The Grands Letter (1 Cor/GLJ)

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 5:9-13, “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.”

If you are a pastor reading this Grands Letter, you know how difficult it is to pastor a church. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to pastor a church from a considerable distance?

Robert Lee, author of The Outlined Bible, is careful to note how the Apostle Paul had to care for received notice of a non-spiritual outbreak that drew his attention back to the church from which he had just departed. Nor was transportation convenient in those days. He was often forced to write letters—letters that took a long time for delivery, as they were carried via ships.

“The clue to the message and understanding of this epistle is the mental, moral, and spiritual condition of the Corinthians… The members of the Corinthian Church were chiefly drawn from the lower classes (1 Cor 1:26), and they were not free from the peculiar tendency of the Greeks to intellectual pride. Corinth was the rival of Athens. The Greeks were proud of their language, literature, learning, and logic. Paul prepared this epistle to meet the Greek mind, and he commences by renouncing what is called “human wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:17).

The Corinthian Church suffered from various church disorders (1:10-4:21), as well as numerous social irregularities, such as modesty in dress and disorder at the LORD’s Table (5:1-6:8). May we all be careful to study and learn and obey all that Paul has written.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

Gene

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom