Kick Them Out

1 Corinthians 5.1-13



1 Corinthians 5 tells the unsavory story of a guy in the Corinthian Church who was having sex with his stepmother. Now you'd think this would cause quite an uproar among church folks, but this overly tolerant congregation was sitting on their hands and doing nothing about it.

When Paul got wind of this he had a cow. It didn't take him long to reach his bottom line: kick the guy out of the church! The implication for today is that sometimes in extreme cases it might be necessary to do the bad job of asking someone to leave.


I have never had occasion to do this. Nor do want to. It's messy... very messy.



Paul's concern was that a little yeast can spread through the whole lump of dough. Translated: Sin can be contagious if not dealt with. The moral character of any group needs to be protected and preserved.

How we act in a group influences the group: both for good and for evil. There is no solitary sin. Sin always influences the social and public sphere. We would be wise to hold each other accountable, to help our church family build character and integrity. We are all connected to each other.

It seems to me that there are two poles in this regard: extreme tolerance on the one hand and witch hunting on the other. We need to avoid both extremes.

How involved in other people's lives are you willing to be?

Additional scriptures: Matthew 7.1-5, James 4.11-12, 1 Timothy 1.20. Matthew 18.15-17, Titus 3.10, 2 Corinthians 2.5-7.