Daily Dose of Hope

January 29, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 5

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently journeying through Paul's letters. Right now, we are working our way through I Corinthians.

A significant problem in the church of Corinth was both sexual immorality and sexual deviancy, which simply underscored their shallow discipleship. Corinth was a port town that was home to the Temple of Aphrodite, a pagan temple with many, many prostitutes. Sexual immorality was rampant and almost a way of life in the city. To say that Corinth was a very sexualized society would be a massive understatement. It's estimated that one in every thirty people were prostitutes. You really see this when you visit there. It touches every area of their culture. So, it isn't surprising that the church was dealing with it. What the culture deals with seeps into the church and the church is tasked with figuring out how to deal with it based on God's truth. The apostle Paul was trying to develop a holy church, based on commitment to Jesus rather than the pagan gods and ways of being. We see the struggles over these first few chapters.

In chapter five, today's reading, Paul addresses a case of incest in the church, specifically a man sleeping with his father's wife (presumably his stepmother). While this might have been acceptable in Corinthian society, it is absolutely deplorable among God's people. This kind of behavior was forbidden in the Torah and that translated into the church. The people of Jesus were also supposed to seek holiness and sexual morality was part of that. They are the body of Christ.

The issue isn't just the incest – yes, that is really bad – but it's that there are no boundaries whatsoever for sexual behavior. And they are bringing those values, or lack thereof, into the church. God's people have to call sin what it is and recognize it as a problem. So, there was that. Paul is appalled - why does this not bother them? Their arrogance is hard to take.

Let's be real. This is just as much as issue in today's church as it was 2000 years ago in Corinth. Why don't we behave like the body of Christ, holy and blameless? We tolerate all kinds of stuff! Do we demonstrate the same kind of arrogance and complacence? Certainly something to think about.

I do want to at least touch on what Paul says at the very end of the chapter, verses 12-13, What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you." Basically, Christians are not called to judge those outside the church. If someone is not a Christ-follower, then we can't hold them to the same standards. They don't know any better really. But, those inside the church have to be held accountable. Paul is holding the Corinthians responsible for not dealing with the man having sex with his stepmother. That kind of sinfulness has no place in Jesus' church.

Now, if someone committed a sin and then was repentant, that would be a different story. Afterall, Jesus gives us all second chances and third chances and fourth chances. If someone is serious about forgiveness and wants to change, then the church welcomes them. If they are arrogant and refusing to change, that's when church accountability has to occur.

We struggle with this. Accountability in general is something we struggle with in our culture. What if this same situation were to happen at New Hope? It would be uncomfortable and awkward but I couldn't, as the pastor, allow this man to sit in the pew with his arm draped around his stepmom for all to see.

What other situations might also require a response?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki