Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for ^wa man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are ^xarrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? ^yLet him who has done this be removed from among you.

3 For though ^zabsent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are ^aassembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to ^bdeliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.¹

6 ^cYour boasting is not good. Do you not know that ^da little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, ^eour Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore ^fcelebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, ^gthe leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral ^hof this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to ⁱgo out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of ^jsexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? ^kIs it not those inside the church² whom you are to judge? 13 God judges³ those outside. ^l“Purge the evil person from among you.”

Flee Sexual Immorality

12 ^v“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 ^w“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And ^xGod raised the Lord and will also ^yraise us up ^zby his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are ^amembers of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined¹ to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ^b“The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes ^cone spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin² a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that ^dyour body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? ^eYou are not your own, 20 for you were ^fbought with a price. So ^gglorify God in your body.