1 Corinthians 5

Expanded Bible

Wickedness in the Church

5 It is actually being ·said [reported] that there is sexual sin among you. And it is a kind that ·does not happen [or is not tolerated] even among ·people who do not know God [pagans; Gentiles]. A man there ·has [is living in sin with; is sleeping with] his father’s wife [^Cprobably his stepmother; Lev. 18:7–8; 20:11]. ² And you are ·proud [arrogant; puffed up]! ·You should [^LShould you not…?] have been filled with ·sadness [grief; mourning] so that the man who did this should be put out of your group. ³ I am not there with you in person, but I am with you in spirit. And I have already ·judged [condemned] the man who did that sin as if I were really there. ⁴ When you meet together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I meet with you in spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ then hand this man over to Satan. So his ·sinful self will be destroyed [sinful nature will be purged; or body/flesh will be destroyed; or body will be beaten down by sin], and his spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your ·bragging [boasting] is not good. You know the saying, “Just a little ·yeast [or leaven; ^Cleaven is a small lump of fermented dough used to make a loaf rise, as yeast is today] makes the whole batch of dough rise [^Cyeast/leaven symbolizes the permeating influence of this man’s sin within the community; Gal. 5:9].” ⁷ ·Take out all [Cleanse; Purge] the old ·yeast [leaven] so that you will be a new batch of dough without ·yeast [leaven], which you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed [^CChrist’s sacrificial death rescued us from spiritual death, just as the blood of the first Passover lambs rescued the children of Israel; Ex. 11—12]. ⁸ So let us celebrate this feast [^Ca new kind of Passover feast], but not with the bread that has the old ·yeast [leaven]—the ·yeast [leaven] of ·sin [evil; malice] and wickedness [^Cunleavened bread was used in the Passover celebration; Ex. 12:15; Deut. 16:3]. Let us celebrate this feast with the bread that has no ·yeast [leaven]—the bread of ·goodness [sincerity] and truth.

⁹ I wrote you in my earlier letter not to associate with those who sin sexually. ¹⁰ But I did not [^Lat all] mean you should not associate with those of this world who sin sexually, or with the greedy, or ·robbers [or swindlers], or those who worship idols. To get away from them you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ I am writing to tell you that you must not associate with those who call themselves ·believers in Christ [a brother or sister] but who sin sexually, or are greedy, or worship idols, or ·abuse others with words [slander], or get drunk, or ·cheat [swindle] people. Do not even eat with people like that.

It is not my business to judge those who are ·not part of the church [^Loutside]. God will judge them. But you must judge the people who are ·part of the church [^Linside]. The Scripture says, “You must ·get rid of [expel; remove] the evil person among you [Deut. 17:7; 19:19; 22:21, 24; 24:7].”