“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
The Basket Case Chronicles #43
“For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed . . .” (1 Cor. 5:3).
Paul is referring to the man in the previous verses who was in a sexual relationship with his stepmother, something which even the Gentiles wouldn’t approve. Paul is willing to judge the case from a distance, and he is clearly doing this because the facts of the case were not in dispute. If a man were charged with having a sexual relationship with his stepmother, but denied it, and someone from a distance made a judgment without hearing all sides, this would be a travesty of justice (Prov. 18:17).
But this is “reported commonly” (v. 1), and the Corinthians were puffed up over their display of grace. In other words, Paul was making a judgment about the false Corinthian view of grace, in response to a public disgraceful fact, and was fully within his rights to do so. Because he represents the truth in this matter, his physical absence doesn’t matter. His words in this letter convey the authority of his spirit.
As a passing comment, we should note that the man involved in this sin is not necessarily the same man that is referred to in 2 Cor. 2:5-11.