1 Corinthians 5–6

Immoral Church Members

5It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality ^xamong you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated ^yamong the Gentiles ^z—a man is living with his father’s wife. ^a2And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief ^bso that he who has committed this act might be removed from your congregation. ³For though I am absent in body but present in spirit, ^cI have already decided about the one who has done this thing as though I were present. ⁴When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus with my spirit and with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, ^dso that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord. ^e

⁶Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast ^fpermeates the whole batch of dough? ^g7Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover ^hhas been sacrificed. ⁱ⁸Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil ^jbut with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Church Discipline

⁹I wrote to you in a letter not to associate ^kwith sexually immoral people. ^l10I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy ^mand swindlers ⁿor idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. ^o11But now I am writing ^pyou not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer ^qrwho is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard ^sor a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. ¹²For what business is it of mine to judge ^toutsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? ¹³But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves. ^uv

Lawsuits among Believers

6If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court ^wbefore the unrighteous, ^xand not before the saints? ²Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? ³Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters? ⁴So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those ^ywho have no standing ^zin the church to judge? ⁵I say this to your shame! ^aCan it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers? ^b6Instead, believer ^cgoes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers! ^d

⁷Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. ^eWhy not rather put up with injustice? ^fWhy not rather be cheated? ^g8Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! ⁹Don’t you know that the unrighteous ^hwill not inherit God’s kingdom? ⁱDo not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, ^jadulterers, ^kor anyone practicing homosexuality, ^lm10no thieves, ⁿgreedy ^opeople, drunkards, verbally abusive people, ^por swindlers ^qwill inherit God’s kingdom. ¹¹And some of you used to be like this. ^rBut you were washed, you were sanctified, ^syou were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorifying God in Body and Spirit

¹²“Everything is permissible ^tfor me,” ^ubut not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything. ¹³“Food ^vfor the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them. ^wThe body is not for sexual immorality ^xbut for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. ^y15Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? ^zSo should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! ¹⁶Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh. ^ab17But anyone joined ^cto the Lord is one spirit ^dwith Him.

¹⁸Run ^efrom sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” ^fOn the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral ^gsins against his own body. ¹⁹Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary ^hof the Holy Spirit ⁱwho is in you, ^jwhom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰for you were bought ^kat a price. Therefore glorify God in your body. ^l