1 Corinthians 5—6: Members of Christ
THE NEW TESTAMENT church has inspired both exciting and disastrous experiments down through history. Hoping to create the perfect New Testament community, some have tried to design groups where all the gifts are expressed, worship is spontaneous and fellowship is deep. But they forget the common element of all New Testament churches—problems!
In chapters 1—4 Paul dealt with divisions in the church. Now he focuses on serious moral problems in Corinth. Incest and drunkenness during Communion are hardly what we hope to find in church. But we must remember that growing churches are not always filled with well-scrubbed Christians, but rather with a motley collection of sinners being saved.
Warming Up to God
How do you react when you hear about serious moral and spiritual problems of people in your church? What about your attitude do you think might be inappropriate or judgmental? Ask God to open your heart to this study.
Read 1 Corinthians 5—6. »
Discovering the Word
- In Greece there was no shame in having sexual relationships before marriage or outside of marriage. What made the sexual problem in this church especially loathsome to Paul?
- How is Paul's strategy of discipline designed to bring health to both the church and the individual (5:2-5)?
- Paul compares the Christian life to the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. According to Paul, what do the yeast, the bread without yeast and the Passover lamb symbolize (5:6-8)?
- Some Christians practice a doctrine of "double separation." First, they separate themselves from the evil influences in the world. Second, they separate themselves from Christians who have not separated themselves from the world. What type of separation is taught in verses 9-13?
- What commands and guidelines does Paul give for settling disputes between Christians (vv. 1-8)? Explain.
- Paul calls the body "a temple of the Holy Spirit" (6:18-20). How does the biblical view of the body presented here contrast with the modern view?
Applying the Word
- Why do you think so few churches today practice discipline of those who commit an immorality?
- How can we distinguish between the kinds of people who should be put out of the church (5:2, 9-11; 6:9-10) and those who belong in the church even though they are "worldly" and immature (see 3:1)?
- How can understanding your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit (v. 19) lead to a healthy balance of bodily control and bodily celebration?
Responding in Prayer
Ask God to help you take whatever steps are necessary to maintain both personal and corporate purity.
For Further Study
Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity by David A. deSilva