Commentary on 1 Corinthians
Lecture 3. Relinquish company of sinners
5:9 I wrote to you in an epistle not to keep company with fornicators. [n. 250]
5:10 I do not mean with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or the extortioners or the servers of idols: otherwise you would need to go out of this world. [n. 252]
5:11 But now I have written to you, not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator or covetous or a server of idols or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner: with such a one, not so much as to eat. [n. 255]
5:12 For what is it to me to judge them that are without? Do you not judge them that are within? [n. 259]
5:13 For them that are without, God will judge. Put away the evil one from among yourselves. [n. 261]
250. Above the Apostle had advised the Corinthians to remove a sinner from their midst. But they postponed doing this, because they gave a false interpretation to something he had written in a previous epistle. And therefore he now excludes the incorrect sense, which they had devised from his words.
Hence, he does three things.
First, he repeats what he had said in the previous epistle;
second, he corrects the false interpretation, at I mean not with the fornicators;
third, he gives the true interpretation, at but now I have written to you.
251. First, therefore, he says: I said to you in an epistle, which is not in the canon, not to keep company with fornicators, i.e., not have any fellowship or communion with them: my son, walk not with them, restrain your feet from their paths (Prov 1:15); give not your soul to harlots in any point (Sir 9:6).
252. Then when he says, I do not mean, he corrects the false interpretation of the above words.
First, he states what he does mean;
second, he draws a conclusion, at otherwise you would need.
253. In regard to the first it should be noted that the Corinthians had given two false interpretations to his statement. First, they supposed that he was referring to fornicators who are unbelievers. He corrects this when he says: I do not mean that you shall avoid communicating with the fornicators of this world. He refers to unbelievers by the name ‘world’: the world has not known him (John 1:10); the world, by wisdom, knew not God (1 Cor 1:21).
Second, they falsely supposed that the Apostle’s prohibition referred only to fornicators and not to other sinners. To correct this he now adds, or with the covetous, who unjustly retain what belongs to others: no one who is covetous (which is serving of idols) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph 5:5), or extortioners, who violently plunder the property of others; nor extortioners shall possess the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:10); or the servers of idols, against whom it is written: the worship of abominable idols is the cause, and the beginning and the end of all evil (Wis 14:27). Consequently, the Apostle is prohibiting fellowship not only with fornicators but with all other sinners.
It should be noted that by fornication a person sins against himself; by greed and robbery against his neighbor, and by the worship of idols he sins against God. Consequently, in mentioning these he includes every type of sin.
254. Then when he says, otherwise, he gives the reason for this clarification, saying, otherwise, i.e., if he had meant the fornicators of this world, you would need to go out of the world, for the whole world is filled with them; hence you could not avoid them except by going out of this world: the whole world is in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19).
Or, you would need to go out of the world, could mean: since you should have been separated from the sinners of this world from the time of your conversion, there is no need to advise you further about this: I chose you out of the world (John 15:19).
Or again: you would need to go out of the world, i.e., by dying, for it is better for man to die than consent to sinners in sin; hence it says below: for it is good for me to die rather than that any man should make my glory void (1 Cor 9:15).
255. Then when he says, but now I have written to you, he presents the true interpretation.
First, he states his intention;
second, he assigns a reason, at for what is it to me;
third, he draws the intended conclusion, at put away the evil one.
256. First, therefore, he says: but now I shall explain what I have written to you earlier, not to keep company with fornicators and other sinners, if any man, among you, is named a brother in the sense in which the Lord speaks: you are all brothers (Matt 23:8). The Apostle does not say if any man is a brother, but if any man is called a brother, because by mortal sin a man departs from charity, which is the cause of spiritual brotherhood. Hence: let brotherly love continue (Heb 13:1). Therefore a man is called a brother on account of the true faith, even though he is not really a brother, if he lacks charity as a result of sin. Hence he adds, be a fornicator or covetous or a server of idols or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner: with such a one, not so much as to eat. If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting (2 John 1:10). In other words: when I said that you should not keep company with sinners, I meant with believers who are called brothers and live among you.
