What did the Corinthian church do with the man who had sinned?
The Corinthian church took the man aside, laid out God's view of his actions, and dealt with the sin's impact on the congregation and the pagan city. This clear handling reverberated throughout the church, restoring fellowship with the Holy God and enhancing the whole congregation.
Les explains that when the Corinthian church took this gentleman aside and laid out God's view of his actions—and the reverberations it was having in the pagan city of Corinth—the news traveled as it would in any city. The result enhanced every one of them, because they could see that God could move into a situation even as vile as this one, clear the deck, and make everyone once again in fellowship with the Holy God. It just reverberated throughout the congregation. Paul also wrote not merely for the cause of the man who had done the wrong or the one who suffered wrong, but so that his care for them in the sight of God might appear. Les notes Paul did not gloss over the sin; if he had, the congregation would have thought he was no better than the rest, looking at it as they did and concluding it must not be all that bad.