Sin in 1 Corinthians 5-6

1 Corinthians 5-6 deal with some sins that people in the Corinthian church are doing. We should begin with some general statements at the end of chapter 6 (6:18-19)

Flee sexual immorality (porneia). Every transgression (hamartema) whatever a person does is outside the body. But the one who acts immorally sexually (porneuo) sins (harmartano) against his own body. Or do you not know that your (plural) body (singular) is a temple of the Holy Spirit in/among you (plural).

I have tended to think this passage has a dual meaning in that the word body is a play not only on your individual physical body but on the body of Christ corporately. Notice that while "your body" has a plural "your," the word "body" is singular.

The verb "to sin" has the connotation of "wronging" here. To sin against the body is to wrong it, even to harm it. The word "transgression" or "sin" here (hamartema) is a -ma noun. These nouns generally, although not always, have a sense of that which results from the related verb. So in this case, a hamartema would be that which results from sinning, the wrong done.

Paul identifies the acts of the man sleeping with his "father's wife" in chapter 5 as a porneia, so we can conclude that Paul considers this man to be sinning in his actions and indeed to be sinning against the body of Christ at Corinth. The dynamics I have suggested for 6:19 thus show up explicitly in 5:6 when Paul tells them that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump."

Although there is much debate about what 5:5 means, with many suggesting that the "destruction of the flesh" points to the man's death, Paul's use of flesh elsewhere points more to the destruction of the part of the man leading him to sin sexually. They are to expel him, deliver him to "the Satan," the tester, the adversary (5:5, 13).

The dynamics of how this works are unclear. In my commentary, I took the safe route and suggested Paul is being redemptive, hoping that a little time back in the realm of Satan will cause the man to come running back to Christ (so also Hays). A bizarre alternative would read this passage along the lines of 3:15. This man would experience judgment on the coming Day of the Lord, fire, but would be saved in the end, a kind of "temporary security" ;-) As we will see below, this is not likely Paul's meaning.

5:7 compares Christ to the Passover lamb. It is difficult to know how much thought Paul invested into this imagery. But it at least could look something like this: because of Christ's blood we are saved from God's wrath.

Paul mentions some types of Christians a believer must not associate with: a sexually immoral person (pornos), greedy person (pleonektes), thief (harpax), idolater (eidololatres), slanderer (loidoros), or drunkard (methysos). Presumably Paul considers all these activities to be sins. Christians are to judge such people (5:12).

He has a similar list at the end of chapter 6, where he indicates that "the unrighteous (adikoi) will not inherit the kingdom of God" (6:9). This includes "sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes?, those who practice homosexual sex?, robbers, greedy, drunks, slanderers, thieves" (6:9-10). Since Paul is addressing believers, he is telling those in the church that they, along with those outside the church, will not be part of the kingdom of God.

There is no finely argued distinction between the elect and those who are falsely among us. Paul does refer to all in the church as "someone who is named a brother." But Paul's argument is very general. If a person is in the church and can aptly be described as a person who behaves in these sorts of ways, they will not be a part of the coming kingdom of God.

In chapter 6, Paul identifies going to the Roman court system as going to "the unrighteous" (adikoi) for judgment (6:1). Certainly we are meant to contrast such people with believers, who apparently should be "the righteous" (dikaioi).

Summary
These two chapters deal with various sins, particularly sexual sins, and so give us much material on our questions.

1. Words for sin are actually used in 6:18. Here sin has the connotation of wronging or harming another, particularly the broader body of Christ. Paul operates with almost Levitical categories of defilement in these chapters. People who participate in the activities he mentions defile or corrupt the purity of the body of Christ. Other sins wrong parties outside the body of Christ. The sins of these chapters wrong the body of Christ itself.

2. Paul speaks of the types of sins he mentions as behaviors in which some of the Corinthians used to engage in (6:11). But they were washed (of the uncleanness and impurity of such acts); they were sanctified (and brought into the state necessary for one who belongs to God); and they were justified (made innocent in the eyes of God as Judge). Clearly such behavior was meant to stop when they became a brother.

3. Paul finds the continuing practice of such things highly problematic for believers. He gives no theological rationale. He simply dismisses the possibility that such people will be part of the kingdom of God, end of story. Indeed, he finds it essential that the church judge such believers and cast them out of their fellowship for the sake of the body's continued health.

He says this at the same time that he does not contradict their slogan "All things are lawful for me." Apparently Paul has taught the Corinthians that they are not under the law as believers. But clearly this is not the end of "law" (Rom. 3:31) for Paul. There are still ethical demands of a Christian's life, and failure to meet those demands implies that a person will be judged.