1 Corinthians 5:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—

NIV: I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--

NASB: I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people;

CSB: I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

NLT: When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin.

KJV: I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

NKJV: I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

This verse reveals that Paul had written to the church in Corinth before. While this letter is referred to as "First Corinthians," that reference simply means it is the first of the two contained in the canon of Scripture. That prior writing has been lost to history, but the key point is repeated here: Paul wrote to them about something they had apparently ignored. He commanded them not to associate with people who practice sexual immorality.

Paul will clarify in the following verses that he does not mean by this that they should totally dissociate from all unbelievers. Instead, Paul is telling Christians not to include in their community self-labelled Christians known to be practicing sexual immorality. Sexual immorality for Christians might include any kind of sexual involvement outside of heterosexual marriage.

Communicating this same idea in his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul put it this way, "If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother" (2 Thessalonians 3:14–15). By extension, this principle implies that Christian congregations should not turn a blind eye to those who engage in open, unrepentant sin. Doing so not only threatens the spiritual health of the church (Jude 1:12), it damages the reputation of Christ in the eyes of the world (2 Peter 2:1–2).

First Corinthians 5:9–13 introduces Christian teachings on church discipline, conflict resolution, and the power of God to cleanse us from sin. After demanding the church in Corinth excommunicate someone for flagrant sin, Paul reminds them that those who claim to be Christians are to be held to a higher standard. Specifically, the church must not accept the fellowship of those who persist in blatant, stubborn sin. Non-believers, in contrast, aren't subject to that judgment. Paul insists that Christians must not even share a meal with someone who identifies as Christian but refuses to stop participating in sin.

Paul confronts the church in Corinth for failing to respond to a self-identified believer having a sexual affair with his father's wife. He insists they must remove the man from their community—to refuse his participation in the church—referred to here as delivering him to Satan. As the Jewish people would do during Passover, they must remove the leaven of this man and his sin from among them, to prevent it from spreading to the entire church. Christian congregations should not associate with those who claim to be believers, yet flaunt their sin.

First Corinthians 5 continues Paul's confrontational tone from the previous chapter. There, he warned the arrogant that he might return to them with a rod of correction. Now he points to a specific result of their pride: They have failed to respond to one among them who is openly committing incest. Paul commands them to remove the man from their community by turning him over to Satan for destruction of his flesh, in hopes that his spirit would be saved. They must not even share a meal with a Christian continuing in unrepentant sin. Paul will distinguish between the judgment of believers with that of non-believers. In the next chapter, this will include more details on how to handle conflict, as well as the ability of God to forgive any and all sin.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.