(1 Cor. 5:1-13) “Sexual immorality among you’—- (v. 4-5) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” This implies a removal of God’s protective power, allowing Satan to work. Destruction of the flesh: is discipline administered to the offender, and through suffering would bring about humility and repentance, so that the spirit may be saved.
(v. 6-8) “Your glory is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Leaven added to bread has a fermenting action that illustrates the corrupting power of evil. The yeast of sin can spread if unchecked, and ignored discipline denies the purpose of Christ’s death. Christ, the sacrificed lamb has removed this from His congregation, Church.
(v. 9-13) “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioner, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous (excessively greedy), or idolater (blindly devoted admirer), or a reviler (abusive or contemptuous language), or a drunkard (one who habitually drinks alcoholic beverages to excess), or an extortioner (One who obtains money from someone by threat, oppression, or abuse of authority) —not even to eat with such a person. For what hive I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you judge those who are inside? But those who are outside, God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.” We live in the world, but are not of the world; and only God has the right to judge them. But we are given the right to judge immoral people who profess to be Christians. At times we are required to withdraw fellowship, to administer strict discipline when church members openly persist in sin and do not heed corrective counsel.