Christians To Avoid - 5:9-13
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Introduction
Introduction
A couple of weeks ago my children were watching a TV show.
This show is probably the pinnacle of cinematic production.
Brilliantly acted, clever plot lines, and masterful writing.
I am, of course, talking about the cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants.
I’m sure you all guessed, but that was a little bit of sanctified sarcasm.
However, there is a particular episode of Spongebob that happens to be one of my favorites.
In the town where Spongebob lives he meets a squirrel who has a diving suit.
She invites him to her underwater dome full of air.
He has no idea what air is, but he claims that he can handle it just fine.
Upon arriving at Sandy’s house, Spongebob learns very quickly that he doesn’t like air.
He keeps trying to hide the fact that he is drying out.
You see, he thinks he is doing the right thing, he thinks that this is loving and right!
But the reality is that he is hurting himself and Sandy through his refusal to face reality.
Attempting to tolerate something damaging only invites destruction.
The Corinthian church is attempting to tolerate something damaging.
What they are doing is inviting the destruction of the church and of this believer.
What is important to recognize is that more is at stake here than just the church.
What is at stake is the Spiritual well-being of the man caught up in this sin.
We must understand that Paul’s concern here is not just for the church to get rid of a sinner.
If the church got rid of all its sinners the building would be empty!
Paul’s concern is for the church to be protected and for this man to repent.
However, there is a problem.
The actions taken by the Corinthian believers are actually hindering repentance and virtually begging for the destruction of the church!
To protect the church and foster repentance two types of Christians must be avoided.
The goal of avoidance is restoration.
Only when sin is dealt with can true unity exist.
There are two types of Christian’s to avoid.
#1…
1. Avoid The Unrepentant vv. 9-11
1. Avoid The Unrepentant vv. 9-11
One of the interesting things about raising children is teaching them how to apologize.
There is a difference between “I’m sorry that I hurt you” and “I’m sorry I got caught hurting you.”
What we want to see in our children is the same as what God wants to see in us.
He wants to see repentance.
The word “repent” means a change of mind.
We know someone’s mind has been changed when their behavior follows.
That is the pattern.
The mind is changed first, then the behavior follows.
Sometimes, in order to change someones mind, consequences are necessary.
That is why Paul tells the Corinthians to avoid certain Christians.
This is not permission to avoid people we don’t like.
Remember, there is a goal here.
The goal is the protection of the church and the repentance of the sinner.
To do this correctly we take three actions.
Action #1…
a. To avoid we must understand v. 9
a. To avoid we must understand v. 9
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
Paul wants them to understand.
He wrote a previous letter, one we do not have.
His previous letter was misunderstood.
Need clarification.
We have the same need as Corinthians.
Need to understand.
In this particular instance we need to understand two things.
1st - what does Paul mean?
What does he mean by “don’t keep company.”
What does he mean by “sexually immoral.”
Conversation. Find out living together.
Cross yourself and run in fear?
No.
Paul will define “who” as we go.
“Keep company” is the idea of associating.
We are not to mingle with, not to associate with, people who are sexually immoral.
To be sexually immoral means to engage in any sexual activity outside of the covenant bonds of Biblical marriage.
Just as earlier in the chapter, the word used here is pornos.
First thing we understand, Paul is telling us not to have close association with those who engage in sexual activity outside of marriage.
2nd - not typical Christian behavior.
What do I mean?
Look with me at Matthew 5:44.
Matthew 5:44
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
As followers of Jesus we are supposed to love, bless, do good, and pray for others.
Now look at Galatians 6:10.
Galatians 6:10
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Here we are told that our behavior toward other believers is supposed to be better than it is to others!
Is Paul contradicting himself?
No.
It is important to note that Galatians 6:10 comes after Galatians 6:1.
Galatians 6:1
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Our goal is the restoration of our brothers and sisters.
Love, blessing, doing good, praying. These make up the typical behavior for a Christian.
Something significant must be going on for Paul to say what he does here!
This is to get our attention!
What is so important that it would make Paul say this?
What is so important that it would make Paul say to stay away from someone?
Here’s what’s so important.
The protection of the church and the repentance of the sinner.
We are to take these things seriously.
Here is our lesson.
What is it that we need to understand?
Close fellowship is reserved for positive influences.
Does this mean no close fellowship with unsaved people?
No.
That’s where Paul goes next.
To correctly avoid the unrepentant we take three actions.
Action 1: To avoid we must understand.
Action #2…
b. To avoid we must identify v. 10
b. To avoid we must identify v. 10
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
Here is the explanation.
The misunderstanding of the Corinthian Church was the assumption that Paul wanted them to separate from the world.
That wasn’t what he wanted.
“World” is the Greek word kosmos and is used in this context to distinguish society apart from God.
Paul did not want them to stay away from unsaved people.
Look at the people he mentions here.
Sexually immoral - we covered this but we’ll mention again. This is any sexual activity outside the covenant bonds of marriage.
Covetous - This is a greedy person. Someone whose primary goal in life is the accumulation of wealth.
