1 Corinthians 5:9-10

Disciplining Sinners in the Church

Christ's apostle to the Gentiles had warned them in some previous epistle not to "keep company with sexually immoral people." Those included in such a description could have been involved in any type of sexual immorality. Those Christians who would keep out the leaven of sin were instructed not to keep company with such. Thayer says the word for company means "to mix together," "to keep company with, be intimate." Lipscomb says, "To have company with is to associate with and treat one as worthy of companionship and association...The object, no doubt, is to make the fornicator feel the disgrace and shame of his course and bring him to repentance" (1 Corinthians 5:9).

Paul went on to explain that his instructions did not include those in the world involved in sexual immorality, covetousness, extortioners or idolaters. The word "covetous" would describe those seeking to obtain what is another's in an unlawful way, while an extortioner uses power or threats to take what is not his, or more than is right. An idolater would be anyone who set something above God, especially the false gods served by some in Corinth, like Aphrodite. In 2 Thessalonians 3:14, Paul wrote adding another type of Christian other Christians should not associate with in a social way. "And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed."

To avoid associating with these types of people generally would have required a Christian to live somewhere outside the world. Obviously, normal daily activities necessitate Christians associating with sinners in the world, so the rule could not apply to them. Instead, the rule was intended to cause Christians to avoid those who were evil within the church (1 Corinthians 5:10).