1 Corinthians 4:18-5:13

English Standard Version

¹⁸ Some are ^(A)arrogant, ^(B)as though I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But ^(C)I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. ²⁰ For ^(D)the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. ²¹ What do you wish? ^(E)Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

5 It is actually reported that there is ^(F)sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, ^(G)for a man has his father's wife. ² And ^(H)you are arrogant! Ought you ^(I)not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

³ For though ^(J)absent 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 ^(K)in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ you are ^(L)to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so ^(M)that his spirit may be saved ^(N)in the day of the Lord.^[a]

^6 (O)Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that ^(P)a 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, ^(Q)not with the old leaven, ^(R)the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter ^(S)not to associate with sexually immoral people— ^10 (T)not at all meaning ^(U)the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, ^(V)since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone ^(W)who 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 ^(X)outsiders? ^(Y)Is it not those inside the church^[b] whom you are to judge? ¹³ God judges^[c] those outside. ^(Z)“Purge the evil person from among you.”