The man who had "his father's wife" -- a terrible sin -- didn't lose his salvation thereby....Read: Four Points Proving The Sexually Immoral Man In 1 Cor 5 Was Unsaved
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Cor 5:5)
1 Cor. 5:1 refers to an unnamed man who was committing sexual sin which even pagans didn't commit. The darkened eternal security teachers of our day want us to believe he was a Christian! Imagine that. Again, the Calvinists want us to think the man committing worse sexual sin than even pagans were, was a Christian bound for heaven!
Verse 5 shows that same sexually immoral man was WITHOUT salvation. How can we be sure of this? There are several reasons:
1. The text actually reads that the Corinthian Christians needed to do something regarding him (kick him out of the congregation -- v. 13 -- and hand him over to Satan -- v. 5 -- so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus). He, therefore, was not in a saved condition at that moment.
2. "May be saved" does NOT mean "is saved now." Remember that. Paul used the same phrase several chapters later and it is clear at that point as well what the meaning is. This is what he wrote in 1 Cor. 10:33:
Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
QUESTION: Did Paul go into virgin territory to preach the gospel there because people were already saved or so that his preaching the gospel there could possibly bring about salvations? Of course the latter is the answer. That is how we need to understand v. 5. That man was sexually immoral and like ALL sexually immoral people he was on the road to HELL, which is antithetical to what the eternal security teachers want us to think!
3. 1 Cor. 5:13 is also crystal clear regarding that man's spiritual identity. It reads:
God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
Paul clearly stated he was "wicked," and not a righteous person. That same Greek word translated wicked there is also found in Mt. 13:49. Verse 50 shows the destiny of the wicked. We read:
This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked
from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
4. Besides all of that, all people who commit the same sin as that unnamed man of 5:1 are referred to in the following passage as fornicators and will be excluded from God's kingdom:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11, NASB)
That is also clear and it shows the man of 1 Cor. 5:5 was UNSAVED -- not saved. Those 4 points reveal the truth about the key passage of 1 Cor. 5:5, but there is something else that needs to be mentioned. The mere fact that the eternal security people cite 1 Cor. 5:5 as support of their doctrine, reveals what kind of message they are promoting. They want us all to believe one can be just as vile as the 1 Cor. 5 man was and still have salvation. Imagine that! That is their version of grace and also connected to their false gospel. In contrast to their message, the real grace teacher (Paul) wanted Christians to know this:
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person -- such a man is an idolater -- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. (Eph 5:5-7)
The spiritual loss because of sexual sin is MUCH WORSE than just forfeiting rewards as the Calvinists want us to think. Remember that. Jesus said, Blessed are the pure in heart they will see God (Mt. 5:8). Sin can make a pure person impure and bring a righteous man to his spiritual death as happened with the unnamed man of 1 Cor. 5:5.
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