Introduction: Just before writing this introduction, I had a wonderful discussion with my granddaughter. She is about to become a teenager, and we spoke about the importance of choosing her close friends carefully. 
Everyone who is reading this has been influenced by friends. Some, because of bad influences during their youth, have had their lives permanently changed. I recall a mother calling me about her son. He had been in a car when his friends decided to bully another young man. Things got out of hand and the victim died. In circumstances like this, friends can get you convicted of murder. Life-altering choices are often made when a person is young. The influence of our friends continues throughout life. Our study this week is about the influence that tolerated sin can exert within a church and about how Christians should resolve conflicts with one another. Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible and see what lessons we can learn for today!
I. Sexual Immorality
A. Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-2. Last week we discussed how sexual sins create division in a church. What related problem does Paul raise here? (Paul writes about a church that not only tolerates sexual sin, it is proud (arrogant) about its tolerance.)
1. Is that a problem today? (Yes, some churches take pride in tolerating what the Bible calls sin.)
2. What is the proper approach to unrepentant sin in the church? (A professing church member who openly and unrepentantly persists in serious sin should be removed from the church’s fellowship.)
3. Let’s discuss this. Today’s argument is that it is better to retain openly unrepentant members in the church because they may be convicted of sin and repent. What do you think about that argument?
B. Read 1 Corinthians 5:5. How does this answer the question about retaining the open sinner in the church to increase his odds of being converted? (Paul says just the opposite. Delivering the man to Satan may save him.)
1. How do you think this delivering to Satan works? (Being tossed out of the church, as opposed to being supported by the church, focuses the person’s attention on the seriousness of the sin. That might cause repentance.)
II. The Church and Sin
A. Read 1 Corinthians 5:6-7. What does this suggest is the problem of tolerating open sin? (Sin, like leaven, will influence others in the church.)
B. Look again at 1 Corinthians 5:1 where Paul says that this sin is “not tolerated even among pagans.” What problem with retaining open sinners does this raise? (Paul is not only concerned about the influence on other church members; he is concerned about the reputation of the church.)
1. Suppose the surrounding culture accepted this kind of conduct. Would cultural approval make it appropriate for the church to retain this man as a member? (No. The church’s standard comes from God’s Word, not from the surrounding culture. The pagans’ disapproval merely made the Corinthians’ tolerance even more damaging to the church’s witness.)
C. Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-11. Does Paul’s advice apply to more than merely sexual sins?
D. Read 1 Corinthians 5:12-13. How many times have you been told regarding sin in the church that we are not “to judge?” What does Paul say about the propriety of us judging fellow members? (Paul says that the church must exercise moral judgment regarding those inside the church, while leaving the judgment of outsiders to God.)
1. Paul calls the person we should judge an “evil person.” Is this important? (I think it is. We should not be tossing struggling sinners out of the church. The focus is on a believer openly and unrepentantly persisting in serious wrongdoing.)
III. A Deep Dive into the Nature of Sexual Immorality
A. Let’s skip ahead and read 1 Corinthians 6:12-14. Why is Paul telling us that food and stomachs will be destroyed?
1. What argument is Paul making against sexual immorality that he is not making about food? (Paul tells us that some decisions are more important than others.)
B. Let’s re-read 1 Corinthians 6:12. Does this remind you of Deuteronomy 4:2? (Deuteronomy tells us to refrain from calling things sinful when they are not. Paul explains that some things, while not sinful, are not helpful.)
1. Does this discussion have anything to do with Paul’s discussion about the stomach? (I think Paul is saying that when it comes to eating we have many choices, some better than others. But when it comes to sexual immorality, wrong choices have serious consequences.)
2. John MacArthur’s commentary says that God forgives all sins, and cites Ephesians 1:7. Someone once told me this in the context of sexual sin and my reaction was that some sin is more serious than others. Do you agree that some sins are more serious than others?
C. Read 1 Corinthians 6:15-18. How does the Bible answer the question about some sins being more serious than others? (These verses state that sexual sins are more serious. Sex sins are “against” our own body, while all other sins are “outside the body.”)
1. What do you think that means?
2. How does Paul explain it? (The person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. Because the believer’s body belongs to Christ, the believer cannot rightly join that body to a prostitute. Sexual intercourse creates a ‘one flesh’ union even when that union violates God’s design for marriage.)
D. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. How many of you have heard someone quote “our body is God’s temple” as an argument about diet? Is that appropriate? (This is an inversion of what Paul writes. He says that food and the stomach are not important compared to sexual choices.)
1. I recall an unfortunate instance in which the church asked me to meet with a prominent member who was involved in adultery. She said to me, “This is none of your business.” Is that true? (Being a member of the church made her actions the “business” of the church. But more importantly, this harms the glory of God contrary to 1 Corinthians 6:20. The church should address such a matter confidentially, humbly, and with restoration as its goal.)
E. Some readers may ask why sexual immorality is unique because it is a sin against the body? After all, our present bodies are mortal and we will get new ones. And how does sexual intercourse join “the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?” Are these your questions? (I think we need to step back and look at the larger picture to understand this.)
F. Read Proverbs 5:15-18. The Bible compares the sex act to sharing water. Can you fit this into our discussion so far, or does this make no sense to you? (Water represents life. When Paul talks about us becoming “one” in sexual intercourse, he reflects the Genesis 2:24 “one flesh” statement and the Genesis 1:26-28 statement about Adam and Eve becoming as life creators. The reason why sex outside marriage is a unique category of sin is that God gave us life. He gave humans the power to create life. When you join that life-giving power to someone who is not your spouse, you have now sinned against your own body and against your special relationship with God and your spouse.)
IV. Conflict Resolution
A. Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-3. What problem is Paul addressing? (Members of the church suing each other in civil courts.)
B. Read 1 Corinthians 6:4-6. Why is suing fellow church members a problem? (It embarrasses the church. It suggests the church has no one wise enough to settle disputes.)
C. Read 1 Corinthians 6:7-8. Are you willing to be defrauded to protect God’s reputation? (My wife had a claim against our church that, if pursued, could not have been controlled by us and could have cost the church millions of dollars. We pursued it internally, and the response was that making things right would cost too much. We decided to “suffer wrong” instead of harming the church.)
D. Friend, when it comes to sex outside of marriage, when it comes to dealing with fellow church members, will you commit to the course that brings glory to God? Why not ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to do what glorifies God?
V. Next week: All to the Glory of God.
Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.
