1 Corinthians 5:6

1 Corinthians 5:6 says, Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?  Though Paul did not say exactly how, he implies that the church at Corinth not only knew of the open sin of this person, but somehow felt that they were glorified by it.  Whatever their reason for allowing this sin to go unchecked, the church at Corinth was losing its ability to effectively witness to the world about Christ.  As I have stated before, salvation is not a license to sin, but a call to turn away from sin through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Paul warned them that a little leaven affected the entire lump.  If this sinful act were allowed to go on without the church taking action against it, then why should the next church member be censored for their sinning against God.  The church cannot endorse the sins of any believer.  If we do, we affect the witness of the whole church.  We have a command to go into all the world to witness for Christ, but we also have a command to not let the sins of the world enter into the church and go unchecked.  Verse seven adds, Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:  Paul calls on the church to purge out the old leaven, that is the sinful nature of a person who has not accepted salvation through Christ.  Just because we are saved does not mean that we can never be tempted by sin again. Verse eight continues, Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  When we gather in the name of God, we are to gather under His Lordship.  There is no room for malice or wickedness.  We are to worship God in sincerity and truth.  We must do all for God's glory.  Verse nine states, I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  Paul said that he had already written to them not to associate with those who were openly sinning against God.  When Paul wrote this epistle, or letter, is not specified, but its content is clear.  Paul was writing about open sin in the church.  We must always address open sin that is going on the church, especially when it is being committed by Christians. Verse ten adds, 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.  I believe that in this verse Paul is reminding us that we have a responsibility to reach out to the sinners in the world.  We are not to associate with those in the body of believers who are openly sinning, but we are to reach out to the sinners outside the church.  Verse eleven continues, 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.  Paul reminded them once more that there is a difference between how we associate with believers who are sinning and non-believers who can do nothing but sin.  When we gather as a group of believers in Christ, there is no room for sin.  I believe this applies to both gathering as a body to worship and as well as to two or three Christians getting together.  We cannot openly condone sin.  Verse twelve asks, For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?  Paul asked if we were going to judge the sins of those who weren't a part of the body of Christ, the born-again believers, for their sins, then shouldn't we also judge the sins of those who were a part of the body of Christ.  Verse thirteen adds, But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.  God judges those who have not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.  We are called on to not associate with those who have professed Christ as Savior, but openly rebel against Him as Lord of their lives.