NT Text: 1 Corinthians 5:13
OT Source(s):
Source: Beale & Carson (eds.), Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (2007); Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s): Analogy + Typology
Significance: "Purge the evil from among you" is Deuteronomy's repeated formula for maintaining covenant holiness through expulsion of flagrant sinners. Paul applies Israel's covenant law to the church, treating the Christian community as the new covenant people obligated to maintain holiness. This hermeneutical move reveals Paul's ecclesiology: the church stands in continuity with Israel as God's holy people, requiring discipline to preserve purity. The legal context in Deuteronomy involves capital punishment for covenant violations; Paul adapts this to excommunication - spiritual death through removal from the community. This shows how OT law informs church discipline: the principle of purging evil remains, but the application transforms in light of the new covenant.