1 Corinthians 5:1
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
1 Corinthians 5:1
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
Chapter Context
1 Corinthians 5 is a pastoral epistle chapter in the New Testament that explores themes of prayer, judgment, obedience. Written during Paul's third missionary journey (c. 55 CE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: The church existed in a prosperous, cosmopolitan, morally permissive Roman colony.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-13: Central message and teachings
This chapter is significant because it establishes important theological principles that resonate throughout Scripture. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within 1 Corinthians and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
1 Corinthians 5:1
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
Analysis
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you (ἀκούεται πορνεία ἐν ὑμῖν)—the Greek porneia (πορνεία) encompasses all sexual immorality, but here refers to incest. Such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles—even pagan Corinth, notorious for sexual licentiousness, condemned this sin. Roman law explicitly prohibited marriage to one's stepmother (Gaius, Institutes 1.63). The phrase that one should have his father's wife describes a man living with his stepmother, likely after his father's death.
Paul's shock is palpable—sexual immorality existed in the church that pagans rejected. The Corinthians' inflated spirituality (phusioo, "puffed up") had produced moral blindness. Their tolerance wasn't grace but compromise. The case was public knowledge ("reported commonly"), demanding immediate action. This verse introduces the chapter's theme: the church's responsibility to maintain purity through discipline, not to punish but to protect the body and restore the sinner.
Historical Context
Corinth was a Roman colony rebuilt by Julius Caesar in 44 BC, notorious for sexual immorality associated with Aphrodite's temple. While the extent of temple prostitution is debated, sexual ethics were lax—concubinage, prostitution, and divorce were commonplace. Into this context, Paul planted a church calling believers to radical sexual purity as temples of the Holy Spirit (6:19).
Reflection
- When does tolerance of sin become complicity? How do you balance grace with the call to holiness?
- What 'reported commonly' sins might exist in your church that require loving confrontation?
- How does understanding your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit shape your view of sexual ethics?
Cross-References
- Parallel theme: 1 Corinthians 5:11, Leviticus 18:8, Jeremiah 2:33, Acts 15:20, 15:29, Galatians 5:19