I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Corinthians 5-8.

    Paul writes about sexual sin in today’s passage. He addresses an issue where, rather than discipline someone for sexual sin, the Church in Corinth bragged about it. They were proud that they accepted someone going beyond what was acceptable in the very libertine city in which they lived. Here is where it gets interesting, Paul had previously told them not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. Apparently, the Church in Corinth had concluded that was impractical because so many of the people of Corinth indulged in sexual sin and chose to ignore Paul’s guidance. So, Paul reiterates and clarifies what he had written previously (in a letter which is lost to history). And the clarification point is important because many Christians today fail to pay attention to it. We as believers should not associate with those who claim to be followers of Christ who indulge in sexual sins. But not just sexual sins, we should also not associate with those “Christians” who is greedy, abusive, a drunkard, or cheats people. However, this guidance does not apply to those who are outside of the Body of Believers, who do not claim to follow Christ. In order to avoid associating with those who practice the sins Paul mentions who do not claim to be Christians we would need to isolate ourselves from the world in a way which would make reaching people for Christ impossible. In the Church today, we have both those making the same mistake the Corinthian Church made, boasting of their acceptance of sinful behavior, and those who try to stay away from all sinners.

    After addressing the issue of the Church member who was sleeping with his father’s wife, Paul discusses lawsuits between Church members, then returns to the issue of sexual sin. Because of the way Paul addresses the issue we often separate these two teachings, but in fact they are closely linked. Paul states that other sins should be handled the same way as sexual sins. In addressing the issue of lawsuits between believers, Paul is giving an example of evidence of those other sins, and the logic which shows that the lawsuits are because of sin. The lawsuit is evidence that one believer is greedy and/or trying to cheat another. If both parties to the lawsuit genuinely believed that it was a legitimate disagreement over the meaning of their agreement, they could have, and should have, brought their disagreement to the Church for resolution. Further, if the other party would not abide by the decision reached by the Church, it would be better to allow them to cheat you than take the case to unbelievers for resolution.
    After finishing his message on sexual sin, Paul discusses marriage in the Church. From what Paul writes here it is clear that some in the early Church thought that marriage was an obsolete institution. However, Paul makes it clear that this is not the case. Paul advocates for the benefits of remaining single, but makes it clear that not everyone is called to remain single. Paul tells us that remaining single should be the default assumption for Christians, but that not everyone is called to such a life. Marriage is neither the preferred state for followers of Christ, nor something for them to avoid.