"Can't Just Keep Your Head Down"

Chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians is a difficult and uncomfortable text for the church to wrestle with in our day but one that needs to be studied and heeded. In it Paul confronts what is, at best, a lax attitude towards sin within the church. He calls the Corinthians to respond decisively to their situation with the goal of redemption for the man living defiantly in sin but also for the purpose of protecting the church as a whole. The church in Corinth was the temple of God in Corinth and as such, was to reflect the character of God in that place. That call remains the same for each local faith community today. Through Christ's gracious, redemptive work we have been formed into the temple of God. As such, in light of the gospel, there are implications for how we live, individually and corporately.