QUESTION (From Brother Okorie – Nigeria): (Part 1-2)

Eric Aboadwe
November 7 ·

QUESTION (From Brother Okorie – Nigeria):

What does the Apostle Paul mean when he says that we should “Not keep in company with a any brother who is sexually immoral, covetous, an idolater, a reviler, drunkard or an extortioner – not even to eat with that person” (1 Corinthians 5:11)?

ANSWER (Part 1):

Thank you very much Brother for this question. Even if some of us think we already know the answer, as I said on the previous day, it will still enable all of us to learn new things and know how to explain such difficult passages with the guidance of the written Word of God.

So in answering the question, we must understand that even though Paul the Apostle preached and taught about the “GRACE” of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, God the Holy Spirit led him (and other Apostles) to give instructions, advice, admonishment and warning to the body of CHRIST (the Church of God) so that we the Saints of God might know how to conduct ourselves in doing what is “GOOD” and what is “RIGHT” in the sight of God and men irrespective of our weaknesses of the flesh.

Therefore he told us, “For you brethren have been called to LIBERTY; only do not use your LIBERTY as an opportunity for the FLESH, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). The Apostle Peter also confirmed this when he said, “For this is the will of God, that by doing GOOD, you may put silence the ignorance of foolish men. As FREE, yet not using LIBERTY as cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God” (1 Peter 2:15-16).

From this two above passages from both Apostle Paul and Peter, we can see that God was using them to tell us that even though no one can be SAVED or become RIGHTEOUS by obeying the “LAW” but by the “GRACE” of CHRIST alone, it does not mean we should intentionally break the “LAW” to gratify or satisfy the desires of our FLESH which leads us to do more wickedness before God.

Now before we look into our Brother’s question as to why the Apostle Paul told us not to keep in company with a brother who is involved in such immoral acts which Paul enumerated in 1 Corinthians 5:11, we need to know the background of what made Paul to say such things. In other words we must know where Paul was coming from.

When you read the same chapter of 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, there was a circulation of “Sexual immorality” among the born again Saints believers in Corinth to the extent that one of them was even having a sexual relationship with his own “ father’s wife.” It was from this background that the Apostle Paul stated clearly that we should not keep in company with such people which includes the covetous, the idolater, drunkard, etc.

So the QUESTION which our Brother was asking is “WHY” did the Apostle Paul told us with all seriousness to stay away from such a brother and not keep in company with him at all? There are three (3) REASONS for this.

1. First of all Paul told us not to keep in “company” with a brother who is involved in such deliberate acts and behaviours because it brings the name of God into disrepute (it does not GLORIFY His name). That’s why in the book of Romans, Paul told the believers of Judaism whose ethical principles were based on the Torah (the five books of Moses) and the Talmud (collective writings of Jewish Law and tradition) when he said to them, “You who make your boast in the Law, do you DISHONOR God through breaking the Law? For the name of God is BLASPHEMED among the Gentiles because of you as it is written” (Romans 2:23-24).

Therefore if a brother is saved by “GRACE,” and for that matter he wants to live a “lawless” life of being under the control of alcohol, sexual desires, covetousness, idolatry and other deviant behaviors which everybody is watching in the public domain, then it brings “DISHONOR” to the name of God and His name is “BLASPHEMED” among the Gentiles (the unbelievers) as a result of the behavior and attitude of that brother.

2. The second reason why Paul told us not to keep in “company” with such a brother because such acts “OFFEND” the outsiders by hardening their hearts and putting a “STUMBLING BLOCK” on them which prevents them from accepting and believing in the true gospel of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. It induce the unbelievers to think that because of the “GRACE” a born again Saint is intentionally committing more SINS freely at his own whim and caprices. So if a brother is painting such a picture to an unbeliever, how can the gospel be attracted to such a person?

