The city of Corinth in biblical times was the leading commercial city in Greece, a town of gross immorality, and the symbol of worldly luxury, kind of a “Los Angeles” of that time. * Paul founded the church at Corinth during an 18-month stay in the city (A.D. 51-52). The Corinth which Paul knew had been founded as a Roman colony during the century before Christ. It was strategically located in the Roman province of Achaia, which was located at the southern tip of Greece, on a narrow strip of land only four to five miles across, with two adjoining ports. Corinth’s location made it a center for trade routes passing from east to west, and the resulting prosperity brought both luxury and immorality. This commercial paradise had a large population, a real mixture of nationalities including Greeks, Latins, Jews, Egyptians, Syrians, and Asiatics. The population and material prosperity made the city a sports minded center. The Isthmian Games, considered the most important athletic events next to the Olympics, were held in the city. Corinth was also morally corrupt. Material prosperity and traveling tradesmen made for a spirit of partying, drunkenness, and all sorts of immoral living. “To live like a Corinthians” meant to live in gross immorality, and many pagan temples located in Corinth encouraged this licentious way of life through temple prostitution. The worship of local residents centered around the great goddess of love, Aphrodite. her temple house 1,000 sacred prostitutes. The sexual immorality that glorified Aphrodite was trying to creep in the church, and it was so bad that a member of the church would have sexual relations with their father’s wife. They were to expel that man from the church because a “little leaven leaveneth the whole lump!” The Corinthians wanted to do their own thing, and he instructed them to obey godly leaders and respect spiritual authority. (1 Cor 3:19-20; 4:4-6) Some other leaven the Corinthians partook in was malice toward Paul, but we can’t allow a little thought of malice enter our thought-life because it will leaven our entire bodies! If we dwell on those things that praise the name of God, then malice cannot enter in! (Phil 4:8-9) **

In 1 Corinthians 5, we read in scripture where the apostle Paul was confronting the church of Corinth concerning some sin that had become known, and it was that of an incest relationship, a son with his mother or step-mother. This sickly fornication was not only known within the church, but also outside of it, cursing the church with a horrible reputation and testimony. We may even have reason to believe that this individual was actually a leader in the church. However, he was not disciplined whatsoever, neither was there any form of repentance, but instead, this son continued in his sin. The church was not mournful, but puffed in pride, believing that they were such spiritual giants in their generation that they were “too big” for sin! They glorified the man in his stature and overlooked the public sins committed! This little leaven could leaven the whole lump of the entire congregation, stopping and dividing a move of God. However, Paul clarifies that this sin must be dealt with because he might not be in there in bodily form, but he was there with them “in spirit.” This brother was to be disciplined in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the church in a special gathering, and delivered to Satan. This was a miraculous occasion where, while this person was excommunicated from the church, he would experience some fleshly sickness, discouragement and even death inflicted by Satan himself. This would either lead this person to repentance or an eternal hell.** When people pray, “Whatever it takes to bring them in,” it is a very similar concept because it gives a gateway for Satan to inflict with pain to the point they either are drawn to repentance or they die lost without God. It sounds very harsh, but sometimes, it takes a wake up call. It is better to discipline an individual, especially a leader, who has fallen into such horrific and shameful sin than to permit every sin to come behind the pulpit and shame the name of Jesus Christ! We must cut the sin out before the sin cuts out the church away from God!

The leaven of the Corinthians still exists in our churches today as gross immorality and perversion continue behind the pulpits of America. When 50% of American marriages will end in divorce, half of which will be among the church, 87% of university students are having sex over webcams, instant messenger or the telephone, 70% of Christians admitted to struggling with porn in their daily lives, 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography, and 33% of clergy admitted to having visited a sexually explicit Web site in a 2000 Christianity Today survey, the church is feasting from the leaven of the Corinthians instead of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.*** We cannot compromise God’s Word with the sins of this world and be afraid to stand against the truth, which means rebelling against fallacy and lies, because this world need some Daniels, Shadrachs, Meschachs, and Abednegos. We must be purged if we want to set our mark in this generation, and we must exchange the leaven of the corinthians for the unleavened bread of holiness, for without holiness no man shall see God!

*Preparing for the Glory:  Living Leaven Free, by Rod Parsley, pp. 84-94, ISBN# 1-880244-84-5

**The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, Volume 2, by Alpha-Omega Ministries, Inc., pp. 675, 676, 752-754, ISBN# 1-57407-072-X

***http://www.blazinggrace.org/cms/bg/pornstats