The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (186 page)

5:9 my letter:
I.e., an earlier letter of Paul to the Corinthians that has not survived. Apparently the Church misunderstood his written instructions because the Corinthians assumed Paul wanted them to keep distant from all sinners without qualification. In fact, the apostle was suggesting they should isolate themselves,
not
from unbelievers in general, but from immoral Christians whose behavior was decidedly inconsistent with their beliefs. Tolerating their fellowship would only dishonor Christ and hamper their witness to the world. 
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5:11 immorality . . . robber:
These same vices are included in the expanded list of 6:9-10, referring to sins that exclude perpetrators from the kingdom of God. 
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5:13 Drive out the wicked:
An expulsion formula from the Greek version of Deut 17:7 and 19:19. • Moses made legal provision in Deuteronomy to purge Israel of its most callous and reprehensible sinners. This authorized the nation to enforce the moral standards of Yahweh and so punish serious offenses. Paul extends this prerogative to the Corinthians. Here the incestuous man (1 Cor 5:1) fell under the curse of Deut 27:20. 
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Word Study

Sanctified
(
1 Cor 6:11
)

Hagiazō
(Gk.): "make holy", "set apart", "consecrate". The verb is used four times in 1 Cor and 24 times in the rest of the NT. Its precise meaning varies depending on its context. When
things
are sanctified, they are separated from the realm of secular life and devoted to a sacred purpose, as when the Tabernacle was set apart for sacred worship (Ex 29:44) and the bronze altar was sanctified for sacrifice (Ex 29:37). Even an ordinary meal can be sanctified by a prayer of thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:5). When
persons
are sanctified, they are set apart to serve God in a holy way. Under the Old Covenant, the Levites were separated from the laity of Israel and ordained for clerical ministry (Ex 28:41), and the nation of Israel as a whole was set apart to be God's representative to the nations (Deut 33:3). Under the New Covenant, believers are set apart through Baptism, which, by the sanctifying power of Christ's blood (Heb 13:12), cleanses us of all sin and makes us inwardly holy (1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26). The challenge to grow in sanctity is supported by Jesus' prayer for our consecration in truth (Jn 17:17) and by Paul's prayer that our whole being be preserved in holiness for the last day (1 Thess 5:23).

