“All Things Are Lawful For Me…” (The Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Assembly of Messianic Believers)

Well, I’m going to take a slight break from our series on the plurality of the Godhead series to tackle one of the Apostle Paul’s many difficult passages that the anti-Torah crowd sometimes likes to throw in our path and incite within us some difficulty when defending aspects of our Hebrew Roots/Messianic position. The passage in question is I Corinthians 6:12 which reads as follows:

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (KJV).

A Simple Read of the Passage

Now, if we were to simply pick one of our dusty bibles off our cluttered bookshelf, open it directly to this verse, and read it as if were reading any portion of any document that we may have happened to receive in our hot little hands, it would seem pretty clear to must of us that Paul asserting to his Corinthian audience that he was not hampered, hindered, bound, tied-up, impounded, bamboozled, weighed-down by or obliged to obey rules and laws. It appears also that Paul was asserting further that he himself would not fall victim to the influences of people or things or situations. Interestingly, Paul seems to also assert that although he was not obliged obey anyone’s rules and laws, it was clear to him that it may not be the wisest thing for him to live his life care and fancy free.

Again, there’s not a lot of wiggle-room with this passage of the Holy Writ in terms of meaning; that is, if one were to read and interpret it as written without benefit of contextual analysis. Yeah. About that. Contextual analysis.

Is The Conventional Understanding Accurate?

I would suggest that maybe the meaning to this passage may not be as evident or as obvious as it seems from a simple, rote, western read of this verse. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again and again if the situations warrant it: “context, context, context.”

Paul’s Writings Are Letters Addressed To A Specific Audience Addressing Specific Issues and Topics

If the world, especially the Christian world, would simply gain an accurate understanding of what these brilliant, beautiful and variant writings contained in the pages of our English-language bibles represent, everyone concerned would arrive at a truer understanding of Paul’s position on various topics and issues directly affecting his beloved assemblies of believers. In terms of Paul’s 13-writings, they must be viewed or read in light of what they actually are: letters! These are letters! And what are letters? They are writings addressing real, existing issues and topics and subjects affecting the letters’ intended audiences. I know this may wrangle a few feathers, but I would suggest that those letters have absolutely nothing to do with us as individuals. In other words, Paul did not address and write his letters directly to you nor I. So by us getting our fingers on these letters and reading them, we essentially are eavesdropping on the situations and topics that Paul is addressing in his various writings.

Father Saved These Letters For Our Benefit

Father in His infinite wisdom and providence preserved those precious writings of the apostles for our benefit. Although Paul’s letters may not have been addressed to any one of us at the time he wrote them, it’s a fair bet that as he was composing each letter, he was being lead—inspired—by the Holy Spirit. Thus his writings contained the Word of the Most High God—our Elohim—Father’s Torah; and so Paul’s writings have tremendous value to the Body of Messiah even today.

The Apostle Paul Wrote Letters Addressed to Specific People Addressing Specific Issues and Topics.

Ignoring Paul’s Writings For What They Really Are–Letters

The problem, I believe, comes into play when we—the Body of Messiah, in addition to the Church Triumphant and Churchianity—elect to ignore what Paul’s writings truly are, but instead use them as numbered sound-bites that support one’s doctrinal positions on certain issues. For way too many of us, Paul’s writings have become ready pick-axes and sledge hammers that serve to chip away at and ultimately decimate Father’s instructions—His Torah—and the True teachings of our Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach. The solution, however, is to simply remember what it is we are reading; figure out what issue or topic or situation Paul is addressing at the time; do a little background investigation and determine what life was like in the particular assembly to which Paul was writing; and read the entire letter. At the very least, it is incumbent upon the reader to at the very least step back and read enough of the letter to gain a fuller understanding of what Paul was addressing, and not just read an isolate verse.

A Little Background First

Employing a modicum of contextual analysis, we find that Corinth was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth which is a narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. The language most likely spoken by the Corinthian assembly members was Doric Greek—a known dialect of Greek spoken in that particular region.

