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Themes in Selected Letters of St Paul

Church discipline and sexual ethics (1 Corinthians 5:1–13, 6:12–20)

  • 3 things to know
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Overview

The case of incest and the call to discipline, lawsuits between believers, and the body as a temple of the Spirit.

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Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What situation does Paul confront in 1 Corinthians 5:1?

Key term

What action does Paul direct in 1 Corinthians 5:3–5, and what is its stated purpose?

Key term

How does Paul clarify his earlier instruction in 1 Corinthians 5:9–13?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What situation does Paul confront in 1 Corinthians 5:1?

    Model answer

    Paul reports that a man in the congregation is living with his father's wife. Paul comments that such a relationship is not tolerated even among the pagans, so the church's conduct is worse than that of the surrounding city.

  2. 2

    What angers Paul most about the church's response to the case?

    Model answer

    Paul says the Corinthians are arrogant rather than grieving, and have not removed the man from among them. The offence for Paul lies as much in the congregation's complacency as in the individual's conduct.

  3. 3

    What action does Paul direct in 1 Corinthians 5:3–5, and what is its stated purpose?

    Model answer

    Paul directs the assembled church to hand the man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. The stated purpose is that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord, so the discipline is intended to be remedial rather than merely punitive.

  4. 4

    Explain Paul's use of leaven and Passover in 1 Corinthians 5:6–8.

    Model answer

    Paul says a little leaven leavens the whole lump, so tolerated sin spreads through a congregation. Paul then calls Christ our Passover lamb who has been sacrificed and tells the church to keep the festival with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

  5. 5

    How does Paul clarify his earlier instruction in 1 Corinthians 5:9–13?

    Model answer

    Paul explains that when he told them not to associate with immoral people he did not mean the immoral of this world, since that would require leaving the world altogether. Paul means those who bear the name of brother or sister, and adds that God judges outsiders while the church judges those inside it.

  6. 6

    What is the slogan quoted in 1 Corinthians 6:12, and how does Paul qualify it?

    Model answer

    The slogan is “all things are lawful for me”, which Paul appears to be quoting back from the Corinthians. Paul qualifies it twice, saying that not all things are helpful and that he will not be enslaved by anything.

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