A common misinterpretation of this passage is to apply it universally to all sinners, including non-Christians, leading to isolationism rather than engaging the lost with the gospel; others misuse it to justify harsh judgment without pursuing restoration, ignoring the broader context of 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 where Paul urges forgiveness and comfort upon repentance, or to enforce rigid legalism that overlooks grace, mercy, and individual circumstances in modern church discipline.
I Corinthians 5:11
King James Version (1769)
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
In 1 Corinthians 5:11, Paul instructs the Corinthian church to distance themselves from unrepentant professing believers engaged in serious sins such as sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, abusive speech, drunkenness, or extortion, specifically avoiding close fellowship like shared meals; this measure of discipline aims to protect the church's holiness, encourage the sinner's repentance, and demonstrate to the world the seriousness of sin within God's people.