Commentary on 1 Corinthians 5- What to Do With the Backslid Members?

1 Corinthians 5 is talking about another way of dealing with backslidden believers in the Church.  The issue here is that the man is having sexual relations with his stepmother, which is again, nominal incest provided that his stepmother is not blood related.  However such a practice is ALWAYS WRONG.  The problem of the church in Corinth was that they were giving in to the carnal nature in them, which they were not supposed to.  Don't get this passage mistaken, this is about sanctification.  Here's a reality- Christians as saved as they are, they can still fall into sin.  Remember- Lot entered Sodom, Samson was half-hearted, David had adultery and murder, Solomon had alliances with the pagan and so did Jehoshaphat.  Did they forfeit their salvation?  No.  However they did lose the joy of their salvation.  Christians do not forfeit their salvation when they sin, however they do lose their rewards whenever they sin.  But because they are saved, they are convicted of their sins and that leads to true repentance from their sins.  

As said, it's true that Christians need to pray for their wayward brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 5:16) however it does not mean discipline is to be ignored.  Matthew 18:15-17 also demands Christians reprimand fellow Christians out of love while remaining in the moral code of Christianity.  He/she is to be isolated until he/she comes back to his/her senses.  Why?  1 Corinthians 5:6 says that a little leaven adds much to the whole lump.  Matthew 6:6-12 comes to mind in that passage.  Unless a church member living in sin is removed for the reason of his/her faults, everybody will follow and the church can become ineffective.  1 Corinthians 9:27 says, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."  That is, if a Christian is not careful, they could lose their testimony for the Lord and once that happens, it's VERY hard to recover that testimony.

Now it's time to talk about 1 Corinthians 5:5 which says, "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  That is, when the person is isolated, they like leprosy patients are to be isolated.  They must face the consequences of their sin and face the chastising of God while leaving the other believers safe from that toxic influence in the church.  However, if the person really happens to be a true believer, not just a professing one, that person cannot his/her salvation otherwise it would be works salvation. As said, some believers can be in such a state that they need to be isolated otherwise they contaminate the other believers like a leper.  However, it's most likely that they will come back to their senses but the consequence that could lead to death will still be there.  Some could be like Ananias and Sapphira also but they still remain saved.  However the judgment of the flesh still proves that eternal security is NO license to sin.