A very important piece of information that should be understood about the average ancient Corinthian man and woman is that they practiced Greek Polytheism. This important fact obviously posed quite a challenge to the local Messianic congregation. Morality-wise, the city was notorious for its debauchery, even when compared with known standards of the heathen world of the day. In particular, Corinth was sexually immoral and we find that some of this nastiness seemed to had seeped into the Corinthian Assembly.

Given the heavy Greek-cultural influences associated with the region, there was always a high risk of conflict between the Corinthian Messianics and secular, day-to-day city life. Paul certainly felt the squeeze in terms of what he was bringing to the region by way of a simple Gospel message and the overriding value the citizenry of the region attributed to Greek philosophy and their highly developed art of rhetoric and discourse (I Cor. 2:1). Thus Paul’s brand of the Gospel of the Kingdom in its simplicity and defined purpose, had to contend with a social art form that had been refined and developed over a number of centuries. It appears evident that Paul attempted to avoid Alexandrian-learning and eloquence as much as possible, choosing, despite the stiff competition posed by these regional elements, to stick with the simplicity of the Gospel message (I Cor. 2:1-5).

In terms of local, regional and national government, scholars have evidence to suggest the Corinthians were under an oligarchy. An oligarchy is essentially a form of government that is run by a relatively small number of individuals who tended to be on the wealthy side of life. These were generally landowners, of royal descent or current or former leaders of the reigning military power. In the case of Corinth, we’re safe to conclude that the members of the oligarchy were privileged Romans. The actual city and state of Corinth was refounded by Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.E. So this city-state was well established at the time of Paul’s writings.

Corinth was a complicated city that heavily influenced its Messianic Assembly of Believers.

According to Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Corinth was “famed for its wealth and commerce, which were chiefly due to its geographical orientation between the Ionian and AEgean Sea and the isthmus connecting the Peloponese with Greece. “

The Corinthian Assembly Itself–It’s Make-up and Operation

The Assembly of Messianic Believers in Corinth is believed to have been founded by the Apostle Paul who first visited the city somewhere around 49/50 C.E. It is widely accepted among certain bible scholars that Paul resided in Corinth some 18 months; this according to Acts 18:1-18. It is here that he meets and befriends his traveling partners Priscilla and Aquila. They worked with Paul in Corinth as tent-makers and they regularly attended that city’s Jewish synagogue. The assembly was composed primarily of Gentiles (I Cor. 12:2) and Jews (Acts 18:8), this despite the general opposition against Paul by the Jewish community in that city.

Additionally there were Judaizers from Palestine—namely Jerusalem–who apparently attacked Paul’s apostolic authority which served only to add to Paul’s over-extended headache (ref. I Cor. 9:1, 2; 2 Cor. 10:1, 7, 8). Some of these Judaizers were pushing Peter’s apostolic leadership while others insisted only on the leadership of Yeshua Messiah (I Cor. 1:12; 2 Cor. 10:7). According to these individuals, Paul did not qualify to be an apostle as he was not one of the original twelve, nor was he an eye-witness of the dispensation of the Gospel by Master Yahoshua.

In all fairness, however, a great many Corinthians proved loyal to Paul, who at time exalted him, over our Messiah.

From a socio-economical perspective, the Corinthian converts were of the “humbler class” (I Cor. 1:26), although there were exception such as Crispus (I Cor. 1:14; Acts 18:8); Erastus and Gaius (Caius) (Rom. 16:23).

The Chloe Intervention

So recognizing I Corinthians for what it is, a letter written by Paul addressing specific topics and issues in the Corinthian Assembly of Messianic Believers, it is evident that the Apostle’s addressing of those specific topics and issues in the Assembly was prompted by some event(s) or someone(s). Part and parcel of every bible-student’s exegetical tool belt must be the firm understanding and practice that the bible must be allowed to interpret itself—to answer questions to subject matter that may be unanswered in the body of the text in which we are presently studying. In other words, sometimes to figure out why a certain thing is occurring in a passage we may presently be examining, we’ll have to dig around somewhere else in the Bible to get the answer(s) we’re looking for. In this particular case, in answering the question of what or who prompted Paul’s writing of this letter to the Corinthian Assembly, we actually have to step back some five-chapters to the first chapter of this letter, whereby we learn from Paul’s own pen that Chloe, a prominent member of the Corinthian Assembly informed Paul of the various problems ongoing in this assembly he, Paul, had started.

