What is the destruction of the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5)?

In 1 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul addresses an egregious sin within the church at Corinth. Specifically, a man was in a sexual relationship with his father’s wife. Even the surrounding pagan culture found this behavior offensive (1 Corinthians 5:1). Paul instructs the church leaders to decisively respond to the wicked behavior. He writes, “Hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5). The phrase destruction of the flesh refers to God’s manner of dealing with the unrepentant believer. It highlights the need for the church to exercise discipline to correct an erring individual and their need to trust the Lord for the results.

It’s important to consider the broader context of Paul’s teaching. After confronting the sin, Paul rebukes the church for being arrogant when they should have been mourning over the situation (1 Corinthians 5:2–3). He then instructs them to “hand this man over to Satan,” meaning to remove him from the fellowship of the church and commit him, in some sense, to the control of Satan, who is “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4, ESV).

The New Testament presents the church as being under Jesus’ care and protection, while the world is under Satan’s influence (see 1 John 5:19). By removing the sinning man from the church community, he would face the consequences of his sin without the blessing of Christian fellowship. His removal would also protect the rest of the congregation from his sin. Still, Paul says, the ultimate objective was to bring him to repentance and restore his fellowship with the church.

Some interpreters connect the “destruction of the flesh” with the possibility of physical judgment, even death. Acts 5 provides the example of Ananias and Sapphira, who died immediately for lying to God. Similarly, Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 11:30 that some believers were “weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” because they dishonored the Lord’s Supper. The phrase destruction of the flesh can indeed include serious consequences that affect the body. But the word flesh can also refer to the sinful nature or innate desires that oppose God (see Galatians 5:19–21). Viewed from this perspective, the aim of the excommunication was not that the sinning believer would be physically harmed but that his attachment to sinful desires would be severed. Thus, to “destroy the flesh” would be to weaken the sinful patterns that have taken control.

Other passages in Scripture illustrate how God sometimes allows suffering or hardship as a form of loving correction. For example, in 1 Timothy 1:20, Paul mentions Hymenaeus and Alexander, saying, “I have handed them over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.” Paul mentions their need “to be taught”—and painful consequences are effective teaching tools. Hebrews 12:6 further explains: “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” The destruction of the flesh is a severe form of God’s discipline, but it’s designed to make a straying believer aware of his urgent need for repentance. The goal is “that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5b).

Paul’s reference to spiritual salvation underscores the fact that, even when dealing with sin requires “tough love,” the goal is always restoration. Thus, church discipline should never be about condemning a believer but about rescuing him or her from the danger of continuing in unrepentant sin. The aim is that, through the painful consequences of separation from the church, the individual will turn back to God in repentance.

This passage also teaches the importance of holiness within the church. A failure to address unrepentant sin can damage the witness and health of an entire congregation. Paul uses the imagery of yeast to describe how sin spreads: “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Just as a small amount of yeast affects an entire loaf, undisciplined sin can influence the spiritual health of a church.