Remove The Evil Man From Among Yourselves

by Mike Ratliff

9 Ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι πόρνοις, 10 οὐ πάντως τοῖς πόρνοις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἢ τοῖς πλεονέκταις καὶ ἅρπαξιν ἢ εἰδωλολάτραις, ἐπεὶ ὠφείλετε ἄρα ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελθεῖν. 11 νῦν δὲ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ᾖ πόρνος ἢ πλεονέκτης ἢ εἰδωλολάτρης ἢ λοίδορος ἢ μέθυσος ἢ ἅρπαξ, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν. 12 τί γάρ μοι τοὺς ἔξω κρίνειν; οὐχὶ τοὺς ἔσω ὑμεῖς κρίνετε; 13 τοὺς δὲ ἔξω ὁ θεὸς κρινεῖ. ἐξάρατε τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν. (1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NA27)

⁹ I wrote to you in the epistle not to mix with fornicators, ¹⁰ not meaning complete dissociation from the fornicators of this world or greedy and swindlers or idolaters, since you would have to then go out from the world. ¹¹ But now I wrote to you not to mix with anyone who is called a brother if he is a fornicator or a greedy man or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or a swindler. Do not eat with such a man. ¹² For what do I have to do with the judging of outsiders? Is it not the ones within you are to judge? ¹³ But the ones outside God judges. Remove the evil man from among yourselves. (1 Corinthians 5:9-13 a personal translation from the NA27 Greek text)

As the true Gospel is proclaimed with power it is always accompanied by the Law which is used by the Holy Spirit to reveal to the lost their utter need for a Saviour and the complete helplessness to save themselves from the coming wrath of God upon all sin that has not been covered by blood of Christ through his atoning work on the Cross. Those who have not been justified by faith alone through grace alone through believing the Gospel and receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour are those mentioned in the passage above that are “outsiders.” He also makes it clear that many are “called a brother,” but their actions of an unrepentant lifestyle reveal that they are subject to being judged according to “Church Discipline” and cast out of the local body of believers. 

The list Paul gives us here is not complete of course. There many other sins that reveal a heart that is “of this world” and not one of us. For example read the following passage very carefully.

9 Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι θεοῦ βασιλείαν οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν; μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται 10 οὔτε κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν. 11 καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε· ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NA27)

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous ones will not inherit God’s kingdom? Be not deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals ¹⁰ nor thieves nor greedy ones nor drunkards nor revilers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And these things some of you were, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 a personal translation from the NA27 Greek text)

The list has grown. There is a huge push right now in the church visible to elevate personal experience over God’s Truth. I have heard testimony after testimony of homosexuals testifying that “God made them the way they are and loves them that way and the only way they can be ‘happy’ is to remain homosexual” et cetera. The tragedy is so many so-called Christians in our time go out of their way to “affirm” these people while ignoring what God’s Word clearly says.

What is Paul saying in the passage I translated from 1 Corinthians 6? Those people to whom he was writing were just like the world until they were washed clean by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit that continues on in their ongoing sanctification. They were justified by the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God. They were NO LONGER identified by anything on that list. No, they were now Christians. The homosexual lobby in our time is working very hard to say that this is impossible. It is impossible outside of the grace of God, but when God changes someone, they are changed.

Now, what does this say about those in the church visible who ignore these very clear teachings and include in their local churches those who are obviously still of this world and not going to inherit the Kingdom of God? They profess to be our brothers in Christ so we have the obligation to “judge” them and expose them and warn the rest of the Church about them. We must also pray for their repentance.

This is obviously not a popular message, but those who only go after being popular are those who compromise the truth in order to be all inclusive and that is why they do what they do. Let us not do that my brethren.

Soli Deo Gloia!