This week, we are looking at a section of a letter written by a man named Paul to a group of Christians who were acting unchristian that reveals how failure to deal with sin through church discipline reveals four things about that church. Yesterday, we saw that failure to deal with sin in a church reveal an arrogant acceptance of sin amongst its members.
Paul then shows us how a churches failure to deal with sin that is occurring within the membership of the church reveals a second thing about that church in 1 Corinthians 5:3-5:
For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Paul explains that even though he is not in Corinth, he has evaluated what he has heard about the nature of the sin in the church and the churches refusal to deal with the offenders and has come to a conclusion about how he will respond as a leader. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that failing to deal with sin in the church reveals a lack of leadership. Since the current leadership at the church in Corinth is refusing to deal with the sin that is occurring in the church, Paul tells the church that he will deal with it from Ephesus, where he was writing this letter.
But how is Paul going to deal with the churches sin when he is hundreds of miles away? Paul answers this question by stating that the next time that the church is gathered together in community for worship, even though he will not be physically present, as a leader on the basis of the authority given him by Jesus, he will be spiritually present. And because of his role and position of authority, Paul states that he will deliver the couple over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Really? What does Paul mean here when he states that he has decided to hand these people, who say they are Christians, over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh? Paul here is directing the church, through this letter, to exercise church discipline and expel the offending parties from the church community and back into the non believing community, which is under the sphere of Satan. Paul’s point here is that since these members would rather act unchristian, let them live like nonchristians outside the community of faith and away from its spiritual protection. By being placed outside of the church community through church discipline, Paul is hoping that the flesh, which is our selfish and self-centered orientation away from God would be destroyed, resulting in repentance and salvation from the judgment of God that will occur when Jesus returns.
The timeless truth that Paul reveals for us about the nature of church discipline here is that church discipline is divinely designed to bring repentance and a return from rebellion against God to fellowship with God and His people. And since the current leadership at the church seems to be unwilling to exercise church discipline, Paul is writing the church and exerting His unique authority and leadership as an Apostle and church planter to exercise correction and church discipline against those who are rebelling against the teachings of Jesus.
The harsh truth that Paul shows us here is that a failure to deal with sin in the church among its members reveals the reality of a lack of leadership in that church.
So how do you think your leadership is doing at handling church discipline? Does your leadership exercise church discipline in a way that is focused on repentance from rebellion from God back to fellowship with God and His people? Does your church ever even talk about the purpose of church discipline and why it is necessary?
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