Extortioners - This is someone who is even more greedy than the covetous person, but this person doesn’t care what they have to do in the pursuit of acquiring wealth. They will lie and steal to get it.
Idolaters - This is someone who actively and intentionally worships something other than God.
Here is Paul’s command.
Don’t separate from those people.
Why not?
You cannot influence without relationship.
Being Christian's in a bunker who make occasional forays out to contact the enemy is not a Biblical view of Christianity!
To avoid unsaved people who behave in this way we would need to get out of the world.
Paul is very clear that this is not what we are to be doing.
Go with me to John 17. We’re going to look at three verses.
John 17:11, 15-18
11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
We are to be in the world, but not of it.
We have been sent into the world!
We are to be sanctified by the truth and then we are to impact the world with that truth!
If we are going to impact people with the gospel of Jesus Christ we need to build relationships with people who need Him!
The implication is a little bit frightening.
We must identify the right people to avoid.
We need to know who is and is not of this world.
The implication seems to be that if they are outside the church, they are of the world.
This is huge for a society that is saying being part of a church is optional for a Christian.
Something important to note here is that the “you” is plural.
Paul is addressing this to the church.
This is a corporate church action that is to be taken.
What is the church supposed to do?
They are supposed to avoid people who are engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage.
Unsaved people?
No.
It isn’t unsaved people who are immoral, greedy, covetous, and Godless that we are to avoid.
Who is it then?
We’ll get there in verse 11.
First, we need to make a difficult point.
It is sinful for a Christian to withdraw from people who need Jesus.
Let that sit for a second.
That’s our lesson here.
We must engage those who need Jesus.
We do not avoid people who are in need of salvation!
Again, this brings up the question. Who do we avoid?
We avoid the unrepentant.
To do that we take three actions.
Action 1: To avoid we must understand.
Action 2: To avoid we must identify.
Action #3…
c. To avoid we must sacrifice v. 11
c. To avoid we must sacrifice v. 11
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
This is the same word we saw in v. 9, keep company.
It isn’t the unsaved person we are to avoid. It is the believer who is engaged in open unrepentant sin.
We need to make some clarifications here.
Named - ὀνομάζω (onomazō) name; call. to be designated (state) v. — to be or become assigned a name or title. Verb present, passive, attributive participle, singular, nominative, masculine.
Named - ὀνομάζω (onomazō)
This is not a self-proclaimed brother. The verb is passive.
This is someone who is known by others in the body of Christ as a fellow believer.
Not speaking of someone who claims to be a believer and is not.
This is someone known as and called a believer by others!
Why is that so important to understand?
Because the behavior of this brother is not in line with the Word of God!
The behavior is not matching the belief.
Another very important thing here is the word “is.”
Don’t keep company with a believer who “is” sexually immoral etc.
This is a present, active, participle.
That means this refers to someone who is actively engaged in these activities at the present time.
This doesn’t refer to a one time event or an occasional struggle, it refers to a pattern of behavior.
Paul actually adds to his list from verse 10.
Sexually immoral, covetous, extortioner, and idolater are all still there. Paul adds reviler and drunkard.
Reviler - This is someone who uses slander or libel to attack the reputation or character of another person. They lie to make others look bad.
Drunkard - Someone who habitually and intentionally drinks alcohol to the point of intoxication.
Paul is painting a grim picture.
This is a brother or sister in Christ whose behavior is reprehensible!
Part of the issue here is that we have a tendency to classify sin.
We might be tempted to think that being greedy isn’t as bad as sexual immorality.
Or maybe that lying about others isn’t as bad as idolatry.
All these sins make it into the same list.
Two important points.
It is possible for a blood bought child of God to engage in habitual sin.
The child of God who sins habitually will face God’s correction.
I make these two points because we dare not get the impression that God is okay with His children sinning!
Paul’s whole point here is that the church is part of God’s corrective measures in the life of the sinning believer.
Don’t even eat with someone who claims to be a believer and yet is engaged in open, unrepentant sin.
Why?
What is the goal?
There is a fine balance here.
The goal is to make the believer so uncomfortable in their sin that they repent.
2 Thess. 3:14-15 helps us understand the attitude we are to have.
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15
14 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.
15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
This has to be our goal and desire.
We want the sinning believer to be ashamed of their behavior.
Yet we do not consider them an enemy.
We admonish as brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is a sacrifice because the believer we are pulling away from might be our best friend.
It might be our child.
It might be the person who led us to saving faith in Christ!
There is sacrifice involved in removing someone from fellowship with the local church.
To be clear, that is the context here. The context is the local church.
This is a church discipline situation.
When someone is living in unrepentant sin and the church disciplines that person, we are not to eat with them.
We are not to associate with them at all.
Why not?
Because we want them to repent.
This is the lesson.
The goal of repentance makes the sacrifice of fellowship worth it.
It isn’t about you and me. It is about an unrepentant sinner getting right with God.
So we avoid the unrepentant.
But we want to do it right.
To that end we seek understanding, we identify, and we sacrifice.
The first type of Christian to avoid is the unrepentant.