257. However, by this it should not be understood, as Augustine says in Contra Parmenianum, and as it says here in the Gloss, that someone by an extraordinary judgment should be separated from communion with others, because often one can be mistaken, but rather this ought to be done according to the order of the Church, when someone is expelled from communion as convicted or freely confessed. And this he says clearly, if any man that is named, so that we understand that designation which is made through the sentence of the Church by a judicial order against someone brought forward. But those who are expelled from communion are to be shunned as to the table, as it says here, and as to greeting, as it says in what is preached by the authority of John, and further, as to sacred communion. Hence it is said in verse: the mouth, to pray, farewell communion, the table is denied, that is, he is excommunicated.
258. It should be noted that the Apostle mentions only mortal sins to show that a man should not be excommunicated except for mortal sin. However, there seems to be some question about one of these sins, namely, drunkenness, which does not always seem to be a mortal sin. For Augustine says in a sermon on purgatory that drunkenness, unless it is frequent, is not a mortal sin. I believe the reason for this is that drunkenness is a mortal sin in general. For it seems to be contrary to charity that for the pleasure of wine a man is willing to lose the use of reason and expose himself to the danger of committing many other sins. Yet it might happen that drunkenness is not a mortal sin, because the strength of the wine or one’s own physical weakness were not known. However, this excuse loses its validity, when drunkenness is frequent. Hence it is significant that the Apostle does not say a drinker but a drunkard.
It is noteworthy that to the list given earlier he added two sins, namely, the reviler and the drunkard. Drunkenness is among the class of sins committed against oneself, which includes not only lust but gluttony as well. Reviling is among the sins committed against one’s neighbor, whom a man can harm not only by deed but also by word, by calling down evil upon him or by defaming him, which pertains to detraction, or by speaking evil to his face, which pertains to contumely. All this is included under the notion of reviler, as has been stated.
259. Then when he says, for what is it to me, he gives the reason for what he had said. In regard to this he does three things: first, he gives the reason, saying: I have said that this is to be understood of brothers and not unbelievers, for what is it to me, i.e., what business is it of mine to judge, i.e., pass a sentence of condemnation on them that are without, i.e., on unbelievers who are completely outside the Church? For the hierarchy has spiritual power over those alone who have submitted to the faith: being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete (2 Cor 10:6). Indirectly, however, the hierarchy has power over those who are without, inasmuch as it forbids believers to deal with them on account of their guilt.
260. Second, he uses a simile, saying, do you not judge them that are within? As if to say: you judge with the same authority as I; hence just as you do not judge anyone but your own, so I also: a wise judge shall judge his people (Sir 10:1).
261. Third, he settles a doubt. For some one might conclude that unbelievers are better for not being condemned for the above mentioned sins. But he rejects this when he says that it is not his business to judge those that are without, for them that are without, i.e., unbelievers, God will judge, namely, with the judgment of condemnation, not examination; because as Gregory says in Morals, unbelievers will be condemned without discussion and investigation. This is in line with what is said in John: he who does not believe has already been judged (John 3:18), i.e., has within himself an obvious cause for condemnation, and this more serious case is reserved for the judgment of God: it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:31).
262. Then when he says, put away the evil one, he draws the main conclusion saying: since my command that you not keep company with fornicators must be understood as referring to believers and not to those who are outside, put away the evil one, i.e., this man, from among yourselves, i.e., expel him from your company: you shall purge the evil from the midst of you (Deut 13:5).
263. These words of the Apostle do not mean that we are forbidden to associate with unbelievers who have never received the faith, for the sake of their punishment. Yet the weak are cautioned to avoid them, lest they be drawn away. But those strong in the faith can lawfully associate with them and try to convert them, as it says below: if any of them that believes not, invites you, and you are willing to go: eat of any thing that is set before you (1 Cor 10:27).
But unbelievers who once were believers, or received the sacrament of faith, as heretics or apostates from the faith, are excluded from all contact with believers. This is a punishment for them, as it is for other sinners still subject to the power of the Church.