The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum 1 Corinthian 5:9-12 Keeping away?

1 Corinthians 5:9-13
9) I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 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. 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.
12) For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.” NKJV

Is every Christian obligated to follow through with this? Or is this just for the Corinthian church and/or current church? And let's say, for example, that a Christian husband leaves a wife without permissible reason (no sexual immorality from the wife). Time passes by and he is now living with someone else. If every Christian is obligated to follow this, would this man's Christian offspring be obligated to keep away from him? Or are they still to honor him? And what constitutes keeping company? Does working with someone apply? Or does it only mean voluntary, "Hey let's hang out,"? May God bless you all.

"I wrote to you in my letter..." just an aside, I asked about this in church and no one paid attention, but if that's first Corinthians we're reading, there must have been a "lost" prior letter from Paul to the church at Corinth. I've learned that scholars call it "Corinthians A."

Okay, that was free... now to the question you actually asked, lol:

We are to "judge" within the family of God, by "fruit." We dare not judge those outside the Church by the impossible (for them) standards that we hold ourselves and one another to.

For example, when Paul is listing the qualifications for Elder and Deacon, how are we to determine a man's eligibility for such an office? Yes, we JUDGE, based on observations, conduct, reputation, our own interviews, etc. We are not to keep company with immoral people who might drag us down, nor tolerate immorality within the Church. We expect immorality outside the Church, and if we "avoid" such persons we would never evangelize! And look at who Jesus kept company with!

But among His disciples He did not tolerate immorality. As His people we are called out of such bondage and set apart to be holy. This passage of Scripture applies certainly to all believers, now as then, in all places, now as in Corinth.

-R

Thank you for addressing my question.