Judge, or you will be.
For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.. 1 Corinthians 5:3
The question that’s probably foremost in your mind (because it is in mine) is how can Paul judge from afar? That’s two things that Paul is doing that sounds horrible - he’s judging (judge not or you will be judged) and doing so from afar (he doesn’t know the complete story).
What gives this bit credibility is two fold - Paul is an apostle, and he’s exercising his reach and authority by means of this letter. He has heard enough to say that this is a horrid thing to be happening, and it should not at all. The second is that even though Paul is judging, he is not setting a double-standard. The same standards apply even to Paul. The bible isn’t against judging, but against hypocritical judging.
This gives more weight to the stance that we should indeed judge others - we should point out problems in our brother and sisters lives because it is our duty to help and love them. The caveat is that we must make sure that we apply these same standards to ourselves.
