It may be that we have fallen further than the Corinthians. Far further, For we have churches suing congregations for their property: then, having cast out their pastors or priests they install their own, faithless, progressive ministers and watch the remnant disappear. A church taking a congregation to court (the classic example here is the US episcopalian church) is a bad witness.
People hate this passage. Because if we do not think that sexual immorality is a right, we consider that greed is good, or that to revile against the instititons and call faith, and the church, and the culture that flowed our of Christendom oppressive is progress and righteous and wonderful.
Paul says that such are in the world, but should not be with us. Paul says we should not need lawyers, for we should resolve our disputes without them.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
(1 Corinthians 5:9-6:8 ESV)
If the elders do not discipline those within the church (which is not fun: it is difficult, and the amount of anger resulting from this would be huge) then others will try to discipline us. Social workers will try to intrude and force us to run our marriages according to their models, which will replace to love a husband and wife should have with fear. The petunias will want us to fall lock-step into their agenda, until we are converged and useless.
We should never forget that the world is full of the sexually immoral, liars, theives, banksters, lawyers, and fascist control freaks. We should not forget that God treats greed and lust and disputing as equivalent. Outside the church, we tolerate and work with these people.
But inside the church we need to take the command that we must be holy, as Christ is holy, seriously. On this we will all struggle. And on this we all need accountability. For we are all fallen: and it is in confessing our sins and again turning from them that we obtain forgiveness. Not pretending we are holy, or righteous, o that sin does not exist, and pain is but an illusion.
The simplest way around this is to rediscover the closed table. In the old reformed church, your elder visited before communion and discussed with you your life, and then if you would be allowed to participate. If you were in unrepentant sin, you were advised not to do so, and the token you had to give to approach the table was not provided. But now, we have an open table. The only thing that stops me approaching it some weeks is my conscience.
If we do not discipline ourselves, and judge among ourselves, and keep accountability within the church the secular world is all to willing to enroll us into their programs.
And make us like the elite, doomed to destruction. That we should never be.
‘The only thing that stops me approaching it some weeks is my conscience.’
I would think that if your conscience is that alive you are repentant and perfectly entitled to cling to the cross and share in communion because you sense the scale of the grace that has been applied to you. As you know, your life will never be good enough to see you entitled to sup with Christ so you, like all of the elect, approach the Master’s table as forgiven sinners. I’d hate to vet those receiving communion beyond limiting the invitation to Gospel believing Christians.