At the risk of appearing disrespectful, it seems as though Chloe was not a participant in the various problems plaguing the Corinthian Assembly. It further appears that maybe Chloe was fed up with all the mess and problems that she had either personally seen or heard were taking place and turned to Paul to intercede and bring the various conflicts and problems to an abrupt end. It’s possible too that Chloe attempted to either work through and resolve these ongoing issues and problems herself, either directly or indirectly through various leaders of the assembly. But of course it appears equally evident that the problems did not cease and were bad enough that she felt Paul needed to step in and fix the place before it imploded in on itself. How Chloe communicated the assembly’s problems to Paul, who at the time this letter was written, was some 240-miles away in the city of Ephesus (as the crow files) is not certain, but it would seem reasonable to conclude that she did either by messenger and or letter.

The Corinthian Assembly–Plagued With Many Troubles

This letter testifies to the many problems plaguing the assembly that Chloe petitioned Paul to address. Those problems included: contentions, divisions, Corinthian believers suing fellow believers in heathen law courts, abuses of spiritual gifts that often manifested into occasions of gross displays and fanaticism; interruptions of public worship by simultaneous and disorderly ministrations; unveiled women speaking out and usurping positions of authority in the assembly (which was foreign to the cultural practices of the region); desecration of the Master’s Supper by acts of greediness and revelry; the great controversy of Messianics consuming meats offered to idols; the issues related to celibacy and marriage, the exercise of spiritual gifts in public worship; and the collection of funds for needy saints (I Cor. 16:1).

Quite a laundry list of problems and complaints that were posed to Paul by Chloe and the other assembly messengers, which to me explains why it comes in 2nd, just behind Romans, in terms of size or word count when compared to the other 12 Pauline letters.

Antinomianism and the Corinthian Assembly of Messianic Believers

Now, here’s a piece of key investigative background information that is needed to better understand the Apostle’s seemingly random statement that all things were lawful for him. Paul had to contend with “Antinomianism,” which was a prevailing liberal mindset held by a great number of citizens in the region and no doubt, not too few Messianic Corinthian Assembly members as well. Antinomianism according to Wikipedia “is any view which rejects laws or legalism and is against moral, religious or social norms, or is at least considered to do so.” Where this all gets really dicey is when this concept comes face-to-face with Torah as would be expected in Corinth. What we would see likely played out here in Paul’s day within the Corinthian Messianic Assembly is very similar to the anti-Torah mindset of traditional and fundamental Christianity today: that is believers are saved by grace alone and are thus not at all required to keep Torah—such that “all things are lawful for one to do as they seem fit to do.” The problem with this mindset, as we all know, is that it encourages unknowing, biblically weak believers to live lives outside the established will of YHVH. And although Paul no doubt attempted to marginalize the influence of the Corinthian Judaizers of the assembly by asserting that our salvation could not be earned by obedience to Torah or following the ways and teachings of the sages and Judaism—that salvation is a gift from YHVH—He also had to walk that often too fine a line whereby obedience to Judaism had to be separated from obedience to Torah. For who in their Messianic right mind would ever teach or even insinuate that it was alright for Corinthian believers to steal, fornicate, murder, mistreat their fellow man, use the Name of our Elohim in vain, lie, commit adultery, worship pagan gods and idols, eat those things that are not considered food, etc? These and many other such violations of Torah stand in stark opposition to the ministry and teachings of our Master Yahoshua Messiah.

So What Law Are We Talking About?

Indeed, Master freed us from the law, but what law did He free us from? Now that is the relevant question that must be asked when considering Paul’s writings and teachings. For indeed, in some of Paul’s writings he clearly speaks to believers being freed from the laws of manmade religion. And yes, in some of Paul’s other writings, he speaks to believers being freed from Torah—BUT FREED FROM THE PENALTY OF TORAH WHICH FOR MOST VIOLATIONS THEREOF REQUIRED THE DEATH PENALTY. So it is imperative that whenever we look at Paul’s seeming anti-Torah writings that we question in what respect has the law been done away? Man’s torah or the penalty of Abba’s Torah?

