Question 1

What earlier instruction does Paul say he had already written to the Corinthians?

Accepted Answer

Paul reminds them that in a previous letter he wrote that they were “to have no company” with people he describes as sexually immoral. In this short reminder, Paul presents the earlier line as something they already know, but that could be taken too broadly if heard without context. In this unit, the key observation is that Paul is not introducing a new rule; he is revisiting and clarifying an older statement that apparently created confusion about how far it was meant to go.

Question 2

How does verse 10 qualify and limit the scope of Paul’s earlier instruction?

Accepted Answer

Paul immediately denies that he meant “all” sexually immoral people in wider society (“of this world”). He broadens the list—mentioning the greedy, those who exploit others, and idolaters—to show the issue was never a narrow label aimed at outsiders as a class. The clarification works like a boundary line: whatever “no company” means, it is not a policy of avoiding every outsider whose behavior conflicts with the church’s moral vision.

Question 3

What is Paul’s practical argument for why his instruction cannot mean total avoidance of outsiders?

Accepted Answer

Paul argues from consequences: if the Corinthians tried to avoid every sexually immoral, greedy, exploitative, or idolatrous person outside the church, they would have to “leave the world.” In other words, normal life in Corinth involves unavoidable contact with many kinds of people. His logic assumes believers remain embedded in ordinary social and economic life rather than withdrawing from society. This reason functions as evidence that the earlier instruction must have a more limited meaning than total separation.

Question 4

Why might Paul add categories like “covetous,” “extortioners,” and “idolaters” alongside “sexually immoral”?

Accepted Answer

In the sentence, the added categories show that Paul is addressing a broader pattern of serious moral disorder, not singling out one behavior as the only concern. The list also fits the Corinthian setting, where business practices, social meals, and religious practices could overlap, and where exploitation and idol worship were public realities. Within Paul’s clarification, the list strengthens the point: if “no company” meant avoiding everyone characterized by any of these, everyday participation in society would become impossible.

Question 5

What does the phrase “of this world” contribute to Paul’s clarification in these verses?

Accepted Answer

“Of this world” identifies the group Paul is not targeting in this clarification: people outside the church in the broader social setting. It signals that his earlier instruction was being applied outward in a sweeping way, and Paul is pulling it back. Some readers also hear a moral tone in the phrase (“people shaped by the wider culture”), but in these verses Paul’s main use is to distinguish outsiders from those within the community, because his conclusion depends on the fact that outsiders are everywhere in ordinary life.

Question 6

Based on verses 9–10 alone, what can be said—and not said—about Paul’s intended social boundaries?

Accepted Answer

These verses clearly say Paul did not intend complete social separation from outsiders who live in ways the church considers wrong. They also indicate some kind of closeness (“company/association”) is in view, because Paul can realistically limit it without making normal life impossible. What these verses do not spell out is the exact level of contact prohibited (casual contact vs. close partnership) or the specific target group inside the church; those details are developed in the surrounding passage (5:11–13).

Clarifying the earlier instruction

Clarifying the earlier instruction

Clarifying the earlier instruction

Scripture

What this passage is saying

Clarifying the earlier instruction

Scripture

What this passage is saying