1 Corinthians 5:1

Recently the discussions on Christian blogs and on Christian News sites have been flooded with discussions and reports about homosexuality and the Church, some good and some not so good. Some use Scripture while some are using natural human reasoning. In all of this I have not read one citation of what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5 concerning sexual immorality and how the church should respond. I am sure someone in the body of Christ has addressed it but I have not seen it. In 1 Corinthians 5 and in comparative passages of the gospels we have a step by step Biblical process of dealing with all forms of sexuality immorality including homosexuality and other grievous offences that Scripture demands the church must deal with if they want to remain a spiritually healthy body. In our ignorant contemporary church culture one of the prominent worst sins we can commit is "judging" people to the point that when grievous offences are brought to light, ignorant Christians will say, “Jesus said, we’re not supposed to judge!’ . But what does the Bible say? Yes, Jesus came down hard on believers who see "specs" in their fellow believer's eyes, but do not see the railroad blank in their own eyes. Scripture though is very clear that there is a big difference between nit picking specs in fellow believers and grievous sins in the local community of believers. 1 Corinthians 5 gives us some the Biblical guidelines.   

1 Corinthians 5:1

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

a. NLT: I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved

b. NIV: It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. YLT: Whoredom is actually heard of among you, and such whoredom as is not even named among the nations -- as that one hath the wife of the father! -- [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible Classic:  It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, impurity of a sort that is condemned and does not occur even among the heathen; for a man has [his own] father’s wife. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Worrell Translation: Actually there is reported among you fornication, and such fornication as exists not even among the gentiles, that one of you should have his father’s wife. [Copyright 1904 by A.S. Worrell. Copyright assigned to the Assemblies of God, Springfield, MO. This edition was published 1980 by the Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, MO 65802. Printed in the U.S.A.]

f. Wuest Translation: There is actually fornication reported to be among you, and this fornication of such a nature that it does not exist even among the Gentiles, that a certain person is possessing the wife of his father. [The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest. ©️ Copyright Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1961. All rights reserved.]

1. “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you…”

a. It is reported [Strong: akouo ak-oo'-o a primary verb; to hear (in various senses):--give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), (shall) hear(-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.]

b. commonly [Strong: 3654. holos hol'-oce adverb from 3650; completely, i.e. altogether; (by analogy), everywhere; (negatively) not by any means:--at all, commonly, utterly.]

1). This sin was common knowledge within the church. Everybody knew it.

c. [that there is] fornication [Strong: 4202. porneia por-ni'-ah from 4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry:--fornication.]

d. among [Strong: 1722. en en a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

e. you [Strong: 5213. humin hoo-min' irregular dative case of 5210; to (with or by) you:--ye, you, your(-selves).]

2. “…and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.”

a. and [Strong: 2532. kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

b. such [Strong: 5108. toioutos toy-oo'-tos (including the other inflections); from 5104 and 3778; truly this, i.e. of this sort (to denote character or individuality):--like, such (an one).]

c. fornication [Strong: 4202. porneia por-ni'-ah from 4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry:--fornication.]

d. as [Strong: 3748. hostis hos'-tis, including the feminine hetis hay'-tis, and the neuter ho,ti hot'-ee from 3739 and 5100; which some, i.e. any that; also (definite) which same:--X and (they), (such) as, (they) that, in that they, what(-soever), whereas ye, (they) which, who(-soever).]

e. is…named [Strong: 3687. onomazo on-om-ad'-zo from 3686; to name, i.e. assign an appellation; by extension, to utter, mention, profess:--call, name.]

f. not so much [Strong: 3761. oude oo-deh' from 3756 and 1161; not however, i.e. neither, nor, not even:--neither (indeed), never, no (more, nor, not), nor (yet), (also, even, then) not (even, so much as), + nothing, so much as.]

g. among [Strong: 1722. en en a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519 and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, + almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly, one, X quickly, X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

h. the [Strong: 3588. [tois] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tois] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai.]

i. Gentiles [Strong: 1484. ethnos eth'-nos probably from 1486; a race (as of the same habit), i.e. a tribe; specially, a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually, by implication, pagan):--Gentile, heathen, nation, people.]

i. that [Strong: 5620. hoste hoce'-teh from 5613 and 5037; so too, i.e. thus therefore (in various relations of consecution, as follow):--(insomuch) as, so that (then), (insomuch) that, therefore, to, wherefore.]

j. one [Strong: 5100. tis tis an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).]

k. should have [Strong: 2192. echo ekh'-o, including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; (used in certain tenses only) a primary verb; to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possession; ability, contiuity, relation, or condition):--be (able, X hold, possessed with), accompany, + begin to amend, can(+ -not), X conceive, count, diseased, do + eat, + enjoy, + fear, following, have, hold, keep, + lack, + go to law, lie, + must needs, + of necessity, + need, next, + recover, + reign, + rest, + return, X sick, take for, + tremble, + uncircumcised, use.]

l. [Strong: 3588. [tou] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tou] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai.]

m. [his] father’s [Strong:  3962. pater pat-ayr' apparently a primary word; a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote):--father, parent.]

n. wife [Strong: 1135. gune goo-nay' probably from the base of 1096; a woman; specially, a wife:--wife, woman.]

1). Under the Old Covenant this sin would have demanded the death penalty for both the man and the woman. 

a). Leviticus 20:11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 

2). Here we will see some of the stark differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. There was an incident in Genesis where this also happened when Rueben slept with one of one of the mothers of his half brothers.

a). Genesis 35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

 3). This was of course before the Law was given and Rueben was not put to death, but he and his descendant’s did reap the fruit. Rueben and the whole believe, the tribe as a whole would not excel.

a). Genesis 35:21, 22 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

b). Genesis 49:1-4 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiled thou it: he went up to my couch.