“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.” 1 Corinthians 5:11 NIV
Reflection: how can someone calling themselves Christian be a “bad influence” in your life?
As Paul is talking about purity in the church, purity of the bride of Christ, he makes a couple of clarifications that we need to pay attention to. First, he separates the bride from the rest of the world, referring to those on the “inside” as members of the church, and on the “outside” as those who are not part of the church. Now, remember, “church” here is NOT a building. It is NOT a denomination. It is the body of the followers of Christ, calling themselves Christians. The expectation of those on the inside versus outside are clearly very different. Starting with those on the outside, who don’t consider themselves Christian, he says “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 NIV.
And this is a very important point to remember for us. We cannot engage with anyone outside of the church, if we expected them to first live a pure life. And I think actually this holds a lot of Christians back, away from being around and engaging people in the world, afraid of being “tainted” somehow by their lifestyle. But we are clearly not to partake in any sinful practices. As long as we stand firm in our beliefs and faith in Christ, we absolutely should be engaging with people on the outside of the church, to do good and show them love of Christ. That is our mission, our direct calling from Jesus Christ. Remember, our Lord even dined regularly with tax collectors and sinners. Not to indulge in their lifestyle. He didn’t accept nor condone their sin. Instead, he came to free them, bringing them truth and grace; both of which they needed. And so must we, as we engage with those on the outside on the church.
Then Paul turns his attention to the church. To anyone who calls themselves a Christian, a “brother or sister”. And he says that we should, actually we must “judge” the behavior of those on the inside, those who call themselves Christians. And in our focus verse he outlines 6 distinct behaviors we can look for, that must have no place in the church, among Christians.
sexually immoral
greedy
idolater
slanderer
drunkard
swindler
Doesn’t exactly look like “fruit of the Holy Spirit”, right? Let’s remind ourselves what that is, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”Galatians 5:22-23a NIV. Those are characteristics of the bride of Christ. Let me make a brief clarification on Paul’s reference to sexual immorality, as it is often misunderstood. The word Paul used here in Greek is “pornos”, which the general definition is someone who “indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse”; the physical act. This is not about having a lustful thought. The rest of the list, including greed, idolatry, slander, etc, is more familiar to us although we could spend time on these definitions also. Now, Paul goes on saying not to associate with such people; not even have a meal with them! Why? That seems really harsh towards a brother or sister in Christ, right? Because they are like leaven, yeast, which taints everything it touches. They taint the purity of the bride of Christ. And secondly, by including them, we inadvertently act as if we accept their behavior, a behavior not by the Spirit of God. This evil must be condemned, and rooted out.
Let’s think of a few practical examples here. Say you learn that one of your fellow Christians are having an affair; another one is always engaged in “slandering” others (talking bad about them behind their backs), and a third one swindling money in their business or personal life. You are to stay away from them. Not associate with them. Not even have a meal with them. And, if you think about it, this “exclusion” from the church might be the wake up call they need, so that they can repent and return to Christ. To be saved. I think the church often has failed here, accepting all sorts of sin and deviant behavior in the names of love, acceptance, tolerance, political correctness, and so on. But this is not biblical. And our congregations have suffered greatly from it, and become weak. Perhaps the question we should ask ourselves:
Is the church, “the bride of Christ” prepared, ready to meet her bridegroom?