Paul did not separate himself from church of Corinth

 John Calvin said Paul did not exclude the Church of Corinth

Institutes of the Christian Religion IV, i, 15

But although the Church fail in her duty, it does not therefore follow that every private individual is to decide the question of separation for himself. ^[1]

 

Meaning:

14. Paul and the needs of his congregations

^bBut, they cry out, it is intolerable that a plague of vices rages far and wide. Suppose the apostle’s opinion here again answers them. Among the Corinthians no slight number had gone astray; in fact, almost the whole body was infected. There was not one kind of sin only, but very many; and they were no light errors but frightful misdeeds; there was corruption not only of morals but of doctrine. What does the holy apostle—the instrument of the Heavenly Spirit, by whose testimony the church stands or falls—do about this? Does he seek to separate himself from such? Does he cast them out of Christ’s Kingdom? Does he fell them with the ultimate thunderbolt of anathema? He not only does nothing of the sort; he even recognizes and proclaims them to be the church of Christ and the communion of saints [1 Cor. 1:2]! Among the Corinthians quarrels, divisions, and jealousies flare [1 Cor. 1:11; 3:3; 5:1; 6:7; 9:1 ff.]; disputes and altercations burgeon together with greed; an evil deed is openly approved which even pagans would detest [1 Cor. 5:1]; the name of Paul (whom they ought to have honored as a father) is insolently defamed; some mock the resurrection of the dead, to the destruction of the whole gospel as well [1 Cor. 15:12]; God’s free gifts serve ambition, not love [cf. 1 Cor. 13:5]; and many things are done without decency or order. Yet the church abides among them because the ministry of Word and sacraments remains unrepudiated there. Who, then, would dare snatch the title “church” from these who cannot be charged with even a tenth part of such misdeeds? What, I ask, would those who rage with such churlishness against present-day churches have done with the Galatians, all but deserters of the gospel, among whom this same apostle still recognized churches [Gal. 1:2]?^[2]

 

 My comment:

Those so-called puny litter false theologians and false teachers have followed those foxes, who ruin God's vineyard, to this i pray that they may repent and be humble and fear God and His Apostles. May the Words of God overcome these devilish theologians and teachers!

 

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^[1] John Calvin and Henry Beveridge, Institutes of the Christian Religion, vol. 3 (Edinburgh: The Calvin Translation Society, 1845), 27–31.

^b edition of 1539

^[2] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, vol. 1, The Library of Christian Classics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 1028–1029.