Should We Judge?
One of the most difficult passages of scripture in the New Testament is found in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians chapter 5. Paul writes in I Corinthians 5: 9-13 on an interesting topic, judging others. Should we judge others and, if so, who do we judge? Paul warns the Corinthians not to keep company with people who are sexually immoral, or people who covet or are idolaters. He immediately clarifies himself as to his meaning. He isn't talking about not keeping company with people in the world who do these things. Because as he says, "then you would need to go out of the world". Who then judges those people? Paul tells us that God does.
Not Here to Judge the Lost
Our purpose is to be salt and light to the world. We can't be removed from it. We are here to show God's love to everyone. We are not here to judge the lost, those who do not know Christ. That is God's business. Jesus prays in John 17: 15,
"I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one."
It's unrealistic as a Christian to expect non-believers to act like believers. Our only job is to bring Christ to them. The Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin, not us.
Judge Those Who Are Inside
Paul explains in this passage that the people we should not keep company with are those who are so called believers who are sexually immoral. Paul mentions several sins but the list could go on with many other examples. He speaks of idolators. These can be those people who obviously put other things before God like money, power, influence, or sports, for example. He also mentions those who are, revilers*, drunkards and extortioners. Those people we should remove ourselves from. Paul says, "...judge those who are inside" (I Corinthians 5:12(b). Those are the only people who are judged by other Christians. He reiterates this in 2 Thessalonians 3: 14-15,
"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. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother."
Such a person is to be admonished, warned, as a brother in Christ. In the church we shouldn't overlook unrepentant sins that are obvious to all. This passage isn't talking about the occasional sin that is then repented of, but those sins who are consistently present. For example, if someone becomes a Christian but remains a drug addict, and doesn't repent of it that is someone who should be warned. They should be addressed in love.
For Correction
Why should this be done? Literally Paul says so that the person should be "ashamed" and see their sin and repent of it. It isn't done for punishment but for correction. To bring this person back into fellowship with other believers. When Paul says in I Corinthinians 13(b) , "put away from yourselves the evil person.", he is reiterating what is said several times in the book of Deuteronomy. Jewish people always have taught that people who sin against God blatantly and without repentance should be removed.
I Corinthians 15: 33 says this,
"Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
We warn people of danger for a reason. We warn people to wear seat belts, we warn people to have smoke detectors in their homes, how much more should we warn people about their relationship to God. In addition, to continue to associate with a person like this threatens your own walk with God.
We Warn Those We Love
At first glance this passage seems to many to be unloving. Chapter 5 begins with an example of sexual immorality that was present in the Corinthian church. A man was sleeping with his father's wife, presumably his step mother. This was known, not hidden. How loving would it be not to warn this man? If warning people we love in order to save their physical lives is a good thing, how much better would warning them to repent and restore their relationship to God be.
Who Do We Associate With
We are asked not to keep company with "brothers" who sin willfully, openly and without repentance. Imagine what nonChristian people would think about what it means to be a Christian if we associated regulary with so called "brothers" who lived this way. They would see you hanging out with people who called themselves one thing but acted the opposite. They would wonder to themselves, "I thought these people were supposed to be different."
Open Sinning
This "judging" is only allowed in this specific instance. Only someone who calls themselves a brother, only someone who sins openly and repeatedly, and only someone who is unrepentant. Remember that before the 4th century confession of publicly known sins was usually open and public. According to one author, "It was a way for the Church to show non-Christians that they took sin seriously and weren’t trying to cover up the actions of hypocrites." The church quite literally knew who had repented and who had not.
Not for Finding Flaws
So what Paul is NOT saying is that we should run around finding every flaw in our fellow brothers and sisters and pointing them out for all to see. No not at all. This public warning was only for severe, ongoing and open sins. In the early church people were being martyred for their faith. Being a Christian was serious. We have perhaps become too accepting in our present age, which is to the detriment of the church as a whole.
* A reviler describes someone who sins in their speech, for example slander, insults, angry outbursts, and bad language.
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