THE CHURCH BOUNDARIES (Kent Smith Notes 10/15/23)
THE CHURCH BOUNDARIES
1 Corinthians 5
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BE TOLERANT
Unwilling to endure or allow sinful conduct to continue
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WHAT SHOULD THE CHURCH NOT TOLERATE?
SIN:
Illicit unbiblical behavior.
Publicly known immorality.
Sinful behavior that harms the reputation of the church and damages the perception and understanding of the gospel within the community.
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1 Cor 5:1 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.
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THE REBUKE (of the church)
Part one:
Spiritual Arrogance:
The presumption of grace
Failure to mourn:
No grief or sorrow over sin
Failure to Remove:
Maintain standards of holiness
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Paul’s comments are to the church not the offender!
1 Cor 5:2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.
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JUDGMENT WITH INTENT
(To decide with authority)
Paul determines to deliver the offender to the destruction of his flesh, hoping for the salvation of his soul.
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1 Cor 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. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 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 decided to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so his spirit may be saved.
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THE REBUKE (of the church)
Part Two
Boasting:
Prideful of the acceptance of unholy behavior
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1 Cor 5:6
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
This is rampant in our culture today, and sadly more and more common in churches today.
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BE HOLY
Clean out the sin
Worship the Lord in holiness (sincerity and truth)
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1 Cor 5:7-8 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
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THE REBUKE (of the church)
Part Three
Failure to accept authority
Paul had given instruction previously that were ignored
Failure to practice discipline
Paul reiterates his counsel to not associate with sinners that publicly defame the gospel
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1 Cor 5:9-11 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
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PAUL’S DEFENSE AND APPEAL
We do not judge the world.
We judge the church.
God judges the world
An Appeal to Scripture on the standard of holiness among His people.
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1 Cor 5:12-13 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
You shall purge the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 For being a false prophet
Deuteronomy 17:2-7 For idolatry or worshiping other gods
Deuteronomy 19:15-21 For being a false witness
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 For being a rebellious son
Deuteronomy 22:13-27 For sexual immorality
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CHURCH DISCIPLINE
Purge the Evil from among you.
EXCLUDE an unrepentant sinner who brings discredit to the church and the gospel, hoping for their repentance and restoration.
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