Did Paul Drop the Ball in Corinth?

It is possible that Paul may have failed to dispel this whole notion of antinomianism within the Corinthian Messianic Assembly for obviously this mindset was used in some of the Corinthian Assembly Members’ “theoretical defense of their own immorality” (Wikipedia—Antinomianism). There is little doubt that those who held to the prevailing antinomianistic mindset also denied the future resurrection (which Paul brilliantly teaches about just seven-chapters later in this same letter) and held to the Epicurean motto (which was prevalent in heathen Corinth) of “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (I Cor. 15:32). I guess it’s not hard to see why the Assembly tolerated one member’s unbridled and ongoing incestuous relationship with his stepmother while yet his father lived.

Another Proof-Positive Pauline Passage for the Anti-Torah Crowd?

So fundamental, traditional Christianity customarily looks to Paul’s letters to erroneously support their anti-Torah doctrine and belief system. In this particular verse of I Corinthians, Christians are renown for pointing to this passage and saying to those of us who happen to be keepers of Torah, “see here? Paul clearly asserts that the Law of Moses no longer means anything because Christ freed us from the Law. All things are lawful; are permissible; and that he—Paul–would not be dominated by anything any longer. That anything would, of course, be perceived by the anti-Torah crowd as the Law of Moses. But is this, in fact what Paul was saying? As we reflected just a few ago, if we were to look at this verse on its own, stand alone merits, then yes, it would be quite conceivable that Paul is stating just what the traditionalists assert about Torah—that it is no longer in effect.

Are We Truly Interested in Learning What Paul Was Writing About?

However, when we decide in our hearts to figure out what Paul is truly saying here, and we take several steps back and look at I Corinthians from the standpoint of a letter that Paul is using to address various and sundry problems plaguing the Corinthian Assembly; and then factoring in the additional investigative facts that we can gather about the place through a simple google search or any good commentary, we will quickly find that the conventional interpretation of this verse may not be as the traditionalists contend it to be.

To begin with, this verse is sandwiched between to big issues: (1) the issue of the Corinthian brethren filing lawsuits against one another in the city’s heathen-based courts (6:1-12); and (2) the ongoing sexual perversion occurring in the assembly (6:13-20).

Now riddle me this Batman: if the Apostle Paul is really stating to the Corinthians, and by default, to us living in 21st-century west, that Torah is done away with and we are no longer held to the standards of Torah, why should he care whether or not the Corinthians are suing one another in heathen courts? I mean, if the Corinthians were no longer under any type of religious or moral system, why would such a thing even matter? Secondly, if Paul truly believed that Torah was no longer to be kept by believers in Messiah, why would he spend precious papyrus space delineating and correcting the Corinthians about their sexual misdeeds? Oh wait: isn’t committing fornication a violation of Torah? Isn’t adultery a violation of Torah? Oh, and isn’t stealing, covetousness, idolatry, homosexuality and self-mutilation violations of Torah (6:9-10)? I believe they are. And to make matters worse, Paul is even writing about people losing their salvation by committing such acts that violate Torah. Consider the following:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of Yah? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of Yah (I Cor. 6: 9, 10; ESV).”

Paul Aligns with Torah!

It’s right there is it not? Paul himself seems to be saying very clearly that we are not to violate the Torah because if you do, there’s a pretty good chance you will forfeit your eternal life—that is if you don’t immediately stop the foolishness, repent, sin no more, and turn back to Yah.

No, Paul is not in the least saying here in this chapter that one can earn his or her salvation by keeping Torah. For again, we all know without a shadow of doubt, that the atoning sacrifice that was selflessly made on our behalf by our Master Yahoshua, was the thing that opened the door to eternal life to us. We can never earn our salvation. It is and always will remain a Gift given to us by our loving Father. However, what Paul IS saying here is: “Look, you dudes and dudettes, you keep on messing around as you’re doing—as Chloe reported to me—you will not enter the Kingdom of Yah. It’s just that simple. I don’t care what the locals and the Greek philosophers tell you, there are Godly principles that you must adhere to and follow if you intend to make it to the Kingdom.”

