The Table Is for Fellowship, Not for Enabling | 1 Corinthians 5:11

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Our text today is 1 Corinthians 5:11.

Before Paul gives one of the sharpest relational boundaries in the New Testament, he reminds us of something we often forget: love doesn’t just embrace—it protects. And protection sometimes requires distance.

With that in mind, Paul writes:

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. — 1 Corinthians 5:11

Paul draws a line most believers today avoid. He doesn’t tell Christians to distance themselves from the world but from those inside the church who claim the name of Christ while openly rejecting His authority. He says not to associate with them—not even to share a meal. The reason isn’t superiority or harshness. It’s because the table represents fellowship, unity, and spiritual agreement, and Paul refuses to let the symbol of unity become a place where rebellion is quietly affirmed.

This is where many Christians struggle. We soften. We overlook. We make excuses for people we care about. We keep sitting at the table, laughing, talking, and living as if nothing is wrong. And without meaning to, we enable them. Enabling is not compassion—it is participation in their destruction. Many believers have watched loved ones drift deeper into sin because the people closest to them confused silence with kindness. They avoided hard conversations. They feared losing the relationship. They didn’t want to be labeled judgmental. And all the while, the person they loved took another step toward ruin.

But Paul’s instruction turns that thinking upside down. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is create distance—not abandonment, not humiliation, but a clear and honest boundary that says, “I love you too much to pretend this is okay.” This kind of boundary isn’t rejection. It’s rescue. It’s the same heart behind the last passages: the goal is never shame but repentance, never punishment but restoration. Enabling, however, numbs the sinner to their condition, cushions the very fall God may be using to wake them up, and convinces them everything is fine when it isn’t.

Love doesn’t enable destruction. Love intervenes. Love speaks truth. Love risks misunderstanding for the sake of someone’s soul. The call of Christ isn’t to protect comfort—it’s to protect people from the destruction sin brings. That sometimes requires courage, clarity, and boundaries.

DO THIS:

Identify one relationship where your silence or closeness may be enabling destructive choices. Pray for courage, and take one loving step toward honest clarity or a healthy boundary.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I confused enabling with compassion?
2. Who is drifting toward destruction while I remain silent?
3. What boundary might awaken repentance instead of reinforcing rebellion?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me the courage to love others enough to stop enabling what destroys them. Help me speak truth with grace, create boundaries that honor You, and seek restoration over comfort. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

“Together”