DEVOTION
THE 1ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS
NO DUAL CITIZENSHIP
1 Cor 5:1-5
5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,
and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's
wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and
have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not
physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment
on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in
the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our
Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature
may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
NIV
This is a difficult passage to understand in one sense, yet it can be understood in another sense. We think there may have been far more
sexual immorality going on in this early church than just the one particular
situation that is referred to here. There is much debate among the scholars of
old, and we guess that debate continues among today’s scholars. It also seems to
us that scholars enjoy the debate as much as the truth. This situation is
centered on a son having illegal relations with the wife of his father. The
debate is over the situation of the father and his wife. Were they divorced and
it would seem this son was from another woman as Paul does not say he was engaged
immorally with his mother, so most believe this woman was his step-mother.
Others think the husband or father of the son was dead, but Paul makes reference
in his second letter about the wrongdoer and the one who was wronged.
Nevertheless, this behavior was not even tolerated among the non-believers. Why
this happened can only be attributed to the baseness that lurks within the
heart of man. Still, Paul indicates they were proud of this situation as if it
was the right thing to do, that it was acceptable behavior. This putting out of
fellowship was what Paul was saying should have happened. Handing him over to
Satan is not actually what is meant as if Satan was there waiting for him, to
torture and torment this fellow. In reality, there are two kingdoms. The kingdom
of this world and the kingdom of God. We once lived under the rule of the
kingdom of this world. It is under the influence of Satan and lives with no
concern for God. The kingdom of God is under the influence and rule of God. So
then, when someone, as Paul suggests, is removed from fellowship, removed from
the church, excommunicated in this sense, he is sent packing back to the world,
and under the influence of Satan. This might include being subject to all the
illnesses and diseases of the world without the hope of healing that Jesus
offers. Here we might take a lesson. We too have this choice of the two
kingdoms, and it would seem impossible to live in both at the same time. We are
either in one or the other. We either live under the influence of God or of
Satan. Yet, when we yield to temptation are we not yielding, in some sense, to
the influence of Satan? How can that be? This son was certainly doing more than
yielding to temptation, he was living in that temptation, given over to it, fully
engaged, and giving no concern for the instructions of the Lord. When we fall,
when we give in on occasion, we are remorseful and embarrassed because of our
weakness. We seek forgiveness and pray that the Spirit will give us the strength
to overcome any further outbreaks, responses, or mistakes in our behavior or
attitudes. For we have been moved from the kingdom of this world and brought
into the kingdom of God. Our passport is Jesus, and our citizenship in the
world has been revoked for we are not allowed to have dual citizenship.
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