Type #2…
2. Avoid The Unreachable vv. 12-13
2. Avoid The Unreachable vv. 12-13
Once, at the grocery store, I needed something that was located on the very top of the shelves.
I couldn’t get it.
I tried stepping on the bottom shelf, no luck.
I was tempted to try using the next shelf up as a step, but just looking at it seemed to make it bend.
As I am looking around for something to use to snag the item from the top, I tall person comes over and just grabs it.
When something is unreachable, we need help to access it.
This truth applies to people as well.
Some people will not listen. They are hard hearted.
When someone is unreachable, we need help to get through to them.
That’s what is going on here.
This man in the Corinthian church has become hard. He is unreachable.
They need help. That’s what Paul addresses.
To get through to a hard-hearted sinner, we make life uncomfortable for them.
However, there are two items of important knowledge we need to do this well.
Item #1…
a. To avoid, know your realm v. 12
a. To avoid, know your realm v. 12
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
The understanding of this verse comes from remembering the confusion of the Corinthians.
They thought Paul’s previous command to withdraw from sexually immoral people was a command to withdraw from the world.
This was not the case.
The command was to withdraw from a brother or sister who refused to repent of sin.
To further stress this point, Paul adds to his previous words the reality that the judgment of unbelievers is not our responsibility.
It is not the responsibility of the church to pass judgment on those outside the body of Christ!
That is God’s responsibility!
Don’t put yourself in the position of God!
We all have a sphere of influence, a realm if you will.
We need to know what that is.
Our realm as believers is the body of Christ!
We are commanded by God to judge those within the body.
This is really REALLY important.
In an age of “you can’t judge me” and “I have to live my own truth” comes the Word of God commanding us to judge one another in the body of Christ.
This judgment must be done with Galatians 6:1 in mind.
Galatians 6:1
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
The goal of our judgement, our evaluation, is the restoration of the body.
There is no malicious intent here!
The desire of the child of God is the spiritual health of the body of Christ!
We dare not get this confused.
The error in Corinth was this idea that those within the body were to be defended and protected while those outside the body are to be judged.
That is partially backwards!
Yes, we defend and protect one another, but we also judge.
We judge one another for the protection and preservation of the whole body.
What people outside the body are doing, that’s not our concern.
We want our brothers and sisters in Christ to be spiritually healthy and growing.
The body of Christ is our realm. That is our sphere of influence.
That’s what this is all about.
Paul wants the Corinthians to avoid this sinning brother so that he will be convicted and repent and be restored.
The judgement of a sinning brother is to result in restoration.
We must not lose sight of that goal.
We want to see our brothers and sisters healthy.
We want to see them walking in the Spirit, bearing fruit, and experiencing the joy of the Lord!
This will never happen if we are judging the wrong people.
We avoid the unreachable and that means we know our realm.
Item of important knowledge #1: To avoid know your realm.
Item #2…
b. To avoid, know your responsibility v. 13
b. To avoid, know your responsibility v. 13
13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
What was mentioned almost in passing is now explicitly stated.
God judges unbelievers. That is not our job.
Our job is to disassociate from anyone who claims to be a believer and yet walks in unrepentant sin.
Know your responsibility.
While we are to be active in our society, we recognize that true change only comes when someone trust in Jesus Christ.
God will judge those who are outside.
We are responsible to deal with those inside the body of Christ.
Paul quotes Deuteronomy here in this verse.
Several times in Deuteronomy as instructions were given to the nation of Israel in regards to their national purity, these words were written.
When sin is dealt with, evil is removed from the people of God.
Make no mistake.
What has been taking place in the Corinthian church is evil.
They have been allowing sin to go unchecked!
They have been boasting about their tolerance!
The name of Christ has been damaged the reputation of the church marred and this believer has not been getting the help he so desperately needs.
They had it backwards.
We are to build relationships with unbelievers.
We are to remove ourselves from brothers and sisters who are unwilling to repent of sin.
The care of the body of Christ is the responsibility of every member.
How are we caring for His body?
Conclusion
Conclusion
There is a false unity that exists today.
It is a unity of compromise.
That is the kind of unity the Corinthian church was attempting to have.
Paul vehemently opposes that false unity.
Unity is only found in truth.
In John 8:32 Jesus said this.
John 8:32
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Truth brings freedom.
If truth brings freedom then what do lies bring?
Lies bring bondage.
It is a lie that tolerance and unity demand compromise.
This lie places us in bondage.
Here in these verses Paul gives us a formula to break that bondage.
Sin must be dealt with.
Why?
To protect the body and foster repentance.
For the body of Christ to be healthy, we deal with sin. For our brothers and sisters to grow, we deal with sin. For our personal health and growth, we deal with sin.
Sin is the enemy of a healthy Christian life.
Do not tolerate sin.
When a brother or sister will not repent, the church must step in and discipline that believer.
If repentance is still rejected, we avoid that person.
The goal of avoiding is repentance.
If you are in sin, repent.
If you know someone in sin, confront.
When there is repentance, restore the brother or sister to fellowship.
Our commitment: I will be dedicated to the health and growth of the body of Christ.