No Fornicators, Covetous, Extortioners or Idolaters 1 Corinthians 5:10

Paul the apostle told the church in Corinth to “keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”. In chapter five and verse ten of First Corinthians, Paul told the church members in Corinth not to “company with”, “fornicators, covetous, extortioners or idolaters” where we read:

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.

The verse begins, “Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, ...” Paul began with the words, “Yet not altogether” which means “even, also and indeed in any and every way, by all means, doubtless, surely and certainly” “with the fornicators” or “alongside the person who prostitutes his body to another's lust for hire or indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse” “of this world” which refers to “that belong to the circle of the earth, the earth and the aggregate of earthly goods, endowments, riches, advantages and pleasures”, “or with the covetous” which means “or alongside ones who are eager to have more especially what belongs to others and greedy of gain”. Paul did not want the church members to be involved with “sexually immoral” or “greedy” people in the world.

The verse continues, “... or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye need to go out of the world.” Paul added the words, “or extortioners” which means “rapacious, ravenous or robber”, “or with idolaters” which refers to “or alongside worshipers of false gods”; “for then must you need to” or “because and since at that point the church members would owe, be in debt and have goodwill due” “go out of” which means “by and away from” “the world” or “that belong to the circle of the earth, the earth and the aggregate of earthly goods, endowments, riches, advantages and pleasures”. Paul also instructed the church members not to be involved with people in the world who were “ravenous thieves and robbers” or “worshipers of false gods” because then they would “owe or be in debt” to them.

When we think through these words from Paul, we understand how he desired for the church members to be “separate” from wicked people “in the world”. “Fornicators, covetous people, extortioners and idolators” were to be avoided, and by obeying they would remove “leaven” from them. Jesus church in Corinth was to be “pure” and “holy” as He desires, and as we note Paul's instruction to the church members, let us also keep ourselves apart from evil workers.

Next time Paul shares how the church members were not to “keep company” with “any man that is called a brother” who is “a fornicator, covetous, idolater, railer, drunkard or extortioner”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.