Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is the third-earliest letter that we have today, 1 & 2 Thessalonians being earlier. In verses 9-10a, Paul has them recall an earlier letter that we do not have. That letter stated, “Do not associate with sexually immoral people.” He adds here, “…not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters (He’s defining unbelievers.).” (9)
However, in many other later letters, Paul writes the same thing as here: stay away from sexual immorality (i.e., 6:9; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 12:16, 13:4; and John’s Revelation 21:8, 22:15).
Also, all the apostles, as is recorded in Acts 15, during the council in Jerusalem, gave only these restrictions to the gentile believers, “Abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.” (Acts 15:28-29) Paul keeps reminding his fellow believers in Jesus and me of the same thing – avoid sexual immorality and don’t place myself into temptation by associating with the believer who is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, or a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler (11).
