1 Corinthians 5. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among [nonbelievers]… And you are proud?! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you (5:1-2)

The Apostle Paul is aghast. Someone in the church, who claims to be a believer, is committing incest by sleeping with his stepmom. (Yuck!!) And because the church leadership is in disarray, this awful behavior is being tolerated (even applauded) instead of being sternly corrected.

Paul’s recommendation is that the offender be removed from the church fellowship. In fact, it’s stronger than that as he writes you are to deliver this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (5:5). The hope is that by excommunicating the offender, they will come to their senses, repent, and be restored to the church.

Paul is quite serious and stern, I wrote to you in my letter to not associate with sexually immoral people… do not associate with anyone who [claims to be a Christian] if he is guilty to sexual immorality – do not even eat with him (5:9-11). Purge the evil person from among you (5:13). It is the responsibility of church leaders to call out blatant sin when they see it, and to encourage the believing community to uphold clear moral standards found in scripture.

There is a significant danger in allowing blatant and unrepentant sin to continue within the church. Paul chastises them by drawing their attention to how a little sin can spread in the community and become much worse. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (5:6) We are reminded of the severity of sin and the responsibility we have to keep each other accountable.

This chapter makes me think about how “brand ambassadors” often make millions of dollars by representing a particular company – they are Nike or Adidas reps, or Mercedes or Porsche reps, or Rolex, etc. But what happens if that ambassador is an athlete caught doping or beating up their girlfriend? The sponsors are very quick to cut all ties with the ambassador – they do not want their image to be tarnished.

Do we take sin within our congregations seriously? Do we recognize the danger of ignoring it? How can we, as members or leaders of the community, be both gentle and firm in how we approach sin issues in believers we know?