Come, Bless the Lord

A Song of ^mAscents.

Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

1 It is actually reported that there is ^wsexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, ^xfor a man has his father’s wife. 2 And ^yyou are arrogant! Ought you ^znot rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

3 For though ^aabsent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled ^bin the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are ^cto deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so ^dthat his spirit may be saved ^ein the day of the Lord.¹

6 ^fYour boasting is not good. Do you not know that ^ga little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, ^hnot with the old leaven, ⁱthe leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter ^jnot to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 ^knot at all meaning ^lthe sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, ^msince then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone ⁿwho bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging ^ooutsiders? ^pIs it not those inside the church² whom you are to judge? 13 God judges³ those outside. ^q“Purge the evil person from among you.”