The Purge

an Exhortation on 1 Corinthians 5:13

given on February 23, 2025

by Errol Klein

What do you think? Are we, as Christians, supposed to pass judgment on others?

Perhaps you’re thinking of Paul’s words “who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall.” Or of James’: “But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?” Even Christ states: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

Let me remind you, though, that each of these statements has its own context which cannot be disregarded if we are to accurately apply the Word of God. Such one-sided thinking can lead to comments like the one I’ve heard from my dear ol’ Gramma, when she’s talking about a brother or sister known to be indulging in habitual sin: “God doesn’t want me to judge them!”

And while I do agree there are many times we are not to judge others, the Bible does make it extremely clear: In certain circumstances, we are to judge. And not just as a mental exercise, but we are to apply that judgment through corrective action.

Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 13. We’ll start in verse 12 for context.

Verse: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the Church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.”

Paul, here, is writing to the church in Corinth. In this instance, a professing brother was practicing sexual immorality – specifically, he was having sex with his father’s wife – and astonishingly, the church, rather than condemning the man’s conduct, was actually proud of it. They were boasting of this man’s sin as a sort of freedom in Christ!

Paul is quick to correct their behavior, commanding the Corinthian church not only to judge the evil in their midst correctly, but to do something about it. He tells them, using exceptionally strong language, to purge the evil person. This purging means to cleanse thoroughly. It can also mean to exterminate.

In the Old Testament, God has commanded the nation of Israel to purge themselves from evil by stoning the person who had deliberately disobeyed God’s command. They were to cleanse themselves from sin by enforcing the death penalty.

That sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But it was necessary. It exposed the seriousness of sin. Since God had commanded His people to be holy as He is holy, they were to live in a manner that set them apart from the rest of the world. Disobedience to God’s commands was a serious crime; one not to be tolerated.

It is the same principle for the church today. God commands His Church to be holy. We are not to tolerate those who are deliberately living a life of sin. It’s different if an individual is in a desperate struggle against their sin, honestly engaging in the sanctification process. But if an individual is welcoming sin in, the church cannot welcome the individual.

Paul tells the church that they are to purge the one practicing sin. Thank God we are no longer to invoke the death penalty. But sin is still serious. Paul instructs the church to discipline the individual by handing them over to Satan. In other words, they were to expel the evil person from the church, and into the world. Furthermore, they were not even to associate with the habitual sinner.

But brothers, punishment is not the goal. Thank God the blood of Christ gives room for God’s mercy and grace. The one practicing evil is to be cut off so that they may be made aware of the seriousness of their sin, and repent. And ultimately, be restored in fellowship with the body. Restoration is the goal. It is, however, only once a person is made aware of their sin that they can repent for it. And it is only once they repent that they can be restored to fellowship.

So, brothers, let me ask you: Tonight, have you been made aware of any sin that you’ve been deliberately committing? Paul explicitly names sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, slander, drunkenness, and swindling as examples of habitual sin. Have you been practicing any of these? Worse, have you done so unashamedly? Maybe going so far as to boast about your evil conduct to others?

If so, repent immediately, while you are still conscious of this sin, while your heart is yet softened by the power of God’s Word. Ask the Lord to purge this evil from within you. For you are in danger, my brother. There are repercussions for engaging in habitual sin.

It is the duty of the body to discipline those who deliberately and consistently disregard God’s law within the church. It may be difficult. But let’s stand together in this, upholding God’s standards and purging evil from our midst. In this way, we can expose the seriousness of sin, while making each of us ready for the glorious Day of the Lord.