1 Corinthians 5:9-11, No Not to Eat

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

The Apostle Paul says to the Corinthian Christians to separate themselves from the brother who refuses to repent of his known sin as fornication lest they be influenced to follow his evil ways. His direct advice is that they do not have company with him even on a social basis like eating a meal together.

What is the purpose of such hash action to “ostracise” such a one? He explains so that this person might be called to search his heart and repent of his sin and that evil might be purged from the congregation of God’s people. Unrepentant and habitual sinners shipwreck others by their evil ways. Imagine a new believer comes to Christ seeing such a one in the midst of God’s people and such sin tolerated when it is not even tolerated in the Gentile world. This surely will nullify the Christian testimony.

He is saying that there are those who live immoral lives in the world. You can’t stop them but what the believers can do is to keep themselves pure by not joining company with them. By joining them, we are condoning their evil ways. As such, he asks that they keep clear of such a one. The word “join” means “do not mix close together”.

Blessed are the pure for they shall see God. Amen.