“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’”

1 Corinthians 5:9–11, 13 (NIV)

This passage was mind-blowing to me. It reshaped my vision—the lens through which I see my own life and the people I surround myself with. There is a lot to unpack here, but I will try to be concise.

Paul makes an important distinction: he is not talking about unbelievers, but about those who claim to be brothers or sisters in Christ while continuing in unrepentant sin.

“You must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.”

That verse hit me hard.

I have idolized things I shouldn’t. I have looked at women in ways I shouldn’t. I have been guilty of many of these sins myself. That leads to a difficult and honest question:

Am I someone that a fellow believer should not associate with?

And even deeper—are you?

To answer that, we need to understand what Scripture says about repentance, righteousness, and God’s grace.

“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”

Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

1 John 1:7 (NIV)

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Matthew 3:8 (NIV)

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:32 (NIV)

These verses show us that God calls sinners like us to repentance—a turning away from sin and a turning toward Him. When we trust in Christ, His blood cleanses us, and we are made righteous not by perfection, but by grace.

This means that falling into sin does not automatically place someone outside Christian fellowship. What matters is repentance: a heart that turns back to God and seeks to walk in the light.

However, 1 Corinthians 5 still stands as a serious command. If someone claims to follow Christ yet continues in open rebellion, refusing to repent, Scripture teaches that the church must not treat that person as if everything is normal.

And even then, Scripture does not call for harshness or pride. Matthew 18 outlines a process of loving correction—private confrontation, patient warning, and restoration when possible.

So the dividing line is not whether someone has sinned—we all have.

The dividing line is whether someone is willing to repent.