Paul Places Torah and Grace and Salvation into their Proper Perspectives

Yes, we can LOSE our salvation by continued, unrepentant violations of Torah. Torah is Father’s house rules. We violate Father’s house rules, we’re out in the cold. Father does not tolerate disobedience, unrepentant sin, idolatry (my Elohim, He hates idolatry—just check out this past week’s Torah portion and you’ll see just how much our God hates when we turn our backs to Him and our faces to idols and false gods); and we can have all the grace in the world extended to us and be under the shed blood of Yeshua our Messiah; if we don’t live by Father’s rules, we’re out.

Possible Interpretation of this Critical Pauline Passage From the Perspective of Antinomianism

There are a couple ways that I’ve seen this verse divided by sincere bible-centric commentators, and they all appeal to be reasonable explanations. However, since this is my reflection, allow me to give you my understanding instead.

When we take into consideration what we know about “antinomianisim” and consider how this Greek-mindset likely was playing out in the Corinthian Messianic Assembly, it’s not hard to understand Paul’s approach in dealing with this dangerous mindset. And I personally have to give it to Paul here. With all that’s been told to him that was going on in the Corinthian Assembly, Paul finally realized that he had to tackle this antinomianism thing using as much reasoning and rhetorical skills that he could muster.

Paul Tackles Greek Culture in Light of the Gospel

So Paul essentially tosses out to the Corinthians the very mindset that they have no doubt decided to incorporate into their Faith (oddly so)—this antinomianism—which seems to say that Jesus paid it all—we’ve been freed from all religion including the Law—we have this freedom in Christ—in fact, I think it was you Paul who told us we have this freedom. So then, I am truly a “free” person: antinomianism tells me I need not answer to anything; any laws; any person; then Paul tells us we are saved by grace and that there’s nothing we can nor should try to do to earn our salvation. So boom! All things are lawful for me are they not?

Paul’s Brilliant Play on the Greek Mindset

You see, Paul brilliantly employs a modern-day rhetorical tactic that is not readily evident in the authorized versions. Paul plays two persons in this verse: he plays the Corinthian Assembly member who believes he or she is free to do whatever they want because Christ paid it all; and Paul plays himself. All this in one single verse, Paul plays a Corinthian believer and himself, caught up in an inpromptu conversation that goes something like this:

“So you and your buddies say that you can live however you choose to live (and it would of course be a gross misunderstood by the Corinthians that they can live however they so choose because of the sacrifice and work of Yeshua Messiah). So you say, hey, all things are lawful for me. I can do whatever I want: fornicate; steal; adulterate; lie; eat things that are not proper.”

Then Paul responds to this ludicrous insinuation that is based upon the hybrid Messianic—antinomianism Faith of the Corinthians:

”Okay, if you say so; but is it indeed wise to live foolishly? Do you not realize that you are setting yourself up for disaster? Yes, you may be free to do whatever you desire to do in your life, but that which you elect to do doesn’t mean it’s the proper, wise thing to do. Look fellas, why would you fall prey to and be subject to the evils of your society? You’ve essentially traded your perceived freedom in Messiah to bondage to sin; to things; to people; to situations. You might want to rethink your position. Cuz at the rate you’re going, you are not going to make it into the Kingdom.”

Paul then goes right into a discussion on how the Corinthian believer must view their bodies in the service of the Gospel; and how the body must be kept unsullied for the service of the Gospel. Following the antinomian way of thinking will only lead the Corinthians on the fast track out of the Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul: Wrongly Accused–Wrongly Charged!

So millions have wrongly charged Paul with dispensing of the Torah using this and other verses like it. And if we simply employ the fundamentalists’ and traditionalists’ tactics of using handy little, one verse sound bites, then indeed, it would seem that Paul is anti-Torah. But if Paul were in the hot seat of a courtroom today, undergoing accusations that he turned the world against Torah, he would be sorely and horribly wrongly accused and would possibly be condemned for something he certainly was not guilty of doing.

