10 “Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person.”
5:10
Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world,
Paul clarifies verse ten by indicating that he did not mean that Christians are not to associate with non-Christians who live immoral lives.
Or with the covetous,
A covetous person is a person who seeks more than belongs to him. This is a culturally accepted sin, even in churches.
or extortioners,
An “extortioner” is someone who takes advantage of another person’s property. In the case of the Corinthian church, it was a son taking advantage of his father by committing adultery with his stepmother. However, Paul speaks of non-Christians here. Extortion is any form of fraud.
or idolaters,
An idolater is someone who worships something other than God. This is religious activity counter to God’s norms.
since then you would need to go out of the world.
Separation is not isolation. Paul challenges the Corinthian church in his second epistle to the Corinthians to separate themselves from intimate fellowship with non-Christians. He did not mean by separation to forgo any contact with non-Christians. Paul is more concerned with insulation from sin than isolation from the world.
5:11
But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner
Paul now adds two more sins to his list of the previous verse – those of reviler and drunkard. A “reviler” is a railer; he uses abusive language against someone. A “drunkard” is an intemperate person who cannot control himself. Christians like to limit church discipline to sexual sins, but Paul’s list includes something more extensive.
— not even to eat with such a person.
Paul says to the Corinthian church not to invite people who commit such sins over to dinner. “Treat them like they are expelled from the believing community.” Going to dinner is a sign of friendliness and acceptance.
PRINCIPLE:
Christians are not to have social intercourse with other Christians who blatantly violate Christian standards because this gives the impression that they accept the sin as normative.
APPLICATION:
There are Christians who live like non-Christians but profess to be Christians. Nothing gives the church a black eye more than Christians who live like non-Christians. We expect the lost to live like the lost because they have no relation to God. Christians do have a relation to God, so other Christians have a responsibility to judge their objective behavior. It is not our responsibility to judge the world, but it is our responsibility to judge fellow Christians.
This is a hard verse for me because as a Christian my self I was in sexual sin for a long time and one of my friends took me asid and told me that he could no longer associate with me or do ministry with me because I was beeing sexualy imoral. This only drove me further from Christ. I then incountered new friends that through mercy and grace stuck with me through my sin and helped me get on the right path again.
Is thier any advice or thoughts you would like to give me. I have promised myself and God that I would never do what my first friend did to me but instead stick with Christians that are in sin and love them regardless/associate with them. This is not what this verse sais to do. This greatly troubles me. I would love some more insight on the matter.
Jonathan, before we discuss this in too much detail, go to this site: http://versebyversecommentary.com/articles/theology-of-sex/ This is a small book I wrote on your subject. Please read then lets talk about it.
hey pastor grant brother in christ Jesus i have an qustion that i am trying to make sure i am geting are not quite not yet understanding this verse right here in 1 Corinthains 5:11 about dont even eat with such people and i saw your input about it not even to eat with such a person.
Paul says to the Corinthian church not to invite people who commit such sins over to dinner. “Treat them like they are expelled from the believing community.” Going to dinner is a sign of friendliness and acceptance is it saying that we dont need to eat with such people that have sins and when they invited they think we have accepted there sins – so that why we need to be aware of it not to let them know to accepted it
Hello MOG
The way you interpreted this word I feel is completely wrong .. God sents US believers to the Non-Believers and the people who were in the right track and the enemy have slid them back . How can u interpet that a BELIEVER should turn there backs on the unjust .. You are a man of God you are supposed to know if somebody got a demon living in them . So if you know a believer in chirst and they got a demon of fornacation , lust or homosexuality your supposed to leave them so the enemy can Devour there soul? You don’t understand these ppl living in SIN have been abused all there lives and all they want is love and thru Chirst they can get that and they can’t just get Christ on their own like that we the Church are supposed to draw them in and show them love , talk to them , TAKE THEM OUT TO DINNER. Be a sister or brother and also tell them that is wrong. People if you don’t show a sinner love and tell them what u know is wrong in your heart .. they won’t take us into consideration and will think all Believers if Christ are mean n all this nonsense .. we are on this earth to show love thru Christ no to turn our backs on the sinner .. they always say HATE the sin love the sinner
Chioma, it is interesting that what you said in your comment is the polar opposite of what 5:9 and 5:11 say. I am afraid you have twisted this passage to make it say what you want it to say. You need to learn how to interpret the Bible objectively. 5:9 says we are not to fellowship with believers who are perverse. However, Verse 10 says that believers are to relate to non-Christians who practice perversity. Verse 11 again indicates that we are not to associate with Christians who are perverse.
Thank you for standing up for what the Bible is actually saying. I am so weary of those who are in a position of leadership today that wants to use their own logic to these situations and throw what they consider love at them. It has gotten to the point that Christians are saying just love everyone and tell them to read their Bible. Sin cannot even be identified now.