1 Corinthians 5:9-10
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
Paul references a letter he had already written to the Corinthians, known as the lost letter. He is thinking of a specific context for his directions here. There are two key ideas to keep in mind. One is the word “associate.” This has the connotation of deep fellowship, being of the same mind, walking besides another person. The second is “of this world.” As Jesus said, we must be in this world but not of this world. We must associate with the sinful of this world so that our light can shine upon them and they can change their ways. The problem is when we begin a closer association with them where they begin to influence us. That is the precise problem the Corinthian church was facing. They had missed God’s mission for them and replaced it with their own wisdom and strength. They began to compromise with culture, so much so that they began to accept it in the church, even the worst that culture offered.
We can’t leave the world. We can’t quit our jobs. We can’t move up to the mountains and live in isolation. Most of us are stuck where we are. So we have to make some important decisions. What will be the paradigm by which we live? Will it be the culture or will it be the cross? Culture or cross? If we choose culture, and since culture is fallen, our worldview will be determined by the best or worst around us. In American, our culture is quickly deteriorating because people are accepting the worst that culture has to offer. If we choose the cross, we may face opposition from the forces of culture. It may cost us. But taking up our cross and following the way of THE CROSS is the only way to eternal life.
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