This is the reason why the Apostle Paul said that “Therefore, if food makes my brother STUMBLE, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother STUMBLE” (1 Corinthians 8:13). But if on the other hand there is a brother who thinks, “My SINS have already been forgiven by the water and blood of CHRIST. I am no longer under the LAW and so I can do whatever I like whether people believe in the gospel or not. I will still continue in my drunkenness, sexual immorality, idolatry and covetousness.”

If a believer thinks and live like this as shown above, then he is living to please himself alone according to his selfish desires which are “EVIL,” and he does not care whether people go to Hell” or not. In fact such a believer will actually drive more souls to hell, and he will raise more people to OPPOSE the gospel of God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS..

3. The third reason why the Apostle Paul told us not to keep in “company” with such a brother is because “EVIL” company corrupt “GOOD” habits. That’s why he told us in the same book of Corinthians when he said, “Do not be deceived: “EVIL company corrupts GOOD habits. Awake to RIGHTEOUSNESS, and do not SIN; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your SHAME” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

We must understand that irrespective of our strong “wills,” if we continuously live and walk with a brother who is involved in immoral acts such as sexual immorality or drunkenness, we may be influences in one way or the other even if the influence is not 100%. Even small influence is still an influence. For example the brother will tell you, “Why don’t you take a little bit of the wine? Just sip a little, you know Paul told Timothy to take a little ALCOHOL for his stomach infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23).

Here, even though what the drunkard brother is saying is true that taking a “little ALCOHOL” is moderate, before you realize, you have already drank three glasses, and your eyes begins to go round, and the world begins to turn upside down for you. Then you become addicted to it. This is what Paul mean by “EVIL company corrupts GOOD habits.” However if you are closer and walking with an unbeliever who is a drunkard, this is completely DIFFERENT, and it is not a stumbling block. That’s why JESUS even ate and drank with the sinners such as prostitutes and tax collectors (Mark 2:16-17). So Paul was not talking about unbelievers, but believers who are involved in such acts.

Brothers and Sisters, there are some acts and deeds which brings “SHAME” to us and also “DISHONOR” God. The Apostle Paul himself admitted that there is nothing good in his flesh (Romans 7:18), but he also desired to do “GOOD” according to the “LAW.” It does not mean we try to obey the “LAW” in order to become RIGHTEOUS. That is not the case because we have already been made RIGHTEOUS by God through our faith in the baptism and blood of JESUS CHRIST.

Therefore we must understand that if a brother in the gospel is in “company” with another brother who is living an immoral life, the truth is that he will also be affected and the unbelievers will see him as such. This is because if that brother does not DESIST from immoral acts and the other brother is always with him and walking with him, the unbelievers will think that this brother has also giving him the “green light” to continue in such acts, and therefore they are all the same.

When it happens like that and the other brother who is NOT involved in such acts approach the unbelievers to preach the gospel to them, they will neither accept or believe in it even though he is NOT involved in immoral behavior but they are just friends. This is because the outsiders believe according to the Bible verse which says, “Can two walk together unless they are AGREED?” (Amos 3:3). Therefore they think that this brother who is NOT involved in such act have also “AGREED” with the other brother to continue in those immoral acts, and this is why they “walk together.”

For this reason, when Paul says we should not keep in “company” with a brother who is involved in such acts, we must know that it is for the sake of the GOSPEL. In other words Paul spoke the will of God so that the GOSPEL of our Lord JESUS CHRIST will continue to be diffused in every place and to continue to flourish without being a “STUMBLING BLOCK” to others because of the immoral acts of some believers.

The Part 2 of the ANSWER to this QUESTION will continue, and I want to do this in order to clarify and elaborate on more things to conclude it.

God bless you all in abundance.

Eric Aboadwe
www.nlmbookcafe.com/blog/eric







Eric Aboadwe
November 17 ·

QUESTION – Part 2 (From Brother Okorie – Nigeria):

What does the Apostle Paul mean when he says that we should “Not keep in company with a any brother who is sexually immoral, covetous, an idolater, a reviler, drunkard or an extortioner – not even to eat with that person” (1 Corinthians 5:11)?

