The first verse of the Bible passage we are considering today, says, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.” (1Corinthians 5:9-13) This passage is still in the context of Paul’s instructions to remove from church membership the unrepentant sexually immoral man (5:1-8). In fact, the end of verse 13 says, “Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person’” which is probably a quotation from Deuteronomy 17:7.
Paul wrote to clarify what he had written in an earlier epistle. Believers are not to keep company with a sexually immoral person who claims to be or is called a brother in Christ. Specifically, the Corinthians were not to keep company with the sexually immoral man in their church. They were to do this out of love with the hope of restoring him to fellowship with the Lord and the church.
Paul did not mean that they were to separate from the sexually immoral people of this world. If that were the case, we would need to go out of the world! Also, the church is not to judge those outside the church, but those inside the church. God will judge those who are outside.