Question 1

What was the sin Paul confronts in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Paul is dealing with a very serious and public sin inside the church. A man in the congregation is in a sexual relationship with his father’s wife, most likely his stepmother. Paul says this kind of behavior is so shameful that even many non‑believers would reject it. The problem is not only the man’s sin, but also the church’s response. Instead of being shocked and sad about it, they are proud, as if nothing is wrong. Paul shows that such open sin cannot be ignored inside the church.

Question 2

Why does Paul say the church should have mourned instead of being puffed up?

Accepted Answer

Paul expects the church to feel deep sorrow when sin like this appears among them. To be “puffed up” means they were proud, perhaps of their gifts or their idea of freedom, while ignoring what was going on. Mourning would show they understand how serious sin is before God and how much harm it does to the person and the whole church. Their lack of grief shows a hard heart. Paul wants them to care enough to take loving but firm action, not to boast while a brother is trapped in sin.

Question 3

What does it mean to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh?

Accepted Answer

This wording sounds harsh and can be hard to understand. Paul is telling the church to put the man out of their fellowship, removing him from the protection and closeness of the church family. Being “delivered unto Satan” means he is left to face the painful results of his sin in the world, under God’s discipline. The goal is not to destroy him, but that his sinful desires, called “the flesh,” would be broken, so that he wakes up, turns back to God, and his spirit is saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Question 4

Why does Paul compare sin in the church to leaven in dough?

Accepted Answer

Paul uses leaven, or yeast, as a picture of how sin spreads. Just a small amount of leaven works through a whole lump of dough. In the same way, if the church allows open, unrepentant sin, it will affect the whole group. People may start to think sin is not serious, or copy the behavior. Paul’s warning, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,” means that what seems like “just one case” can slowly change the character of the entire church. So he urges them to remove the “old leaven” so they can be a pure, new lump.

Question 5

What does it mean that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us?

Accepted Answer

Paul reminds the church that Christ is like the Passover lamb. In the Passover story, a lamb was killed and its blood marked the people so judgment passed over them. Here, Christ is the one sacrificed in their place. Because he has died for them, they are called to live like people who belong to him, not in their old sins. Paul connects this to the picture of removing leaven before the Passover. Since Christ has died, they should “keep the feast” by living with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, not with malice and wickedness.

Question 6

Why does Paul tell the church to purge out the old leaven?

Accepted Answer

To “purge out the old leaven” means to remove what belongs to their old sinful way of life. In this case, it clearly includes putting the unrepentant man out of fellowship, but it also points to getting rid of attitudes and behaviors that do not fit with life in Christ. Paul says they are already like unleavened bread because of what Christ has done, so their behavior should match that new identity. Keeping known sin in the church is like leaving old leaven in the dough. They are called to be a fresh, clean lump for God.

Question 7

How does this passage show the purpose of church discipline?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that church discipline is not about revenge or cruelty, but about love, holiness, and restoration. Paul wants the church to protect its witness and purity, because tolerated sin harms everyone. At the same time, he is concerned for the sinner’s soul. Removing him from fellowship is meant to wake him up and lead him to repentance, “that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” So discipline aims both to guard the church from spreading sin and to bring the wandering person back to God.

Question 8

How should churches today apply Paul’s teaching about open sin?

Accepted Answer

This passage teaches that open, ongoing sin among believers cannot simply be ignored. Churches should respond with grief, humility, and careful action. They should first seek to call the person to repentance, hoping for change and forgiveness. If someone refuses to turn from serious, public sin, the church may need to restrict or remove them from membership or leadership, always with prayer and a desire for restoration. At the same time, the whole church is called to examine its own life, to put away malice and wickedness, and to walk in sincerity and truth.

Question 9

Why does Paul say their glorying is not good?

Accepted Answer

Their “glorying” means they were boasting, likely about their gifts, knowledge, or ideas of freedom, while serious sin sat in their midst. Paul says this is not good because it shows they care more about status and image than about holiness and love. A healthy church does not brag while one of its members is caught in open sin. Instead, it feels the weight of that sin, prays, and takes action. Paul’s words warn us that spiritual pride can blind us. True faith leads to honesty about sin and a desire to help each other live in a way that honors Christ.

1 Corinthians 5:1

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

Immorality Rebuked

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1 Corinthians 5:1

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

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Immorality Rebuked

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