Yes, some of the blame may be laid at the feet of Paul himself, as his writings are indeed difficult in places to understand. Even his very own colleague, Peter, stated as much when he wrote:

“And count the patience of our Master as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Pet. 3:15, 16; NASB).

I choose not to be so hard on Paul. Paul was who he was: a brilliant expositor of the Hebrew Faith who was led to bring the nations of the world into the knowledge of our Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach. He obviously did a brilliant job. However, I see Paul is the means by which Father will sift out in harvest, those who are His and those who are not His. Those who truly seek Truth and who are willing to go the extra mile to know that Truth will Father approve. Yes, Paul’s writing at times can be challenging, but it is Paul’s challenging writings that cause us to better assess ourselves and determine where we are in our walk; where we are in our walk; and where we need to be.

Paul’s Call to Resist the Tug of the World

Throughout the remainder of this letter, Paul goes to great lengths to persuade the Corinthian Messianics to resist the mindset of antinomianism, although Paul does not come out and refer to the mindset directly. Instead, Paul addresses the symptoms of the mindset that is antinomianism—the tug of the flesh to do that which it desires to do:

“For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, you are unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged men) men” (I Corinthians 3:3; Amplified)?

And then Paul attacks what I see is this whole Greek elitist mentality that spawned this antinianism mindset in the first place. The Corinthians may have viewed such Greek philosophical thinking as brilliant and wise, but Paul, using scriptural references, redirects the attention of the Corinthians to their God—not to their man-made wisdom. For any man-made wisdom is foolishness to the Creator of the Universe, thus any pursuit of such wisdom is of no concern to him. What concerns the Creator, however, is the hearts and thoughts of the Corinthian Assembly members as well as ours. Paul wrote:

“Let no person deceive himself. If anyone among you supposes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [let him discard his worldly discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish, without true learning and scholarship], that he may become [really] wise. For this world’s wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, ‘He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness (Job 5:13); and again, The Lord knows the thoughts and reasonings of the [humanly] wise and recognizes how futile they are (Psm. 94:11)” (I Corinthians 3:18-20).

Paul goes one step more in setting the Corinthians straight by essentially telling them that they have one foot in Corinth and one foot in the Kingdom. Clearly, the Corinthians needed to make a decision either to have both feet in the court of the Kingdom, or both feet out in the Corinthian world. Trying to live both lifestyles would only result in the problems to which Paul was presently addressing in this letter. So, it may come down to the Corinthian believers not making allowances for violations of Torah, especially in the area of relationships and associations. The whole debacle of the fella dating his step-mother was absolutely terrible and should not at all have been tolerated by the assembly. And as distasteful as it may have seemed to some of the members, this was the time for the assembly members to make the no-brainer decision to part company with those individuals post haste. Then, once that bit of housekeeping was completed, it would become the Corinthian Assembly members’ uncompromising task to ensure that no such perversive behavior no longer be named among them. This of course would require NO establishing or maintaining association with such individuals. Clearly, the adage of a “little leaven leavens the whole lump” (I Cor. 5:6) is the point that Paul was trying to get across. Tolerating perversion in the Body only leads to more perversion which ultimately can lead to implosion of the assembly.

Tolerance of Sin in the Body is Violating Torah

Far too many congregations feel that it remains their responsibility to harbor individuals who are practicing sin. As noble as the sentiment may appear to some, the Body of Messiah is not a sanctuary city to harbor violators of Torah. Sure, we have all violated some aspects of Torah during our walk with Messiah. However, we immediately stop violating Torah, repent, turn back to Father, and sin no more. But the presence of those who have chosen a life of never ending sinfulness cannot be tolerated and the Body must not establish nor maintain relationships with such individuals. They have to be let go immediately.

On this very issue, Paul wrote:

“I wrote you in my [previous] letter not to associate [closely and habitually] with unchaste (impure) people–Not [meaning of course that you must] altogether shun the immoral people of this world, or the greedy graspers and cheats and thieves or idolaters, since otherwise you would need to get out of the world and human society altogether. But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person” (“I Corinthians 5:9-11).