WEEK 7: 1 Corinthians 5-6​

Right after reminding and teaching that followers of Jesus have a responsibility to mature spiritually, and to be responsible with what God has blessed us with, the Apostle Paul went on to explain that the way a follower of Jesus should be living appears to be folly to those who lack a relationship with Jesus. It is no coincidence that directly after this, Paul tackles the issue of what to do in response to an unrepentant Christian.

There are several sins, which are also categories which so many other sins fall under, that Paul lists. Believers who profess faith in Jesus but who remain in these sins should be removed from our midst. When we allow someone who is unrepentant in their sin to remain with us, there are no perceived consequences for remaining in their sin, it appears to be accepted by others, and it also influences others.

What does it mean that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough? How does this apply to this scenario?

When an unrepentant believer remains uncorrected, this behavior can infect the whole group. Their sin grows and impacts more than themselves. When someone chooses to remain in their sin, we are instructed many times in scripture to remove them from our midst. This is tough but is also a necessary action in order to teach the one who refuses to repent that their sins have not gone unnoticed, and that they need to cast off their sin and get right with the Lord - they need to repent. This is always the goal of removing people because of unrepented sins. We should always desire for them to come to repentance and be made right with the Lord again.

Additionally, we too must cast off our own sins, repent of our old ways, and allow sanctification to occur in our own lives. We are made new in Christ, so if our lives have not changed with our belief, we need to evaluate our own hearts and remove any of the leaven that remains.

What does this passage teach you about your relationship with Jesus?

Just because you can do something, does not mean you should do it. Just because you can say something, does not mean you should say it. We are all called to glorify God with our whole being, our lives, our words, our bodies. All we do should be for the glory of God and we must be careful to continue to glorify Him rather than the temptations of our flesh and the weaknesses the enemy seeks to exploit.

Let's dive into each of these named sins to better understand what each of them really means. It is important to understand important instructions as deeply as we can so that we are better equipped for spiritual growth and godly living, as well as for the spiritual warfare that constantly rages around us.

• Sexual immorality - G4205 - pornos​
  • Someone who participates in unlawful sexual activity
    • Lawful sexual activity is God's design, reserved for husband and wife only, and any unlawful sexual activity is any sexual activity outside of God's design
• Greedy - G4123 - pleonektēs​
  • one eager to have more, esp. what belongs to others
  • greedy of gain, covetous
• Idolater - G1496 - eidōlolatrēs​
  • worshipper of false gods
  • someone who idolizes or worships anything or anyone in place of God
• Reviler - G3060 - loidoros​
  • Someone who criticizes in a verbally abusive and insulting manner
• Drunkard - G3183 - methysos​
  • Someone who is drunken and intoxicated
  • Someone who drinks in excess, large quantities (related: H5433 - sāḇā')
• Swindler - G727 - harpax​
  • A rapacious and ravenous robber and extortioner
    • Rapacious: aggressively greedy or grasping
    • Ravenous: extremely hungry, insatiable, greedy
    • Robber: Someone who steals from others
    • Extortioner: the practice of obtaining something through force or threats

What does this teach you about God?

What does this teach you about godliness?

What does this teach you about your spiritual growth and relationship with the Lord?

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