"immorality...as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife"
it was sin to the jews
lev. 18:8
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it [is] thy father's nakedness.
Deu 27:20
Cursed [be] he that lies with his father's wife; because he uncovers his
father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.
it was sin to the pagans
ad 161 gaius "it is illegat to marry a father's or mother's sister; neither can
i marry her who has been formerly my mother-in-law or stepmother"
cicero (first century bc) expresses disgust when "mother-in-law marries son-in-law...
oh, to think of the woman's sin, unbelievable, unheard of...to think that she did
not quail"
both examples from thiselton's great commentary on 1 cor (new international greek testament
commentary)
"You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who
had done this deed would be removed from your midst."
what they should have done :
mourning
removal
why didn't they? people speculate that :
perhaps the man had 'wisdom' or 'status' in the worldly sense, and
they didn't want to offend him?
perhaps they were reliant on his monetary support to some extent?
also - based on where this section occurs in the book, it's possible that this
person is one who is against paul...
"i have already judged him"
note that judging is the required response ...
there is a lot to say about when to and when not to judge...here we can say that
there are definitely times that it is required of us.
contrast this to 4:5 where paul says to no longer pass judgement before the time...
what is different?
there the question is of 'things hidden in the darkness' (paul's motives);
here the issue is visible sin.
there the evidence points the other way; here the case doesn't seem to be debated...
then there is the difference in sin...
"in the name of our lord jesus"
to what does this phrase apply?
a. v.3 - him who has so committed this (in the name of...)
b. v.4 - when you are assembled (in the name...)
c. v.5 - to deliver (in the name...) such a one to satan
i tend to pick the last option, as the first two can be argued as
less relevant from context...
"{I have decided} to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his
flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
what is meant by the phrase?
fundamentally, no one really knows. possibilities :
1. the man will be killed a la ananias/sapphira or 1 cor 11
2. the man will be punished/tormented actively by satan/demons
3. the man will be out of the church and into the realm of satan
i view 1 as less likely as the death in one seems counter to the purpose
stated for the action, and as if we view this as a carrying out of matt. 18,
that doesn't seem consistent.
2 has the same problem with matt. 18 and
there isn't any other biblical idea (i know of) that describes this sort
of process.
3 fits nicely with matt 18; phrasing things this way highlights the benefits
of church fellowship and shows the severity of the action...
parallel in 1 tim 1:20
1Ti 1:18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, {my} son, in
accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you,
that by them you fight the good fight,
1Ti 1:19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have
rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
1Ti 1:20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have
handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
note : satan as one who carries out god's purpose...
there isn't a lot in the bible about satan, but one of the things that
does come up is that satan fulfills god's purpose. a few examples include
this passage, 1 ti 1:20, and 2 cor. 12:7 (thorn the flesh and the messenger
of satan).
in a previous letter, paul stated that they shouldn't associate with immoral people...
(note that although they have questions about the world, the immoral person within the church
is still present)
paul clarifies that this should not have been taken to mean 'immoral people of the world'
example of christ...
consider who christ spent time with...
luke 5:30-32
Luk 5:30 The Pharisees and their scribes {began} grumbling at His
disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and
sinners?"
Luk 5:31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "{It is} not those who
are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Luk 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."
that being said, it's not as though christ hung out with 'immoral people' for no
reason. he spent time with them for the purpose of their salvation. also - i
would argue that he pretty clearly spent time with those who were interested in
reform; the above quote is from matthew's dinner...
note on hermeneutics :
using scripture to interpret scripture...
if we had this letter, reading it on its own we might worry about the same issue.
however, the weight of scripture makes paul's point very clear.