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Explaining a misunderstood term:
v. 9. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators;
v. 10. yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
v. 11. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one no not to eat.
v. 12. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within?
v. 13. But them, that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Paul had some time before written the Corinthians a letter which is lost, probably having been destroyed immediately for some reason. In that epistle he had used a term which had been understood falsely: Not to become intimate with fornicators. The Corinthian Christians had interpreted the word in a most rigid sense, namely, that they were bidden under no circumstances, not even in business and in the performance of their duties as citizens, to have intercourse with any persons that were addicted to immoral habits. The word which Paul had used literally means "to mix oneself up with," and he now interprets it for them: I did not altogether forbid your holding intercourse with the fornicators of this world or with the avaricious, robbers, or idolaters. If they had the intention of shutting themselves entirely away from all men that were guilty of these sins, even in the course of their ordinary business life, then the inevitable result would be that they must get out of the world. It was impossible to pursue any avocation at Corinth, without coming into daily contact with immoral, rapacious, idolatrous people. Paul was very well aware of this inevitable intercourse; he was far from suggesting or approving the life of anchorites, hermits, and monks. But now, in the present epistle, he is couching his admonitions in such language that his meaning is unmistakable. If anyone was still in doubt as to the interpretation of the former letter, it would be impossible to mistake his meaning now: If any one calling himself a brother, professing to be a member of the Christian congregation, enrolled as one of their own number, is a fornicator, or avaricious, or an idolater, or a reviler, an abuser of others, or a drunkard, with such a one you should not even eat. Paul gives only a few examples of flagrant, heinous offenses, which obviously make a person unworthy of belonging to the communion of the Christian brethren. Business transactions a Christian may have with such persons, but to enter into friendly relations of social intimacy with them, to hold fraternal, friendly commerce with men of this stamp, such conduct will never agree with the Christian profession. So far as the unbelievers are concerned, the Christian congregation has no jurisdiction over them: What business have I to judge those that are without? We Christians know indeed that the unbelievers and gross sinners are under the condemnation of God, and circumstances often arise that we inform them to that effect, but the apostle here speaks of communion, of social intimacy within the congregation, of Christian fellowship. Since unbelievers are not members of the Christian congregation, the jurisdiction of the congregation does not extend to them. Do not you judge those that are within, while those without God judges? As the Judge of the world, God is taking care of the sentence of those without, of the unbelievers. So far as the congregation at Corinth is concerned, they should remove the wicked man from their midst, expel him from their communion, and thus preserve the purity of their membership in Christ. The formal expulsion of the malignant sinner must proceed from the congregation as a self-governing body. Note: The necessity of church discipline is here maintained and must be upheld if the Christian congregation is to fulfill its destiny and purpose.
Summary.Paul earnestly reproves the Corinthians for their neglect to discipline an incestuous person in their midst, warns them to purge out the old leaven, and corrects a misunderstanding as to social intimacy with flagrant transgressors of the Decalogue, whose expulsion from the congregation he demands.
Church Discipline
The question of church discipline in a Christian congregation does not come under the heading of things indifferent, as St. Paul shows in the chapter above, its use rather being enjoined and insisted upon in Scriptures in the most emphatic terms. The fact that very many congregations are neglecting this important part of the duties imposed upon them by the Lord of the Church argues for the increasing worldliness of the Church, is, in fact, in many cases an indication of disintegration. The teaching of Scriptures on this point is very plain.
The Lord, first of all, gives very distinct instructions as to the persons in whose case church discipline is to be exercised. These are the brothers and sisters that belong to the congregation, that have joined the congregation, either by baptism and confirmation, or on the basis of a letter of dismissal from another congregation, or by a profession of faith which indicated complete spiritual unity. As long as a person is in this sense a member of the congregation, so long he or she is under the jurisdiction of the congregation, as far as church discipline is concerned, Mat_18:15; 1Co_5:11. If a person declares that he or she is no longer a member of the congregation, and insists upon having nothing more to do with the congregation, then the latter can only make a statement, declaring that such a person belongs to them that are without, 1Co_5:12. It must be expressly understood, however, that the jurisdiction of the congregation is not limited to the voting members nor to the men, but includes all the members of the congregation, men and women, young and old.
To be liable to church discipline, a person must be a sinner, not, indeed, in the sense that we all fail, that we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment, that we find ourselves obliged to put off our sins by daily contrition and repentance, but in the sense of being a flagrant, open, willful offender and transgressor of the will of God. The sins with which we are here concerned are transgressions of an unmistakable word of God, sins which take away faith out of the heart and render a person a non-Christian. Some of these are mentioned 1Co_5:11. Others are: deliberate neglect of the Christian instruction of children, remiss-ness in the use of the means of grace, obstinate defense of an obvious heresy, enmity and implacableness, denial of a fundamental truth of Scriptures, and many more. If a member of the congregation becomes guilty of these and similar sins, as plainly prohibited in the Decalogue, then he becomes liable to church discipline.
The Lord has also prescribed the form which church discipline is to take. As a rule, the steps given in Mat_18:15-18 are to be observed. He that knows of the sin that has been committed should first approach the sinner and should try to gain his brother. If all his efforts fail, then he should take one or two witnesses along with him and repeat his attempt. Loving patience is essential at this point. But if every endeavor meets with the same obstinate resistance, then the matter must finally be brought to the attention of the congregation. And here again, all long-suffering must be employed, as long as there is any hope whatsoever of gaining the erring member. It is only when every effort proves futile that the resolution of excommunication should be passed. Under circumstances, especially when the sin is known to the majority of the church-members, when it is a notorious infamy or scandal, this procedure may be suspended, 1Ti_5:20. Even in this case, however, the wisdom of charity will usually find that it is better to treat the matter in a smaller circle first. At all times the members of the congregation must remain conscious of the fact that the mind of Jesus Christ must live in them, and that all their efforts must be guided by a truly evangelical spirit. For the object of church discipline is always to gain the brother, if possible, to bring him to a realization of his transgression, and to keep him in the midst of the congregation. And even when the decree of excommunication must be spoken, it should be done in sorrow and in the hope that, in the dispensation of God, the spirit of the offender may yet be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, 1Co_5:5.
Church discipline is in charge of the congregation, Mat_18:20; 1Co_5:4. "It is true, our meeting of the voting members is not the entire congregation, but it represents the entire congregation and forms a meeting which is well adapted for the exercise of church discipline. It is perfectly evident that children and such as are not of age are not yet able to take part in the exercise of this power. For this presupposes a certain degree of Christian knowledge and a certain maturity of character. Furthermore, the Lord Himself has excluded the women from public speaking and voting in the congregation. And therefore it has become the custom among us to give to the male members of the congregation that have completed the twenty-first year of their life the right to vote, and to place the government of the congregation and the exercise of church discipline into the hands of these members. It may even happen that the exercise of the admonition in the third step is entrusted to a smaller circle. This is the case particularly when it concerns a person of the female sex, who might be too bashful to appear before a larger assembly of men. In that case the object of church discipline, namely, that of gaining the sister, may be reached more easily in a smaller circle. "