1 Corinthians 5:5

to deliver such. one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

'deliver' -3860. paradidomi par-ad-id'-o-mee; from 3844 and 1325; to surrender, i.e yield up, intrust, transmit: -betray, bring forth, cast, commit, deliver (up), give (over, up), hazard, put in prison, recommend.

'unto Satan' -'What. terrifying phrase is that..the man was already in Satan's possession. Withdrawal is simply the formal declaration by the visible community of what has already taken place in the invisible realm..withdrawal suggests our stepping back and leavingt the man alone.' [Note:. McGuiggan p. 62]

'More likely, the language means to turn him back into Satan's sphere.' (Fee p. 209)

Withdrawal is the acceptance of the "reality" of the case. This man because of his selfishness, belongs to Satan's kingdom, and not God's. Act like it. Treat him as such.

'for the destruction of the flesh' -'that what is sensual in him may be destroyed' (TCNT).

Points to Note:

1. Many commentators take this phrase to refer to some physical sickness or disease that Satan is allowed to inflict upon the withdrawn from. Even to the point of physical death. Job, Ananias and Sapphira and Paul's thorn in the flesh are all cited as examples. But neither Job nor Paul were being withdrawn from. And 'that the spirit may be saved', wasn't the end result of the punishment visited upon Ananias and Sapphira, not to mention God brought that judgement, not Satan.

2. Some of the "once saved always saved" school of thinking, believe that this passage is teaching that if. child of God is going to go into sin, God will cause that person to be killed before they have. chance to forfeit their salvation. Problems: (1) How does. persons own death "save their spirit"? Or, does one's own blood also atone for one's own sins?. thought only the blood of Christ could atone for sins (John 1:29). (2) The man in this chapter doesn't fit the above scenario. For he "hath" his father's wife (he's past the stage of merely thinking about it), this man is already "lost". (3) The only path to salvation that. find in the bible, runs directly through repentance. (2 Peter 3:9; Romans 2:4; Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9) (3) Such would also teach that God saves some people "against their will".

'It is especially difficult to see how an expected result of death can be understood as remedial.' (Fee p. 210)

'The further instruction in verse 11, that they are not to associate with this man, not even to eat with him, implies that no immediate death is in purview.' (Fee p. 212)

In addition, the man wasn't killed, for he repented (2 Corinthians 2:5).

3. "Flesh" here must mean something different from the body. For sin doesn't originate in the body, but in the heart. (Mark 7:20)

'may' -the "destruction of the flesh" and the "spirit being saved", are hoped for results. This is. key word to understanding the whole verse. Withdrawal can take place and neither result happen. Since the "spirit being saved" depends upon the attitude of the sinner, therefore, the "destruction of the flesh", must be something that the sinner being withdrawn from must allow to happen in their life.

. think Barclay has. good grasp of this verse, 'it was to humiliate the man, to bring about the taming and the eradication of his lusts so that in the end his spirit should be saved. It was to bring him to his senses, to make him see the enormity of the thing that he had done.' (p. 50)

'The hope is that he will feel the loneliness of isolation, recognize the heinousness of his wrong, repent and return.' (McGuiggan p. 63)

Right now, the man in this chapter has. problem. His "lust" for his father's wife. Withdrawal "tests". persons love for. certain sin or lifestyle. Do you love it to the point that you would give up your brethren for it? Their association and encouragement? Withdrawal visibly reminds the sinner, "this sin is costing you your soul"! An eternity in hell is the price you are paying for this pleasure. How appealing does it look now? The hope is that such. withdrawal by the whole congregation will "force" the man to seriously evaluate the "price" he is paying for his pleasure. Many Christians, turned from the world in the first place, when they finally realized the "high price" of sin (Romans 6:23). Sin can lose it's attractiveness when it really starts to demand sacrifices of us-i.e. our health, family, children, spouses, etc...Fornication loses it's attractiveness when you catch. sexually transmitted disease, drugs and alcohol lose their appeal when they're about to cost you your family or job. But sadly, not for everyone. You must allow such to happen.

I think Fee has some good thoughts, when he says, 'was the destruction of what was "carnal" in him.."Flesh" means the whole person as oriented away from God. The "destruction"..(of the flesh)..would thus belong to the same kind of imagery as in "crucifying" it (Galatians 5:24; Romans 7:5)' (p. 212)

Before we move on, Fee in his commentary gives us an insight to the frustration that the denominational world has with the application of these verses:

'In. day when the church tolerates every kind of sin ("because we who are sinners must not be judgmental"), the need for discipline..is perhaps greater than ever....Finally, the great problem with such discipline in most Christian communities in the Western world is that one can simply go down the street to another church. Not only does that say something about the fragmented condition of the church at large, but it also says something about those who would quickly welcome one who is under discipline in another community..' p. 214