1 Corinthians 5 and bad apples
Paul has some really strong words in 1 Corinthians 5 about sin and how to handle blatant sin in the church. Paul hears reports of a man living in sin with his stepmother, so Paul instructs the church that they need to address this situation and remove him from their fellowship.
‘6Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.’
1 Corinthians 5:6-7
Reading these verses reminds me of the old saying, “One bad apple spoils the barrel“. And it echoes my reflections on Numbers 11 yesterday. Paul’s telling them to deal with this problem before it gets worse. We have to draw a line in church; we can’t avoid the corruption of everyday life, but we can’t tolerate it from “believers”.
Don’t even eat with such people
‘11I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. 12It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13God will judge those on the outside, but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”‘
1 Corinthians 5:11-13
It seems today that some “denominations” embrace the very behavior described in this chapter. I wonder what Paul would write to them?