Paul’s Paternal Care

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but oas my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for pin Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, qimitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent rTimothy to you, swho is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will tremind you of my ways in Christ, as I uteach everywhere vin every church.

18 wNow some are 7puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 xBut I will come to you shortly, yif the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For zthe kingdom of God is not in word but in apower. 21 What do you want? bShall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Immorality Defiles the Church

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even 1named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s awife! 2 bAnd you are 2puffed up, and have not rather cmourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 dFor I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the ename of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, fwith the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 gdeliver such a one to hSatan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord 3Jesus.

6 iYour glorying is not good. Do you not know that ja little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore 4purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed kChrist, our lPassover, was sacrificed 5for us. 8 Therefore mlet us keep the feast, nnot with old leaven, nor owith the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Immorality Must Be Judged

9 I wrote to you in my epistle pnot to 6keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go qout of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company rwith anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—snot even to eat with such a person.

12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore t“put away from yourselves the evil person.”