE en ZUmekaKIas [2549]kai po-neRIas [4189], all' en aZUmois ei-li-kriNIas [1505]kai a-leTHEIas [225].
neither with leaven of malice and wickedness,but with unleavened breadof sincerity and truth.
2. 5:9-13 SEPARATE FROM CHRISTIAN FORNICATORS
a. 5:9-11 TREATMENT OF WORLDLY VERSUS CHRISTIAN FORNICATORS
Egra-psa huMIN en tee-pis-toLEmesu-na-naMIGnus-thai [4874]porNOIS;
I wrote you in the epistle not to mingle with fornicators;
ou PANtos tois PORnois tou KOSmou TOUtou,
10not at all meaning with the fornicators of this :world,
etois ple-oNEKtais [4123]kai HARpa-xin [727], eei-do-loLAtrais [1496];
or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters;
ePEI oPHEIle-te [3784]Ara ek tou KOSmou e-xelTHEIN:
since you must then go out of the world:
nun de Egra-psa huMIN me su-na-naMIGnus-thai, eAN tis a-delPHOS a-no-maZOme-nos [3687] e PORnos,
11 but now I write you not to mingle with, if any that is named a brother be a fornicator,
eple-oNEKtes, eei-do-loLAtres, eLOIdo-ros [3060], eMEthu-sos [3183],
or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard,
eHARpax [727]; totoiOUtomeDE su-nesTHIein [4906].
or an extortioner; with the such no, not to eat.
b. 5:12a For what have I to dowith judging those without?
ti gar moi tous ExoKRInein?
c. 5:12b-13a Do not YOU judge those within, 13a and those without :God judges?
ouCHI tous EsohuMEIS KRInete, tous de Exoho TheOS KRInei?
d. 5:13b Put away the wicked manfrom among yourselves.
eXAra-te [1808] ton po-neRON ex huMON auTON.
NOTE: This section is so differentfrom our 20thCentury Western Church! We have lowered the bars from God's standards and substituted watered-down worldly standards. No wonder our Western Church is under the Judgment of God! Paul absolutely insisted that God's standards should prevail in the Corinthian church. His analogy of old leaven leavening the pure lump, should motivate church leaders to come together in conference, and pray and plan how to restore and raise the lowered bars!
Marie and I pastored the Kostner Avenue Baptist Church of Chicago from 1953-1958. It grew from 16 to 200 during our tenure, and the spirit of growth prevailed following our leaving, until the attendance and membership soon reached 800. But - the growth took place largely because we lowered the bars of God's standards. The leaders and people wanted outer success at the expense of inner spirituality. Israel wanted the same under Samuel, when they insisted on a king, so they could be like the other nations. God told Samuel - “Go ahead and let them have their way, because they are determined not to go My way! But warn them of the sad results for lowering My standards.”
God gave me a similar message. “Give them their way. Both you and they will see the price to pay for carnal insistence. But I will never ask you to do this again in your ministry.”
The above was a valuable lesson for me, and I trust for them also.
Just before this time, while I was attending Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago, we had a guest speaker at Chapel, who had seriously let down God's standards in his personal life. He had embraced the modernistic and humanistic standards of that day. One of our doctoral students said, “I would not allow that man to enter my home and set his feet under my table.” He was referring to 2 John 10-11 (4-11), “If any comes unto you, and brings not this :teaching, receive him not into yourhouse and give him no greeting: 11for who gives him greeting partakes in his :evil :works.”
I believe he was correct in his application of this passage. He took seriously 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, that we as believers are to separatefrom Christian fornicators. A fornicator (porNOS) who professes to be a believer, must be judged and dealt with. Corinth followed Paul's counsel and did so, following this letter of admonition. A fornicator is one who commits broad sexual sin which includes sex among the unmarried; adultery between the married; homosexuality and lesbian activity; bestiality; and much more. The Bible is explicitly clear on this. And those who seriously regard God's Bible Numerics as unfolded by Ivan Panin, will know how the Lord Jesus will meet us at His Judgment Seat (BEma) following His return again. The Bible in over 12 different passages says that they who habitually commit the above, shall not enter the Kingdom of God.
Some feel this is a cruel and mean standard, and that the apostle Paul missed God in this. I strongly disagree and stand against such humanistic and namby-pamby thinking. I prefer to see 1 Corinthians 14:37 (14:37-40) - “If any thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of what thingsI write you, that it is theLord's commandment.” We should understand that this is Godin Christ Jesus speaking by the Holy Spirit through Paul!
Derek Prince used to start each lecture by reviewing the preceding one. Repetition is one of the essential principles of pedagogy. Sometimes we need to hear a truth reiterated and repeated again and again, before it sinks in and leads us to action that glorifies God. - J.A.W.