We want you to meet with God and be transformed by the Word this Sunday.

Last week, we looked at the regular, relational, and preventative steps of discipline that Jesus gives in Matthew 18. These are the everyday conversations between believers that correct our path and keep us from wandering. This week, we’re looking at the final step—the most serious form of correction.

In 1 Corinthians 5:1–8, Paul confronts a case of open, unrepentant sin that the church had ignored. Even unbelievers recognized how twisted it was, yet the Corinthian church tolerated it. Instead of grieving, they were arrogant. Paul shows them, and us, that this kind of sin cannot be left alone. It harms the person, and it brings impurity into the church.

Paul commands them to remove the man from the fellowship of the church. This action sounds harsh, but the goal is not destruction—it is reformation. It is allowing someone to experience the consequences of his sin so that he might turn back before it is too late. It also protects the church from the corrupting influence of tolerated sin.

This passage helps us understand what the final step of discipline is, why it is sometimes necessary, and how it fits within God’s good design for his people. Discipline is about correction, instruction, and love that refuses to ignore what will destroy a person or a church.

~ Pastor Michael