I Corinthians Chapter 5

Paul pens tough words in this chapter, in the end referencing the Law to "expel the wicked man from among you". Deuteronomy 17:7 instructs that someone worshipping another God, contrary to the requirements of the Law, be more than expelled, but completely eliminated -- stoned to death to "purge the evil" that is among the people. So one could say that Paul's solution to a bad influence is quite softened by grace. His desire is two-fold: that the body of Christ be preserved, and that, perhaps, the one expelled may change his ways and, ultimately, be restored to the congregation.

Our class enjoyed a spirited discussion about boundaries for congregational life. Some questions: are modern congregations too tolerant of behavior that contradicts a group's distinctively Christian values? What is the role of the pastor in the contemporary church in calling congregations to account and responsibility for healthy community? In what contexts would "tolerance" be a Christian virtue; or a compromise to culture and practices that are out of sync with Christianity?

My take -- hey I'm writing the blog -- : ) is to notice ALL of what Paul is saying in the context. Besides expressing dismay about the congregation's tolerance of a man's inappropriate relationship with "his father's wife", he lists "brothers" who are sexually immoral or greedy (interesting to put these in the same breath), idolaters (see Deuteronomy 17 above) or slanderers, drunkards or swindlers, as men who must be excluded from the intimate fellowship of eating together. Worth noting, always, is the patriarchal nature of the culture of the time, and how even the church back then took this for granted -- something most of us in our congregation would challenge, on Christian principle.

I think Paul's perception of the context matters a lot, as it seems to me contradictory to Jesus' own practices of welcoming "sinners" and yes eating with them. He is concerned about the health of the Corinthian church, and their slackness in paying mind to who they are. I believe forming and maintaining a healthy congregation is hard work, and the Corinthians are being, as a friend of mine puts it, "lazy thinkers".

So I conclude that Paul is not being judgmental in a self-righteous way, but rather realistic and evaluative in a way that reminds us that there must be healthy boundaries in community. And I do think that modern churches get lazy, too, and can do better at both: offering grace-based acceptance to everyone, but also keeping high expectations regarding behaviors that affect and influence everyone.

We continue our study of I Corinthians this Sunday, January 30 -- hope to see you all there!

Pastor Dan