Was the Man in 1 Corinthians 5 Saved?
A Full Exegetical and Theological Analysis Using the KJV and the Greek Textus Receptus
1 Corinthians 5:1–7 (KJV)
1. It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you... that one should have his father’s wife.
2. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned...
3. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit...
4. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together...
5. 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.
6. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7. Purge out therefore the old leaven... For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.
Greek (TR) — 1 Corinthians 5:5
Transliteration: paradidōmi toioutos satanas eis olethros sarx,hina pneuma sōzō en ho hēmera ho kyrios iēsous
Translation: “To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”
Step-by-Step Proof That He Was Saved
1. He Was Inside the Church
* “Taken away from among you” (v.2) shows he was inside the assembly.
* Discipline applies only to professing believers (vv.12–13).
* Paul questions his conduct, not his salvation.
2. Discipline Was Temporal, Not Eternal
* “Deliver to Satan” = physical chastening, not hell.
* Also used in 1 Timothy 1:20 — for correction.
* Goal: restoration and repentance, not damnation.
3. “That the Spirit May Be Saved” Means Eternal Security
* “Hina... sōthē” = purpose clause with expected result.
* Aorist passive subjunctive = confidence in outcome.
* Matches 1 Corinthians 3:15 — suffer loss but saved.
4. Spirit and Flesh Are Deliberately Contrasted
* “Destruction of the flesh” = physical suffering.
* The inner man remains preserved.
* Compare 1 Corinthians 11:30 — bodily judgment.
5. “The Day of the Lord Jesus” Refers to the Bema Seat
* Phrase found in 1 Corinthians 1:8, Philippians 1:6, 10.
* Refers to the Judgment Seat of Christ, not hell.
* Spirit saved at Christ’s return, not cast away.
Deeper Analysis of Verse 6: Leaven, Sin, and Sanctification
* “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” = influence of tolerated sin.
* Paul addresses the church’s purity, not the man’s conversion.
* Leaven = corruption, not proof of reprobation.
* He calls the church “unleavened” — includes the man.
Summary Table: Was the Man Saved?
* Church membership — “Among you” (v.2)
* Discipline not condemnation — “Deliver to Satan” (v.5)
* Eternal security affirmed — “Spirit may be saved” (v.5)
* Bema Seat, not hell — “Day of the Lord Jesus”
* Sin affects the body — “Leaven corrupts” but does not prove apostasy
* Paul’s goal — Purity, not proof of false conversion
Final Verdict: He Was Saved
* He was disciplined, not evangelized.
* Paul presumes eternal security and focuses on church sanctity.
* The man’s spirit will be saved at the Lord’s coming.
* The judgment is redemptive, not punitive.
Proof Texts Supporting Eternal Security
* “He that heareth my word, and believeth... hath everlasting life... and shall not come into condemnation” (John 5:24)
* “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29)
* Once saved, always saved — discipline is real, but salvation remains intact.