At the time of Paul's Letters to the Corinthians, the culture of immorality was widespread in Corinth, a flourishing seaport with a cosmopolitan population. Paul's harsh rebuke, aimed at the so-called Christians there, went contrary to the accepted or tolerated code of profligate conduct prevalent even amongst Christians, converts drawn from different strata of society. Paul does not mince his words: "you should be in mourning". (1Cor:5:2).

Having condemned those guilty of shameful and immoral misconduct such as incest, he emphasizes the basis for righteous behaviour, which begins with a totally fresh foundation of sincerity and truth (v.8). "Christ has been sacrificed" ( v. 7), so for his followers there is to be no harbouring of the least evil and wickedness (v.8). This act of counter-culture by Paul is similar to that of Jesus in St. Luke's Gospel. Here, Jesus goes against the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. The act of healing is clearly compassionate - "to do good., to save life." (Lk: 6:10), whereas the culture the scribes and Pharisees propounded is so hidebound as to be destructive. Fear to challenge a currently-held attitude of religious ritualism and conservatis does not hold back Jesus - Christianity is often counter-cultural.