The Hard Work of a Healthy Church

Paul confronts the Corinthian church for tolerating a shocking case of sexual immorality that even pagan culture found repulsive. 1 Corinthians 5 becomes a template for loving, restorative church discipline: persistent, public, unrepentant sin must be addressed for the good of the sinner, the church, Christ’s honor, and the watching world. Drawing on Matthew 18's four-step process, Passover imagery, and numerous New Testament texts, the sermon urges believers to treat sin seriously, pursue repentance, and embrace the protective blessing of biblical community.