哥林多前书第5章：神责备淫乱的罪

 
GK611晨祷生命读经
12/08/2025
主讲: 陈炎明牧师


前言：哥林多教会的几个特点（弥补第一章时当先交代的背景）

1.⁠ ⁠希腊文化的二元思想影响
哥林多是典型的希腊城市，当地盛行“灵魂与身体分离”的观念，有人纵容身体放纵情欲，也有人忽视身体需要，强调禁欲主义。这种思想误导信徒，使他们在性道德与属灵生活上出现偏差。

2.⁠ ⁠身体的属灵意义被忽视
在这样的文化背景下，保罗强调信徒的身体同样是属灵生命的一部分，是圣灵的殿，不可与污秽连合。哥林多信徒对这一点的误解，是导致淫乱等问题的重要原因。

3.⁠ ⁠教会内部的分裂与派系
哥林多教会存在严重的分裂现象，信徒倾向跟随不同的领袖，形成各自的派系。这种派别之争削弱了教会的合一和见证，反映出属灵不成熟。

4.⁠ ⁠保罗书信的回应与价值
正是因为哥林多教会的问题频发，保罗才写下《哥林多前后书》，其中包含了婚姻、独身、属灵恩赐、复活以及爱的深刻教导。这些问题反而促成了宝贵的属灵教训。

一、圣徒也面对淫乱的问题（林前5:1-5）

哥林多教会当中不仅存在严重的淫乱行为，其中甚至有一位信徒与其继母发生性关系，而这在当时连非信徒都觉得无法容忍。这种“连外邦人中也没有”的行为，既令人震惊，也说明问题的严重性。 
可当时不仅教会没有就此事哀痛，领袖也未能施行必要的纪律处分。保罗用了“并不哀痛”来批评教会对此事件的冷漠；这样纵容罪恶使整个群体受影响。

“交给撒但”并不是“送去下地狱”，而是从神国度的保护中移出，交回到撒但掌权的世界领域。这也意味着在教会中，信徒享有属灵的遮盖、代祷、劝勉，这是一种属灵的保护。被开除会籍就是剥夺这种保护，使其暴露在撒但攻击下。这样做的目的，不是为了毁灭他，而是让他在痛苦中醒悟、悔改。

二、教会当脱离罪酵的影响（林前5:6-8）

哥林多教会在受希腊思想影响下，往往把身体与灵魂分开。这是错误的基督教看法，容易使人陷入不把罪看为罪。保罗提醒教会：“岂不知与娼妓联合的，便是与她成为一体吗…你们的身子不是与基督有份的吗？”（林前6:16）同时他强调：身体是圣灵的殿，信徒应当以敬虔与清洁看待自己的身体，淫乱也就是把基督与娼妓连接起来——这是极其严重的属灵问题。

教会应当对罪恶采取严肃的态度，包括将故意犯罪并未悔改的人从会中排除，借此保全教会的圣洁与见证。教会今天并没有如此执行，无非就是想给罪人悔改的机会，否则自己也无法蒙福哦！

三、教会当有审判罪恶之心（林前5:9-13）

教会要对罪有更敏感的认知，罪行会严重影响教会的复兴。淫乱问题不仅是个人偏差，更反映教会整体的失职。身体与灵性是合一的，我们不赞同将身体视为次要存在，身体也应有属灵与敬虔的态度。教会若忽视罪恶、不及时纠正，便会因小失大，失去属灵的力量。

因此，教会当有审判罪恶，执行“管教”的权柄。这是基督的教会当有的准则不是吗？

总结：留心属主或是属撒旦？

今天的经文很严厉的提醒我们，到底我们是属主逃避犯罪？还是属撒旦而无知的活在罪中呢？求圣灵以真理光照我们。自己悔改，也为教会守望！


    

1 Corinthians 5: God Rebukes the Sin of Sexual Immorality
GK611 Morning Devotion
12/08/2025
The Morning Devotion Speaker: Rev David Tan 

Introduction: Several Characteristics of the Corinthian Church (Background Information that should have been explained in chapter 1) 

1.The Influence of Greek Dualistic Thinking
Corinth was a typical Greek city where the notion of ‘the separation of soul and body’ was prevalent. Some indulged in physical desires, while others neglected physical needs and emphasised asceticism. This mindset misled believers, causing them to deviate from proper sexual morality and spiritual life.

2. The spiritual significance of the body was overlooked
In this cultural context, Paul emphasised that believers’ bodies are also part of their spiritual life, serving as temples of the Holy Spirit, and should not be united with impurity. The Corinthian believers’ misunderstanding of this point was a key factor leading to issues like sexual immorality.

3.⁠ ⁠Division and factions within the church
The Corinthian church was severely divided, with believers tending to follow different leaders and form their own factions. This factional strife weakened the unity and witness of the church, reflecting spiritual immaturity.

4.⁠ ⁠Paul’s response and the value of his letters
It was precisely because of the frequent problems in the Corinthian church that Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians, which contain profound teachings on marriage, celibacy, spiritual gifts, resurrection, and love. These problems actually led to valuable spiritual lessons.

I. Even Saints Face the Problem of Sexual Immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1-5) 

The Corinthian church not only had serious issues with sexual immorality, but one believer even had a sexual relationship with his stepmother, which was considered intolerable even by non-believers at the time. This behaviour, which was ‘not even found among pagans,’ was shocking and highlighted the severity of the issue. 

However, not only did the church fail to mourn over this matter, but the leaders also failed to impose the necessary disciplinary action. Paul criticised the church's indifference to the incident by saying, ‘They did not mourn’; such tolerance of sin affected the entire community.

‘Handing over to satan’ does not mean ‘sending to hell,’ but rather removing someone from the protection of God's kingdom and returning them to the realm under satan's authority. This also means that within the church, believers enjoy spiritual covering, intercession, and exhortation, which constitute spiritual protection. Expulsion from the church deprives one of this protection, exposing them to satan's attacks. The purpose of this is not to destroy them but to awaken them to repentance through suffering.  

II. The Church Must Remove the Leaven of Sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)  

The Corinthian church, influenced by Greek thought, often separated the body from the soul. This is an erroneous Christian view that easily leads people to not regard sin as sin. Paul reminded the church: “Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her…? Your body is not a member of Christ” (1 Corinthians 6:16). He also emphasised that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and believers should regard their bodies with reverence and purity. Fornication is connecting Christ with a prostitute—this is an extremely serious spiritual issue.

The church should take a serious attitude toward sin, including excluding those who deliberately sin and do not repent from the congregation, thereby preserving the church's holiness and testimony. Many churches today no longer practice this, often out of a desire to give sinners more time to repent — but without holiness, the church itself cannot receive God’s blessing.

III. The Church Must Have A Heart to Judge Sin (1 Corinthians 5:9-13) 

The church must be more sensitive to sin, as sinful acts severely hinder the revival of the church. The issue of immorality is not merely a personal deviation but reflects the church’s collective failure. The body and the spirit are united; we do not agree that the body should be regarded as secondary. The body should also have a spiritual and reverent attitude. If the church ignores sin and fails to correct it promptly, it will lose spiritual strength due to forfeiting much for the sake of little.

Therefore, the church must exercise the authority to judge sin and enforce ‘discipline.’ Is this not the standard that Christ's church should uphold?

Conclusion: Are we belonging to the Lord or to satan? 

Today's Scripture sternly reminds us: Are we belonging to the Lord and avoiding sin? Or are we belonging to Satan and living in sin without awareness? May the Holy Spirit shine the light of truth into our hearts, leading us to repentance and to watch and pray for the church!