6:1-8
Paul is distressed by reports of litigation in Corinth. Instead of solving economic and property disputes like brothers, the Corinthians were hauling each other into the Roman courts. Paul rebukes them for this, judging that pagans should not arbitrate the internal affairs of God's covenant family. History suggests that most lawsuits in the Roman world involved cases of the rich and powerful suing the poor and helpless—a problem that may have characterized the situation in Corinth (11:17-22). 
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6:1 the unrighteous:
I.e., pagan judges. For Paul, unbelievers are entirely unfit to judge God's covenant people. He would rather the Church conduct herself like Israel, which regulated its internal disputes by appointing judges from the twelve tribes (Deut 1:9-17; 16:18-20). 
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6:3 to judge angels?:
Only here in the Bible do we learn that Christians will condemn both unbelievers (6:2) and fallen spirits at the final Judgment (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6). Related to this, however, is the notion that believers will share in the heavenly reign of Christ (2 Tim 2:12). 
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6:5 no man among you wise:
A sarcastic rebuke. For all their boasting about wisdom, the Corinthians proved themselves incompetent in resolving everyday personal differences. 
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6:7 Why not rather be defrauded?:
It is better, Paul reasons, to suffer wrongdoing than to cause scandal for unbelievers by taking each other to court (1 Pet 3:17). 
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6:9-10
A catalogue of ten vices radically inconsistent with Christian morality. Paul lists them to remind the Corinthians of their former habits and to dissuade them from slipping back into their old pagan ways. These sins destroy all hope of sharing in God's kingdom (Gal 5:19-21; Rev 21:8; CCC 1852). 
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6:9 nor homosexuals:
The RSV condenses two Greek terms into the single English word "homosexuals". The first term could be rendered "male prostitutes", and the second "male homosexuals". The context makes it clear that Paul is thinking, not of persons merely attracted to others of the same sex, but of those who engage in perverse sexual acts with them. Both Testaments agree that homosexual conduct is gravely disordered and poses a serious threat to eternal salvation (Lev 18:22; 20:13; Rom 1:26-27; 1 Tim 1:10; CCC 2357-59). 
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6:11 such were some of you:
Once prisoners in sin (6:910), the Corinthians have been redeemed and renewed by the washing of Baptism. The point is that God's grace and forgiveness can rescue even the worst sinners from their deadly habits.
washed . . . sanctified . . . justified:
Three effects of Baptism, through which sinners are cleansed of guilt (Acts 22:16), made holy (Rom 6:22), and adopted as heirs of eternal life (Tit 3:57). The added mention of Christ's
name
and the work of the
Spirit
makes it certain that Paul is alluding to Baptism as the sacramental context for the Corinthians' conversion (Acts 2:38; CCC 1227, 2813). See word study:
Justified
at Rom 2. 
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6:12 All things are lawful for me:
Probably a slogan coined by certain Corinthians to justify their promiscuous life-style. Like many Greeks, they attached little importance to the body and held that sexual activity was as morally neutral as eating and drinking. This theoretical separation between body and spirit led them to believe that physical urges could be indiscriminately satisfied without harm to the spiritual life. Another view is that these words originated with Paul, but that members of the congregation have distorted his meaning to justify their sin. On this view, Paul is clarifying the expression to exclude a permissive interpretation of his teaching. Either way, participation in cultic prostitution was the disturbing result (6:15). 
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6:13 The body . . . for the Lord:
Paul hints that just as the body of a bride belongs to her husband through the covenant of marriage (7:4), so the body of the believer is consecrated to Christ through Baptism (6:11). Christ's spousal right over the body is thus violated when believers are involved in sexual impurity—a fact that makes promiscuity equivalent to adultery (2 Cor 11:2-3). The general resurrection puts this moral crisis in perspective: because our bodies belong to the Lord and are destined for eternity, they should not be desecrated by evildoing (1 Cor 6:14; CCC 796, 989, 1004). 
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6:15 members of Christ:
A theology developed at length in 12:12-31.
prostitute:
Prostitution was a regular part of Roman society and often took place in a cultic context within pagan temples (CCC 2355). See essay:
Shun Immorality, Shun Idolatry
at 1 Cor 6. 
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6:16 The two shall become one:
A reference to Gen 2:24. • According to Genesis, sexual union cements a bond between a man and a woman that makes them one flesh. The proper context of this unifying act is the covenant of marriage, where the bond is meant to be permanent, fruitful, and exclusive. 
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6:17 one spirit with him:
The point is, not that sexual union (6:16) is a mere reflection of our spiritual union with Christ, but that even our bodies become united with Christ through the Spirit (15:45). This union with Christ's humanity—which is sacramental, not sexual—has its beginning in Baptism (12:13) and is strengthened by the Eucharist (10:16-17). 
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6:19 your body is a temple:
Baptism makes every believer a spouse of God the Son and a sanctuary of God the Spirit (CCC 1265, 1695).
See note on 1 Cor 3:16
. If prostitution is a sin of adultery against the former, it is a sin of profanation against the latter. 
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6:20 bought with a price:
The background of this statement, as in 7:23, is the ownership that a master has over a slave once the purchase has been finalized. It is possible too, given the marital theme that runs through the preceding discussion, that Paul considers the price of Jesus' death a dowry paid in advance of our spousal union with him through grace (1 Pet 1:1819).
glorify God in your body:
There is probably an implied contrast in these words: whereas the Gentiles in Corinth dishonor God in their temples through idolatrous worship and sacred prostitution, believers must glorify God in their bodily temples by offering them to God through chastity (Rom 12:1). 
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7:1-40
Paul gives spiritual direction on marriage, celibacy, and widowhood. The chapter brings together instructions derived from Christ (7:10-11) and those formulated by Paul (7:12, 25). 
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7:1 Now concerning:
A recurrent expression found throughout the letter (7:25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1). Paul uses it to address specific questions posed to him in a previous (now lost) letter from the Corinthians.
not to touch a woman:
A euphemism meaning, "not to have sexual relations". It may have been a motto of certain Corinthians (ascetics) who frowned upon marriage and the physical pleasures that accompany it (1 Tim 4:13). Paul treats the slogan as a half-truth that is ultimately misleading: Celibacy
is
good, but it does
not
nullify the goodness of marriage or the propriety of sexual relations within marriage. 
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7:5 Do not refuse one another:
The conjugal rights shared by husband and wife provide a safeguard against infidelity (7:3-4). The withdrawal of one spouse from marital relations could lead the other to seek illicit intimacy outside the marriage covenant.
agreement for a season:
Married couples may abstain temporarily from relations. This creates opportunities for prayer and spiritual enrichment. Paul warns, however, that abstinence should not be unnecessarily protracted, otherwise Satan could manipulate the circumstances for evil. • Catholic teaching permits married couples, for just and serious reasons, to refrain periodically from sexual relations in the interests of child spacing and family planning (Pope Paul VI,
Humanae Vitae
10, 16). Periodic continence can likewise promote spiritual discipline and self-mastery for both husband and wife (CCC 2368-70). 
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Shun Immorality, Shun Idolatry

T
WICE
Paul warns the Corinthians to run away from sin. (In the RSV, the translators used the word
shun;
they could instead have used the word
flee.
) The first time is in 1 Cor 6:18, which literally means "flee from sexual immorality", and the second is in 10:14, which literally means "flee from idolatry". The similar wording of these two passages suggests a connection between them that was probably clear to the original recipients of the letter but is not easily understood by modern readers. How are these two sins related to one another? And how does Paul attempt to dissuade believers from committing them?