Bible Reading Challenge #10

1 Corinthians 5:1–5

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.
2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

A Moment to Teach

Did you catch what Paul is furious about? There is a man in the church openly sleeping with his father’s wife. More than the grotesque immorality itself—so shocking that even pagans would not approve—Paul is outraged that the church knows about it and allows it.

Sexuality is a major topic in our world today as definitions of gender, marriage, and relationships are being reshaped before our eyes. But here’s the reality: none of this is new.

Scripture is filled with accounts of sexual sin—Noah’s daughters scheming to get pregnant by their father, the men of Sodom seeking to abuse Lot’s guests, Hosea’s wife chasing after other lovers. Prostitution, adultery, homosexuality, affairs—these are not modern inventions. They’ve marked humanity since the fall.

But Paul won’t let the church shrug and say, “That’s just how it is.” He calls for action. Do not condone this. Do not tolerate this. Do not let this kind of rebellion continue unchecked inside the church.

Now—this matters: Paul is not telling Christians to hunt sin in the world. He’s addressing someone inside the church, someone who claimed Christ but lived in blatant, unrepentant sin. That’s why Paul is so strong. A lifestyle of unrepentant sin cannot coexist with a genuine confession of Jesus as Lord.

For those outside the faith, our greatest concern is not first their behavior but their need for Christ. Only after someone encounters the grace of God can we expect to see their life transformed. But for those who name the name of Jesus, love sometimes looks like correction—because sin left unchecked destroys both the sinner and the witness of the church.

And even here, the goal is not punishment but salvation: “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

So, church, let’s be people of both grace and truth. Let’s love sinners deeply, but never call sin good. Let’s refuse to compromise truth in the name of tolerance, while always longing for repentance and restoration.