And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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1 Corinthians 5:2
What does 1 Corinthians 5:2 mean?
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1 Corinthians 5:2
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The shock here is that Paul doesn't call for immediate punishment, but for deep sorrow within the church. This arrogance he addresses isn't about their spiritual gifts, but a misplaced pride that blinds them to the devastating impact of sin on their community and on the one living in sin. They should have been grieving the loss, not celebrating their self-proclaimed spiritual maturity.
And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing a deeply disturbing situation in the Corinthian church where a man is openly living in a sexual relationship with his father's wife, a relationship that even pagan society considered scandalous. Instead of confronting this sin with the seriousness it deserved, the Corinthians were actually boasting about their spiritual maturity. Paul's letter is pushing them to face the reality of this unrepentant sin within their community and to take drastic action.
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is raw and real. He’s addressing a church that’s facing a crisis, and his response is anything but gentle. He calls out their pride in the face of serious sin.
A Community in Denial
Paul opens this letter by addressing serious issues within the Corinthian church. One of the most shocking is the presence of sexual immorality, specifically a man living with his father's wife (1 Corinthians 5:1). Instead of confronting this sin, the church is arrogant about it. This isn't a minor disagreement; it's a deep spiritual sickness.
Pride Instead of Grief
Paul contrasts their pride with the appropriate response: mourning. Mourning signifies deep sorrow, grief, and repentance over sin—both personal and communal. Their arrogance shows a dangerous disconnect from God's heart. It suggests they’ve become desensitized to sin or perhaps even normalized it. This pride is a spiritual disease, making them blind to the damage being done.
Paul doesn't just point out the problem; he prescribes the solution. This verse is a foundational call for the church to act decisively when sin threatens its purity and witness.
Removing the Unrepentant
The second part of the verse gives a clear directive: "Let him who has done this be removed from among you." This is the New Testament principle of church discipline. It’s not about ostracizing people out of spite, but about protecting the community and calling the sinner to repentance.
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Protecting the Body
Paul views the church as a body, and like any body, it can be infected. Allowing unrepentant sin to fester risks spiritual contagion. Removing the individual, in this context, is an act of love—love for the purity of the church, love for the lost who are watching, and ultimately, love for the sinner themselves, hoping the consequence leads them back to Christ.
Understand the original words
physioō · Greek Adjective/Participle
Having an inflated sense of self-importance or pride; in a biblical context, it refers to a lack of spiritual humility and a failure to recognize one's need for God's grace and discipline.
penthēō · Greek Verb
To express deep sorrow, grief, or repentance, often in response to sin. In this context, it signifies a healthy godly sorrow that recognizes the gravity of sin within the church community.
The Corinthian church was grappling with severe moral decay and theological confusion, making Paul's sharp correction in this letter a vital, though difficult, part of establishing Christian community.
c. AD 50
Paul Founds Corinthian Church
The Apostle Paul establishes a church in the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Corinth, a major Roman hub known for its wealth and vice.
c. AD 53-55— this verse
Paul Writes First Letter to Corinthians
During his missionary journeys, Paul writes this letter to address deep divisions, doctrinal errors, and behavioral issues within the Corinthian church.
c. AD 55
Paul's Second Letter to Corinthians
Later, Paul writes another letter, likely a more severe one (now lost), to address continued issues and the church's response to his discipline.
Jesus outlines a process for addressing sin within the community, emphasizing restoration and accountability, which contrasts with the Corinthians' passive arrogance.
1 Corinthians 11:29-30Paul warns about the serious consequences of unexamined sin and unworthy participation in the Lord's Supper, highlighting the spiritual danger of tolerating wrongdoing.
Galatians 5:9This verse uses the metaphor of leaven to describe how a little bit of sin can corrupt the whole community, underscoring the urgency of dealing with the impurity mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:2.
Ephesians 5:3-6Paul directly calls out sexual immorality and greed as unfit for believers, linking such actions to darkness and warning against fellowship with them, which echoes the call to remove the unrepentant sinner.
The shock here is that Paul doesn't call for immediate punishment, but for deep sorrow within the church. This arrogance he addresses isn't about their spiritual gifts, but a misplaced pride that blinds them to the devastating impact of sin on their community and on the one living in sin. They should have been grieving the loss, not celebrating their self-proclaimed spiritual maturity.
Paul is addressing a deeply disturbing situation in the Corinthian church where a man is openly living in a sexual relationship with his father's wife, a relationship that even pagan society considered scandalous. Instead of confronting this sin with the seriousness it deserved, the Corinthians were actually boasting about their spiritual maturity. Paul's letter is pushing them to face the reality of this unrepentant sin within their community and to take drastic action.
Paul is addressing a deeply disturbing situation in the Corinthian church where a man is openly living in a sexual relationship with his father's wife, a relationship that even pagan society considered scandalous. Instead of confronting this sin with the seriousness it deserved, the Corinthians were actually boasting about their spiritual maturity. Paul's letter is pushing them to face the reality of this unrepentant sin within their community and to take drastic action.
"And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you." — The shock here is that Paul doesn't call for immediate punishment, but for deep sorrow within the church. This arrogance he addresses isn't about their spiritual gifts, but a misplaced pride that bli…
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Last reviewed October 2026