1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
There is a significant social force behind what Paul writes here that must be taken into consideration lest we twist his instructions and make them universal truth for all situations in the church. It is crucial, first, to remember the significance of the problem of a man having sexual relations with his father’s wife, and the Corinthian church accepting this and even celebrating it. This situation called for drastic measures. Second, Paul is directing the church to avoid people who flagrantly continue in sin. The danger is that by accepting these people, the church would begin to drift from its anchor in Christ. A church will sink to its lowest common denominator and only rise to the level of the spirituality of its leaders. It is obvious that the leaders of the church have done nothing about this situation. Therefore, the whole church was going to suffer. Third, Paul wanted the church to shame these people by disassociating with them. This would preserve the church and convict the sinners. The types of people are pretty broad and can be applied to many situations. The church can pass judgement on these people because they have the word of God and the teachings of Paul about these matters. Paul will remind them of these teachings in the rest of the chapter.
This leaves me with the conclusion that the church must take sin seriously. There is a place for acceptance and transformation, but not when people openly flaunt their rebellion against God. This does not happen too often in obvious ways, but more in subtle, quiet, or secret ways that church boards or leaders try to keep quiet under the carpet. Sin is an infection that will destroy our personal lives and the corporate health of the church.
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