A frequent misinterpretation views this as a blanket prohibition against any interaction with sexually immoral people in the world, including unbelievers, fostering isolationism that hampers evangelism and everyday life; Paul clarifies in subsequent verses that the command targets professing Christians who persist in immorality, not outsiders, to avoid hypocrisy and promote targeted repentance within the church.
I Corinthians 5:9
King James Version (1769)
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
Paul references a prior epistle to the Corinthian church instructing them not to associate with fornicators, highlighting the core truth of church discipline: believers must separate from unrepentant sexually immoral individuals within the fellowship to preserve the community's holiness, accountability, and witness, as continued association enables sin and undermines spiritual integrity.