ANSWER (Part 2):

We give THANKS to God who spoke to us previously in Part 1 concerning the question which our Brother raised, and we saw the three (3) main reasons why God’s Word tells us through the writings of Paul that we should not keep in “company” with those who live objectionable lifestyle such as sexual immorality, drunkenness, idolatry, and etc. We also came to understand the reason why we have to live by doing “GOOD” and doing things “RIGHT” for the sake of the gospel of our blessed Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST.

However, even though the Bible tells us not to keep on “company” with those who are involved in such acts, we must understand that they are not our “ENEMIES” in as much as they do not deny the gospel of God’s “RIGHTEOUSNESS” which saved them from SINS once and for all. Such people are still our Brothers and Sisters, but the reason why the Word of God tells us not to keep in “company” with such people is because they become the “stubborn-hearted” who continue to live in an unhealthy lifestyle, and all advice and admonishment given to such people fall on “dead EARS.”

We must know that the Apostle Paul and true believers do not “HATE” any Brother or Sister who is involved in these immoral acts . Paul actually “loved” such people with the “LOVE” of CHRIST which is found in His free gift of “RIGHTEOUSNESS” and which was fulfilled by JESUS through the baptism that He received from John the Baptist (Matthew 3:15) and His dead on the Cross which paid the price and judgment of all our SINS.

And because Paul had this “love” for all the Saints including those who even commit immoral acts, he said in his epistle to the Galatians, “Brethren, if a man is over-taken in any trespass, you who are spiritual RESTORE such a one in a spirit of GENTLENESS, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Here we can see that the Bible did NOT say that when a Brother or Sister is overtaken in any “trespass” such as sexual immorality or drunkenness we should not keep in “company” with him or her. It did not say that.

Rather, the Word of God says we should *_“RESTORE”_* that brother in the *_“spirit of GENTLENESS.”_* So what does this mean? It means that when a brother commits any sinful acts, we don’t have to tell him, “This is a SHAMEFUL act! How can a born again Saint like you do such things? I don’t even think you are born again. I will never get close to you again. When you see me anywhere, don’t come near me.” This is not the “spirit of GENTLENESS,” but it is the spirit of PRIDE and self-righteousness.

The true “spirit of GENTLENESS” will speak this way, “Brother, don’t let your soul become discouraged, or condemn yourself, JESUS has already made you a RIGHTEOUS person, and you will always remain RIGHTEOUS forever in the Kingdom of God. But the problem is that when you continue to do this, people around you who have seen your BAD acts will find it difficult to accept the GOSPEL, and they will even speak against it. This is the reason why you must put a stop by the GRACE of God. So please understand this.”

Then the “HUMBLE” brother will respond by saying, “Oh Brother, thank you very much for your encouragement and advice in the Word of God. What you are saying is really true. I really admit my faults and wrong doings. I really want to put a stop to this, and I believe that with your PRAYER support and encouragement, the GRACE of JESUS will be enough and sufficient for me to overcome this. I am also PRAYING to God to help me in this.” When a Brother speak sincerely like this, there is no way we will stay away from him. Such a brother is NOT the one that the Apostle Paul said we should not keep in “company” with him.

Paul was talking about those who are recalcitrant or “stubborn-hearted,” and who justify their “BAD” acts and “EVIL” deeds in order to continue in them. Such people are the ones who respond by saying, “But don’t you also commit SINS? Don’t you also have WEAKNESSES? This is my WEAKNESS. Leave me alone and mind your own business. It is not because of me that people fail to believe in the gospel. They have already decided that they will not believe in it. Am I the one who told them not to believe in God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS? If they have decided not to believe in the gospel, don’t put the blame on me. They can go to hell if they want.”

