Hand such a man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, in order that the spirit may be saved.—1 Cor. 5:5.
When disfellowshipped and thus handed over to Satan, the sinner whom Paul spoke of was again part of the Devil’s world. (1 John 5:19) His expulsion removed an evil fleshly element from the congregation and preserved its godly “spirit,” or dominant attitude. (2 Tim. 4:22; 1 Cor. 5:1, 11-13) Before a very long time had passed, Paul urged the Christians in Corinth to reinstate the wrongdoer. The sinner had evidently repented and cleaned up his life. (2 Cor. 2:8-11) If the Corinthians refused to reinstate the repentant man, Satan would overreach them in that they would be as hard and unforgiving as the Devil wanted them to be. (2 Cor. 2:5-7) Removing an unrepentant wrongdoer from the congregation upholds God’s standards and preserves the congregation’s spiritual cleanness. It may also bring the unrepentant one to his senses. w06 11/15 2:4-6
