"For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord."
These are strong, seemingly harsh words. How could a Christian ever "deliver [a] man to Satan"? That statement seems anti-Christian. So how could such a thing be done, especially in the spirit of Jesus who died to save us?
To answer that we need to understand what it means to "deliver [someone] to Satan for the destruction of the flesh." And we need to keep in mind why it would be done. It has already been established in the previous verses that this person in question is in gross, unrepentant sin. He is on a self-destructive path. According to Matthew 18, the church is to step in and try its hardest to turn the man from his sin. But if he refuses, you must release him from the church's fellowship. When someone refuses to repent, you need to allow him to experience the consequences of sin. It is better for someone to experience the bitter consequences of his sin and then repent than for you to shield him from the consequences and he go on sinning.
I believe that the phrase in question simply refers to turning a person over to the the natural consequences of his own sin. And it is done to see the person restored. Failure to discipline is not loving, but failure to love while you discipline is no good either.
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