Those who respond badly like this are the ones that the Bible told us through the Apostle Paul that we should not keep in “company” with them. Such people do not have a “compassionate” heart, and they have actually set their hearts on “WICKEDNESS.” In fact many of such people existed in the Church of Corinth, and they made the Apostle Paul to sob and cry in tears. The Apostle Paul wept due to such people.
That’s why he told us in Corinthians, “Beside the other things, what comes upon me DAILY is my deep CONCERN for all the Churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to STUMBLE, and I do not burn with indignation? (2 Corinthians 11:28-29). Paul spoke this way because what was going on in the churches especially the Church of Corinth was very awful, terrible and disgraceful.

For example among the believers in the Church of Corinth, there was always envy, strife and divisions among them. Also they were comparing themselves with one another and saying Apollos is better, whiles others say Paul is better (1 Corinthians 3:3-4). Not only this, they were also fighting against one another to the extent that a brother will take his own brother to the law court of unbelievers (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). Not only this, but we also saw in the Part 1 how a brother was involved in a shameful act of having a sexual relationship with his own fathers wife (1 Corinthians 5:1).

Also when you take the Church at Thessalonica for example, they were also taking the wives of their own brothers in the FAITH and sleeping with them in cohabitation. That’s why Paul told the Thessalonians as shown below:

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of LUST, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and DEFRAUD his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also FOREWARNED you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7).

Here, when Paul says that “no one should take advantage of and DEFRAUD his brother in this matter,” it means that some of the brothers in Thessalonica were burn with “LUST” to the extent that they were also cheating their fellow brothers in the FAITH by sleeping with their wives just like the Corinthians. That’s why Paul told them, “each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of LUST.” In other words, Paul was telling them that everyone must possess his own woman or wife and abstain from sleeping with another brother’s wife.

Therefore due to what was happening in some of the Churches, Paul did not rest day and night to PRAY to God. That’s why earlier in our readings, we saw how he told the Corinthians, “Beside the other things, what comes upon me DAILY is my deep CONCERN for all the Churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to STUMBLE, and I do not burn with indignation? (2 Corinthians 11:28-29).

Paul was saying in the above passage that when a brother intentionally involve himself in immoral acts to make another person who believe in God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS to “STUMBLE,” or he makes an unbeliever who wants to believe in the gospel to “STUMBLE,” he said that it made him to burn with “indignation” (anger caused by offense), and it made him uncomfortable because it was not good for the gospel at all.

As I said earlier, those who do not ADMIT their faults, weaknesses, and wrong doings are the ones that the Word of God says that we should NOT keep in “company” with them. They may believe in the GOSPEL alright, but the problem is that they want to obey the will of Satan, and they allow the Devil to stir their emotions of “lust” and “wickedness” to cause trouble for the Church and to bring the name of God into disrepute.

So there is a difference between those who ADMIT their weaknesses and sinful acts, and those who do not ADMIT them. And we must take note of the fact that such things which existed in the Churches during the time of the Apostle Paul also exist today. That’s why King Solomon said, “...And there is nothing NEW under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). In fact one Brother from Kenya told me similar things going on there, and I was really SAD because he told me that brothers who are involved in such acts REFUSE to change their “EVIL” ways even when you advice and admonish them.

In CONCLUSION, what will help us to lead a good life? It is when we recognize and accept the fact that the “LAW” and the “Commandments” of God are very “GOOD” for our lives and for our everyday living (Romans 7:12). And though there is nobody who can obey even all the Ten (10) Commandments or the 613 Articles of the “LAW,” and even though there is not RIGHTEOUS man who does “GOOD” and does not SIN (Ecclesiastes 7:20), we must still choose to do “GOOD” because “Doing GOOD is GOOD.”

That’s why when “The Jerusalem Council” was set up during the time of the Apostle to resolve matters arising in the Church, they all came together to advice one another, and the Apostle James also brought forth his suggesting by saying, “Therefore I judge that we should not TROUBLE those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood” (Acts 15:19-20).

May the LORD help all of us even as we live by FAITH in His RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Amen!

Eric Aboadwe
www.nlmbookcafe.com/blog/eric
www.bjnewlife.org