“When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

Notice in verse 5 the aim in church discipline: ‘so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.’ The local church should discipline its members with a view towards their good. With a view towards their salvation. Paul even goes so far to say in this instance that they are to deliver the sinning man over to Satan himself for the destruction of the flesh. Presumably, he must see the consequences for his sin and what God thinks about it (through the Church), in order to be see clearly and in turn, come to repentance.

Church discipline is not a hot topic today or in any other day. And though we don’t need it to be ‘hot’, we do need it to be normal. For the sake of our good and the glory of God.

And the good of the church community itself is also in view, as Paul makes plain in verse 6-8. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. So if they allow this sinning member to remain in their midst without rebuking and disciplining him, his sin will bring them all down. Their resolve to wage war on sin will naturally wane. So their love for the Lord cannot help but fade.

Notice in verse 7 also that they are to cleanse out the old leaven that they may be a new lump, as they already are. Here is the logic of the New Testament. The church community (and Christian individuals) are to act in line with who they really are in Christ. Through Him we have a new identity. We really are a new community, made us as we are of new individuals. The Lord calls us simply to act in line with reality. Cleanse out the old leaven, because you are a new lump. Be who you really are. Remember Jesus.

And this we are called to do not only in days of discipline, but everyday.