Study Desk

Dealing With a Case of Incest

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father's wife.^(a)

And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have gone into mourning^(b) and have put out of your fellowship^(c) the man who has been doing this?

For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.^(d) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus^(e) on the one who has been doing this.

So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,

hand this man over^(f) to Satan^(g) for the destruction of the flesh,^[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.^(h)

Your boasting is not good.⁽ⁱ⁾ Don't you know that a little yeast^(j) leavens the whole batch of dough?^(k)

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.^(l)

Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread^(m) of sincerity and truth.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate⁽ⁿ⁾ with sexually immoral people—

not at all meaning the people of this world^(o) who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^[c](p) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater^(q) or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.^(r)

What business is it of mine to judge those outside^(s) the church? Are you not to judge those inside?^(t)

God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you."^[d](u)