1 Corinthians 5:2

My Notes

What Does 1 Corinthians 5:2 Mean?

"And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you." The Corinthian church is PROUD — puffed up — while tolerating GROSS SIN in its midst (a man sleeping with his father's wife, verse 1). The appropriate response should have been MOURNING. Instead: PRIDE. The church that should be GRIEVING the scandal is INFLATED about... something. The puffing-up and the sin-tolerance coexist in the same community. The arrogance accompanies the immorality.

The phrase "ye are puffed up" (kai hymeis pephysiōmenoi este — and YOU are inflated/puffed) is Paul's STUNNED accusation: the emphasis is on YOU — how can YOU be proud while THIS is happening? The pride isn't just inappropriate. It's BEWILDERING. The community that should be face-down in grief is chest-out in pride. The inflation is happening in the SAME room as the scandal.

The "have not rather mourned" (kai ouchi mallon epenthēsate — and did you not rather grieve/mourn?) prescribes the CORRECT response: MOURNING. The community should be in GRIEF — not over being caught but over the SIN itself. The mourning is what should have PRECEDED the action (removing the offender, verse 2b). The grief is the prerequisite for the discipline. Without the mourning, the discipline is cold administration. With the mourning, the discipline is heartbroken necessity.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What sin is your community tolerating with pride instead of mourning?
• 2.What does puffing-up in the PRESENCE of scandal teach about misplaced pride?
• 3.How does mourning being the prerequisite for discipline prevent cold, heartless correction?
• 4.What action should your grief about a specific situation PRODUCE?

Devotional

You are PUFFED UP — while tolerating a man sleeping with his father's wife. You should be MOURNING. Instead you're PROUD. The arrogance and the immorality coexist in the same room. The inflation accompanies the scandal. How can you be proud while THIS is in your midst?

The 'ye are puffed up' — with the emphatic YOU — is Paul's DISBELIEF: the puffing-up isn't just wrong. It's INCOMPREHENSIBLE. How can a church be PROUD while harboring the kind of sin that even PAGANS don't practice (verse 1)? The inflation in the presence of the scandal is the DOUBLE failure: the sin itself AND the response to the sin. The sin is bad. The pride-response to the sin is worse.

The 'have not rather mourned' prescribes GRIEF as the appropriate response: not cold discipline. Not administrative removal. MOURNING. The community should be in GRIEF about what happened — not secretly celebrating, not proudly tolerating, not indifferently continuing. The mourning is the FIRST response. The discipline (removal, verse 2b) follows the mourning. The grief is the foundation for the action. Without grief, the action is heartless. Without action, the grief is useless.

The 'that he that hath done this deed might be taken away' makes the mourning PURPOSEFUL: the grief should have PRODUCED action — the removal of the offending member. The mourning isn't passive wallowing. It's grief that leads to CORRECTION. The community mourns AND acts. The sorrow produces the discipline. The grief generates the taking-away.

What sin is your community tolerating with pride instead of mourning — and what action should the mourning produce?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture