1 Corinthians 5–6

Dealing With a Case of Incest

5It 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.^{l 2}And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning^m and have put out of your fellowshipⁿ the man who has been doing this? ³For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.^o As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus^p on the one who has been doing this. ⁴So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵hand this man over^q to Satan^r for the destruction of the flesh,^ab so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.^s

⁶Your boasting is not good.^t Don’t you know that a little yeast^u leavens the whole batch of dough?^{v 7}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.^{w 8}Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread^x of sincerity and truth.

⁹I wrote to you in my letter not to associate^y with sexually immoral people—¹⁰not at all meaning the people of this world^z who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^ca but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater^b or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.^c

¹²What business is it of mine to judge those outside^d the church? Are you not to judge those inside?^{e 13}God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”^df

Lawsuits Among Believers

6If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?^{g 2}Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?^h And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? ⁵I say this to shame you.ⁱ Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?^{j 6}But instead, one brother^k takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!^l

⁷The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?^{m 8}Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.^{n 9}Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?^o Do not be deceived:^p Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers^q nor men who have sex with men^{ar 10}nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers^s will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And that is what some of you were.^t But you were washed,^u you were sanctified,^v you were justified^w in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

¹²“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.^x “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”^y The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,^z and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,^a and he will raise us also.^{b 15}Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?^c Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”^{bd 17}But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.^ce

¹⁸Flee from sexual immorality.^f All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.^{g 19}Do you not know that your bodies are temples^h of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;^{i 20}you were bought at a price.^j Therefore honor God with your bodies.^k