Paul continues to chastise the Corinthians for arrogantly preferring human wisdom to God's wisdom. In their foolishness, the church was tolerating a member who was committing incest. Paul explained that believers were to be holy. Tolerating one person who was committing such a flagrant sin would soon mean more in their congregation would start indulging in sin.
Paul told the Corinthian church to remove this man from their membership. Moreover, Paul told the church not even to eat lunch with people who claim to be Christians if they were known for sins such as these: fornication, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, or extortion.
Fornication is sexual intercourse between a person and someone who is not his or her spouse. It includes premarital sex, cohabitation, and adultery.
Covetousness is lusting after something that belongs to someone else. The Tenth Commandment warns against coveting, or lusting after, another person's spouse or his employees or his house or his material wealth.
Idolatry is the act of fervent devotion to something other than the one true God; i.e., being obsessed with something; such as, wealth, social standing, wardrobe, beauty, sports, travel, food, drink, internet, TV, books, education, one's own children.
Railing is angrily denouncing someone or something. People rail against different races, ethnic groups, religions, political groups, professions. Railing has a component of anger and hatred.
Drunkenness is intoxication: "excited mentally beyond self-control or reason" (Webster). Drunkenness may be caused from alcohol, drugs or some other means.
Extortion is the act of getting something by illegitimate means.
Church members are implicitly called upon to examine themselves and each other for deviating from purity into these sins. They are told to judge (yes, judge) one another (1 Co 5:12) in this regard.
Because of their arrogance, the church had elevated style over substance--they were satisfied with the superficial pretense of clean living and they were unwilling to look at the proliferation of sin in their midst. Is it any wonder there was no spiritual power in their church?
Is it any wonder there is no spiritual power in many churches today?
Paul told the Corinthian church to remove this man from their membership. Moreover, Paul told the church not even to eat lunch with people who claim to be Christians if they were known for sins such as these: fornication, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, or extortion.
Fornication is sexual intercourse between a person and someone who is not his or her spouse. It includes premarital sex, cohabitation, and adultery.
Covetousness is lusting after something that belongs to someone else. The Tenth Commandment warns against coveting, or lusting after, another person's spouse or his employees or his house or his material wealth.
Idolatry is the act of fervent devotion to something other than the one true God; i.e., being obsessed with something; such as, wealth, social standing, wardrobe, beauty, sports, travel, food, drink, internet, TV, books, education, one's own children.
Railing is angrily denouncing someone or something. People rail against different races, ethnic groups, religions, political groups, professions. Railing has a component of anger and hatred.
Drunkenness is intoxication: "excited mentally beyond self-control or reason" (Webster). Drunkenness may be caused from alcohol, drugs or some other means.
Extortion is the act of getting something by illegitimate means.
Church members are implicitly called upon to examine themselves and each other for deviating from purity into these sins. They are told to judge (yes, judge) one another (1 Co 5:12) in this regard.
Because of their arrogance, the church had elevated style over substance--they were satisfied with the superficial pretense of clean living and they were unwilling to look at the proliferation of sin in their midst. Is it any wonder there was no spiritual power in their church?
Is it any wonder there is no spiritual power in many churches today?
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