I wrote to you, "Do not associate with sexually immoral people."

I wrote to you, "Do not associate with sexually immoral people."

1 Corinthians 5:9-11: "I wrote to you, 'Do not associate with sexually immoral people.' This does not mean that you should not associate at all with the sexually immoral, greedy, swindlers, or idolaters of this world. If you were to do so, you would have to go out of the world. But I have written to you now that if anyone who calls himself a brother is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, abusive, drunkard, or swindler, do not associate with him, nor eat with him."

This means that if there is anyone in the church who acts with such greed, you should not associate with him. Those who practice greed within the church are the ones who disrupt the order of the church community. Those who claim to believe in the gospel of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, yet are steeped in legalism, humanism (prosperity theology), and Gnosticism, are the ones committing spiritual adultery. Legalism is an act of deception and theft, such as insisting that the Ten Commandments must be observed literally or introducing the legalistic concept of tithing to force believers to pay money.

Humanism (prosperity theology) refers to church leaders who mix the Gospel with humanism, describing those who contradict themselves as drunkards. They are also those who live for the sake of worldly blessings.

Gnosticism is akin to idolatry, seeking to discover and find divine power within humans. It includes those who believe the image of God was within the human heart and strive to restore it, as well as those who follow mysticism within the church. These are individuals who claim to have received revelations from angels.

1 Corinthians 5:12-13: "What concern is it of mine to judge those outside? But will you not judge those who are in the church? God will judge those outside, but you must expel this evil man from among you."

Paul is speaking of the serious situation within the Corinthian church. Paul argues that while matters concerning those outside the church are for God to judge and therefore not situations for him to intervene in, he feels compelled to intervene and speak out regarding what happens within the church. Throughout, Paul consistently calls for them to be expelled. He is urging the members of the church community to drive out such leaders.

Legalism, humanism (the pursuit of material blessings), and Gnosticism (mysticism) ultimately lead to self-assertion. All ideologies that advocate for self-discovery, and those who claim that loving oneself comes first, fall into this category. While God judges what those outside the church say, Paul is calling on the members of the church community to expel those within the church, particularly ministers.

However, the problem arises today because both church ministers and believers within the church community regard this matter as perfectly normal. For those who believe in and preach the Gospel to exhibit characteristics similar to those of other religions is akin to religious syncretism. We can see leaders of other religions coming to preach at our church, and church leaders going to facilities of other religions to preach.

What they all discuss is entirely about how believers should live in this world. You might ask what the problem is in telling us to show love and mercy and to live a diligently moral life, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a story about the world, but a story about the Kingdom of God.

It is easy to think of the Kingdom of God as merely a place believers go after death, but believers establish the Kingdom of God and Heaven while they are alive. The terms "Kingdom of God" and "Heaven" appear in the Bible. Today, believers do not even know how to distinguish between the Kingdom of God and Heaven.

Regarding this, many pastors argue that since the Gospel of Matthew was written for Jews, the term "Kingdom of Heaven" was used because the Jews considered the use of the word "God" to be blasphemous. However, the expressions "Kingdom of God" or "God" appear 26 times in the Gospel of Matthew. If using the word "God" was considered blasphemous, why would it be used so frequently?

Alternatively, many pastors also claim that the "Kingdom of Heaven" used in the Gospel of Matthew refers to the visible Messianic Kingdom that Jesus will establish on earth upon His Second Coming, while the "Kingdom of God" refers to the invisible spiritual kingdom ruled by God. The phrase “Kingdom of God” appears four times in the Gospel of Matthew. In Greek, it is “he basileia tou Theou, ten basileian tou Theou,” meaning a kingdom where God reigns. In other words, it signifies the spiritual Kingdom of God as a concept opposed to the visible world.

Matthew used the term “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of “Kingdom of God” because they had rejected Jesus Christ; he wanted to convey that the Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ himself, and that since Christ enters and dwells within the hearts of believers, the believers themselves become the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, Matthew uses the term “Kingdom of God” in four places. By using the terms “Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of Heaven” together, he sought to express its meaning more clearly.

The Kingdom of God, in a spiritual sense, signifies God’s power. God’s power ultimately means that God, Jesus Christ, and the believers become one through the Holy Spirit; thus, God’s will lies in enabling the believers living on this earth to establish the Kingdom of God. The spiritual Kingdom of God manifests to carnal people. The first to appear is Jesus Christ, followed by the believers who are in Christ.

God While the term "kingdom" focuses on God's sovereignty, "Kingdom of Heaven" or "Heaven" (plural) refers to the Kingdom of God manifested within the hearts of believers. In other words, it signifies a kingdom where a temple is built within the heart and God is present in that temple.

In the Revised Korean Version, the word "Kingdom of Heaven" appears 21 times in the Gospel of Matthew. Looking at the Greek text, it is used in 19 places as "he basileia ton ouranon" or "tes basileias ton ouranon," expressing it as "Kingdom of Heaven" (Kingdom of Heaven). In 3 places, it is expressed as "tes basileias," which translates to "Kingdom." Since "euangelion" (Gospel) precedes it, it becomes "Gospel of the Kingdom." Although it is unclear whether this refers to the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, semantically it appears to be the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven; perhaps for this reason, the Revised Korean Version translated "Kingdom" as "Kingdom of Heaven."

"He basileia ton ouranon," translated as "Kingdom of Heaven," is a plural form; in Hebrew, it is "shamayim," and in English, "heavens." The use of the plural implies the Kingdom of God within the hearts of people... It is for the purpose of expression. Heaven is the Kingdom of God within the heart, and it involves the concept of visible people, namely Jesus Christ and the saints. However, the Kingdom of God is a concept of dominion; the power of the Kingdom of God comes upon those who have become God's people, and Heaven (the temple) is established within the heart.