We have been requested to give our views on 1 Corinthians V. 9-13. These verses read as follows:

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 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. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person.

It seems very clear and plain to us that the apostle here positively forbids certain persons being allowed to remain in the fellowship of the church.

The expression, "Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world *** for then ye must needs go out of this world," shows that he has no reference to worldly matters, or things that pertain to worldly affairs. He calls attention, in this expression, to the fact that they were not forbidden to have dealings with fornicators in worldly affairs. If they were, then they would have to go out of the world. But they were forbidden to have dealings with fornicators, or a covetous person, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, in church affairs or religious matters.

The fornication mentioned here does not specially refer to joining some institution other than the church, either, although we think what is forbidden. It seems to us that if one is a member of the church he is thereby married to Christ, and if he unites with some other institution which has its religious rites and ceremonies and services, he is thereby committing spiritual adultery or fornication. But this is not what the apostle is here specially referring to, as may be seen from the language contained in verses 1-5. Those verses read as follows:

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that have so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

This shows very clearly the kind of fornication or adultery he has under consideration, and which is not to be fellowshipped by the church. Persons guilty of such are not to be retained in the fellowship of the church. In connection with this we here call attention to Matthew19-9, the language of the Saviour:

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

This shows very clearly that there is just one cause for which a man my put away his wife and marry another; and that is for the cause of fornication. Gill says that this expression includes adultery, incest or any unlawful copulation. If one is guilty of such conduct, then the companion may righteously put such a one away. It is not wrong for them to put such a one away. If it is not wrong to put such a one away, then it is wrong not to do so. It is, therefore, right to put away one guilty of such conduct. Such conduct breaks the marriage vow, and frees the innocent party, and the innocent party should leave the guilty and put them away, and is free to marry again, and is no adulterer in doing so. This is the only thing that gives one the right to marry again. That is, one who puts away his wife for any other cause and marries again commits adultery in doing so.

Then the teaching of the apostle in the text about which our opinion is asked is that the adulterer should not be allowed to remain in the church. The church should put such person from among themselves. They should withdraw fellowship from him. This is a sin unto death, for the party committing it thereby becomes dead to their companion.

Covetousness, idolatry, railing, extortioning, are sins that are here classed with adultery. In fact, covetousness is idolatry. "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." - Colossians 3:5. The covetous person thinks more of money and worldly riches than he does of the service of God. He will make the seeking after the things of the world of first importance and first consideration, instead of the kingdom of God and His righteousness. He becomes an idolater. He idolizes the goods of this world.

Railing is the using of insolent and reproachful language; to utter reproach, to scoff. Such conduct is so unbecoming and so unchristian like that the guilty person should not be retained in the fellowship of the church.

A drunkard is one who habitually drinks strong liquors immoderately; one whose habit it is to get drunk. We do not know how many times one must get drunk for it to be called a habit. Any way, it is very plain that drunkenness is a sin for which the church should withdraw fellowship. The guilty person should not be retained in the church.

Extortion is the "act or practice of taking or obtaining anything from a person by illegal use or fear, whether by force, threats, or any other undue exercise of power; undue exaction; specifically, an oppression by color of right." - Webster. It is synonymous with oppression, rapacity, exaction, [and] overcharge. An extortioner has no right to membership in the church, and the church is here required to withdraw fellowship from any who may be guilty.

It may be of some profit to our readers for us to give here what Gill has to say concerning this chapter in a general way from his commentaries. It may help to give some light on the teaching of the apostle in this chapter. May the Lord help us to live as He commands, and help us to "keep a clean house." C. H. C.

Gill's Comments

In this chapter the apostle blames the Corinthians for conniving at a sin committed by one of their members; declares what he was determined to do, and what should be done by them in this case; and in general advices to shun conversation with wicked men; In verse 1; mention is made of the sin committed by one among themselves, and which was publicly known, and commonly talked of; and which in general was fornication, and particularly incest, a man lying with his father's wife; and which is aggravated by its being that was not named, or could not be named among any virtuous persons among the Gentiles without offense, and yet the members of this church, at least the majority of them, were unconcerned at it, and were so far from mo8urning overt it, and taking any step to remove the person from them that had done it, that they were swelled with pride, and gloried on account of their gifts, and perhaps on account of this man, who had committed the iniquity, verse 2. This affair being r3lated to the apostle, though at a distance; and he well knowing all things concerning it, as though he was present, resolved what should be done in this case by himself, Verse 3; and that was to deliver the man to Satan, in the name, and with the power and authority of Christ, when the members of this Church were gathered together, and his spirit with them, the end of which was for the destruction of the man's body, and the salvation of his soul, Verse 4,5; and then the apostle returns to blame them for their glorying in men, and in external gifts, and pleading these as a reason why the man should be continued, and not removed from them; not considering the danger they were exposed to, and which he illustrates by the simile of leaven, a little of which affects the whole lump, suggesting thereby the danger they were in by continuing such a wicked person among them, Verse 6; wherefore pursuing the same metaphor taken from the Jewish Passover, he exhorts to remove from them the man that had sinned, as the Jews at the Passover removed the leaven out of their houses; that so they might appear to be a church renewed, and purges, and clear of leaven. Keeping the true and spiritual Passover, which they were under obligations to do, since Christ, the Antitype of the Passover, was sacrificed for them, Verse 7; Wherefore it became them to keep the feast of the Lord's supper; and indeed, to have the whole course of their conversation so ordered, as to avoid sin and sinners, and to behave in truth and uprightness, Verse 8; when the apostle goes on to put them in mind of what he had formerly written unto them, as suitable to the present case, which was, that they should not keep company with wicked men, particularly with fornicators, such as this man, though in a more heinous manner, Verse 9; and explains what was his meaning; not that they were to have no manner of conversation with persons of such a character, and of such-like evil characters, in things of a civil nature, for then there would be no living in the world, Verse 10; But his sense was, that they should keep no company with persons guilty of the sins mentioned, who bore the name of Christian brethren, and were members of the same church-state with them, from whose communion they ought to be removed, and indeed, so with them, Verse 11. The reason of this difference, he made between wicked men, who were not members of the church, and those that were, is because he had nothing to do, nor they neither, with them that were without the church, as it was their business only to take cognizance of them that were within, Verse 12; but neither of them had anything to do, to judge and censure those that did not belong to the church, but should leave them to God, the righteous Judge; and then closes all, Verse 13, with what he had chiefly in view throughout the whole chapter, and that is, that they would remove from their communion the wicked person who had been guilty of the sin first mentioned.