There was a man in Corinth who had his father's wife. It doesn't say whether his father died and he took her as his own wife, or if his father divorced or abandoned her, or what happened. It doesn't call her his mother, but his father's wife. This was forbidden in the Old Testament. Having one's father's wife, certain child sacrifices, sex with animals, adultery, same-sex sexual activities were all sins for which Gentiles were drive out of the land. And the apostles wrote to Gentiles to 'abstain from fornication.'
This was a man who was a part of the assembly, not an outsider. The church in Corinth had not dealt with it, so Paul had passed judgment. He told them when they were assembled with Paul being present in spirit and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ:
I Corinthians 5
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
This was to save the Spirit on the day of the Lord Jesus, to keep the leaven of malice and wickedness out of the body, and they were not to keep company with such a person or to eat with him.
So the questions are would delivering him over to Satan save his spirit? Is that implied in verse 5? How would it save his spirit?
he was living in sin and wouldnt repent paul eas saying turn him away and leave him to himself don’t associate with him let sorrow take him down and stop him from serving sin he can be saved
the guy needed this part but refused and instead was trying to keep living in sin and also be a professing Christian at the same time while sleeping with his fathers wife Paul’s taking about the
destruction of the flesh
“Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
Romans 8:12-13 KJV
can you see how if one continues living in sin or “the works of the flesh “ that’s leading to death ? But if they follow the spirit it will put the flesh to death and they will live ?
it important Toni sweetens oils terminology so when he’s talking about “living in the flesh “it’s this
“Now
the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:16-21 KJV
The man your referring to was openly sinning Paul’s point is he’s on the road to death he needs to be turned away until he repents of his sin
what’s interesting is the second letter concerning this just as Paul commands then to turn this man away for his evil actions so the “ will of the flesh “ is destroyed in the second epistle he makes it known how agonizing it was for him to say that d the n he relents and tells them to now accept the. Man donsatan didn’t win his soul through overwhelming sorrow
this sort of helps add to the understanding Paul writes a second letter and addresses this man and the church which was approving of his sin again
“For
out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
Wherefore
I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.”
2 Corinthians 2:4, 6-9
he continues on a bit
“For
though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that
the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now
I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but
that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
2 Corinthians 7:8-10 KJV
It’s about the importance and absolute need for repentance within the church Sorrow isn’t pleasant but had Paul not addressed this in the Corinthians church no one would have known it was a vile sin and not allowed in Christ and no one would have been made sorry fornthier sin d no none would have repented fornthier sins
the man was sinning Paul heard about it and was upset deeply and wrote a scathing letter to them pointing out thier wrongdoings and also the man himself this is part of Paul’s ministry it brings people to repentance so they don’t die
Paul didn’t want the man to perish
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
if we keep living by the sins of the flesh and pursuing and serving those things we’re fooling ourselves we have to let the flesh deeds die and take up the fruits of the spirit found in the gospel
This is just another example of how serious and deadly Paul considered sin in the church
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