The consequence is physical — sickness, bodily destruction, and death — while the inner self remains spiritually safe.
Scripture warns that defiling the body, God's temple, will cause God to destroy that body (1 Corinthians 3:17). In 1 Corinthians 5:5, a believer in gross sin is handed over to Satan for destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may still be saved. For unworthy participation in the Lord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:30 says many became weak, sickly, and some died.
1 Corinthians 3:17 — This verse directly connects defiling the body, God's temple, with physical destruction.
1 Corinthians 5:5 — It shows the flesh can be destroyed while the spirit is still saved.
1 Corinthians 11:30 — It reveals that physical sickness and death came upon believers who abused the Lord's Table.
The Bible identifies the believer's body as God's temple. 1 Corinthians 3:17 warns, 'If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.' This promise is directly tied to the physical body, not merely to a building. The kind of destruction in view is physical. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:5, '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.' In the same way, 1 Corinthians 11:30 says, 'For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.' The Bible also warns against the sexual misuse of the body in 1 Corinthians 6:15: 'Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.'
Les Feldick emphasizes that the body is distinct from the soul and spirit. When the verse says God will destroy the defiled temple, Les explains that He is destroying the physical body, not the soul or spirit. A clear example is the man in 1 Corinthians 5: Paul called the church to deliver him to Satan 'for the destruction of the flesh' so that his spirit would still be saved. For Les, God can take away a believer's physical life or health as discipline while preserving the inner person. Les applies this to the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. The Corinthians' abuse of the Table had already brought sickness and death on some of them — the 'sin unto death' John mentions. He also uses the situation in Corinth where believers were joining Christ's members to temple prostitutes (1 Corinthians 6:15) to show how seriously God treats the misuse of the body. Yet even then, the consequence is physical; a saved individual does not become unsaved.
No. Paul says the man is to be delivered to Satan 'for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.' Les Feldick emphasizes that the flesh and the soul and spirit are not the same; what was destroyed was his physical life, not his standing with Christ. Les repeats the point that a saved person in gross sin is in dire straits, but God may inflict sickness or death so that the spirit is still saved.
The Corinthians had come to the Lord's Supper with division, unforgiveness, and other unconfessed sin. Les Feldick points to 1 Corinthians 11:30 where many were 'weak and sickly' and 'many sleep' because God was chastising them. This shows the physical consequence of abusing the body in connection with worship.
Les Feldick references John's little epistle which warns about a 'sin unto death' — something so gross that God will take a believer out ahead of time. He applies this to the man in 1 Corinthians 5: if he refuses to repent, God will take him out of Corinth; his flesh is destroyed while his spirit is still saved.
Les Feldick teaches that the body is distinct from the soul and spirit. When Paul speaks of the 'destruction of the flesh,' he is not talking about the believer's soul. The example of Job shows that Satan can destroy physical life only within limits God permits. God may take away the physical body, but the inner person is preserved for the day of the Lord Jesus.
Defiling the Body Brings Physical Destruction
Les explains that 1 Corinthians 3:17 is about the physical body: God will destroy the body of the believer who defiles it, but He does not touch the soul and spirit.
Sickness and Death as Divine Chastening
Les points to 1 Corinthians 11:30 to show God was already chastising the Corinthians by sickness and death for abusing the Lord's Table.
Sin Unto Death
Les teaches that some sin is gross enough for God to take a believer out ahead of time, as in 1 Corinthians 5.
Flesh Versus Soul and Spirit
Les stresses that in 1 Corinthians 5:5 the destruction is of the flesh only; Satan can destroy the physical life when God permits, as with Job.
Bodies as Members of Christ
Les uses 1 Corinthians 6:15 to show that joining the body to a prostitute is a serious defilement of Christ's members.
Holding Sin Back From Reigning
Les says a believer can let sin reign in their mortal body, but God responds with discipline, not loss of salvation.
Sickness and Death as Last Resort
Les reiterates that God may inflict sickness or death on a saved, guilty church member so the spirit is still saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Body and Soul Distinction
Les's teaching on Adam's body and soul helps explain why physical death does not mean the person's inner self is lost.
1 Corinthians 3:17: If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
This directly ties defiling the body as God's temple to physical destruction.
1 Corinthians 5:5: 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.
It shows that a believer's physical flesh can be destroyed while his spirit is still saved.
1 Corinthians 11:30: For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
It records the physical sickness and death that came upon believers who abused the Lord's Supper.
1 Corinthians 6:15: Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
It warns against sexual misuse of the body because it belongs to Christ.
Romans 6:12: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
It shows the believer is told not to allow sin to rule in his or her physical body.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that gross sin, such as the man in 1 Corinthians 5, can cause God to take a believer out ahead of time. In 1 Corinthians 11:30, some were already 'asleep' because they abused the Lord's Supper. This is physical death, not loss of soul and spirit.
No. The destruction is of the physical body, or flesh. Les Feldick consistently separates the body from the soul and spirit. He explains that in 1 Corinthians 5 the man's spirit is to be saved even though his flesh is destroyed.
God chastens those He loves. Les Feldick says if a true believer brings reproach on Christ through habitual sin, God's first response is discipline, which can include physical sickness or even premature death, while the soul is not lost.
Watch the Teaching: Your Body Is God's Temple — What 1 Corinthians 3 Really Means