Dissociating from Immorality in the Body

The People of God Set Priorities
Living as a Community of Believers
Glorify God with Your Body

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

The Message

^9-13 I wrote you in my earlier letter that you shouldn’t make yourselves at home among the sexually promiscuous. I didn’t mean that you should have nothing at all to do with outsiders of that sort. Or with crooks, whether blue- or white-collar. Or with spiritual phonies, for that matter. You’d have to leave the world entirely to do that! But I am saying that you shouldn’t act as if everything is just fine when a friend who claims to be a Christian is promiscuous or crooked, is flip with God or rude to friends, gets drunk or becomes greedy and predatory. You can’t just go along with this, treating it as acceptable behavior. I’m not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don’t we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers? God decides on the outsiders, but we need to decide when our brothers and sisters are out of line and, if necessary, clean house.

For Reflection

Does this passage speak more to us than, "Protect your reputation?"  Excommunication, the ultimate house cleaning, was recently used by the Roman Pope.  What responsibility do we have?  What action should be taken, personally or communally? How does one approach another in the spirit of compassion and love?  How does one help another to see the folly in his or her way without driving the other away from communion in the fellowship and away from God?  When is standing on authority counter-productive? Hard questions beg to be answered.

Pray

confessing your own sins and seeking repentance.  Pray for those who are slipping away from their relationship with God.  Pray for God's council.  Pray that you will find creative ways to heal.