1 Cor 5:1-5 (NIV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
NOTE: The Corinthian church lived in a pagan, wealthy, and highly sexual environment. Possibly, Paul is not surprised that some would struggle with immorality, but he is amazed that it would be sexual immorality which doesn't even happen among pagans. The fact that they are proud suggests that some of the teaching has to do with what is acceptable sexual mores. This is clearly against Paul's teaching and seems to reinforce the view that the leaders were preaching a message that "made people happy." The message was that "God wants you to be happy," and here is a perfect case where "we are free to do what our hearts lead us to do." This sounds much like the health and wealth gospel, as some of the discussion in chapter 4 leads one to believe. Rather than saying this good, their attitude should have been to condemn the activity, to remove the person from the body, in the hope that life outside of the body would bring the person back to the Lord.
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