What follows Paul’s history of sin is not the wholesale condemnation one might expect.  In my opinion Paul learned something profound and difficult from his experience in Corinth, his judgment of the Corinthians in general, his specific judgment of the man who was cohabiting with his father’s wife,¹ and the affliction that happened to him in the province of Asia, that he was burdened excessively, beyond his strength, so that he despaired even of living.²  Unlike God’s wrath revealed from heaven, this affliction came with comfort and restoration as its goal.

So after Paul wrote a history of sin from the time of Noah to the present he did not launch into a polemic against the worst and most blatant sinners.  Instead—knowing he probably addressed Jews, God-fearers or other Gentiles who had attached themselves to a Jewish synagogue, he spoke directly to them.   Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge (κρίνων, a form of κρίνω) someone else.  For on whatever grounds you judge (κρίνεις, another form of κρίνω) another, you condemn (κατακρίνεις, a form of κατακρίνω) yourself, because you who judge (κρίνων, a form of κρίνω) practice (πράσσεις, a form of πράσσω) the same things.³

This statement persuades me that the correct answer to Paul’s rhetorical question in 1 Corinthians—Are you not to judge those inside [i.e., the church]?⁴—is no.  I know that, for whatever reasons, Paul did not correct this impression in 2 Corinthians directly (and I do think that 2 Corinthians was written after Romans).  But this rhetorical question is part of Paul’s original justification for judging the one who was cohabiting with his father’s wife, and his justification was significantly amended in 2 Corinthians 2:9-11 and 7:11, 12.

One of the points that is often forgotten in the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds) is that the answer to the slaves’ (δοῦλοι, a form of δοῦλος) question—Do you want us to go and gather⁵ [the weeds]?⁶—was also no:  No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them.⁷  The implication being that slaves (δοῦλοι, a form of δοῦλος) like me, and slaves (δοῦλοι, a form of δοῦλος) like Paul—a slave (δοῦλος) of Christ Jesus⁸—are not competent to make those decisions or carry out those procedures in real time.  Those decisions and that task will fall to angels at the end of the age,⁹ the harvest.

The Grand Inquisitor in my opinion is part gossip, part busybody, and all a part of the religious mind of human beings.  It is a nasty beast to unleash on others, and an awful terror when it turns inward and devours itself.  Paul seemed to have a handle on the latter in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 4:1-5 NET):

One should think about us this way – as servants (ὑπηρέτας, a form of ὑπηρέτης) of Christ and stewards (οἰκονόμους, a form of οἰκονόμος) of the mysteries of God.  Now what¹⁰ is sought in stewards (οἰκονόμοις, another form of οἰκονόμος) is that one be found faithful (πιστός).  So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged (ἀνακριθῶ, a form of ἀνακρίνω) by you or by any human court.  In fact, I do not even judge (ἀνακρίνω) myself.  For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted because of this.  The one who judges (ἀνακρίνων, another form of ἀνακρίνω) me is the Lord.  So then, do not judge (κρίνετε, another form of κρίνω) anything before the time.  Wait until the Lord comes.  He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts.  Then each will receive recognition from God.

After the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living,¹¹ and after an intense bout with coveting, sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires,¹² Paul had a handle on the issue of unleashing the Grand Inquisitor on others (Romans 2:1 NET):

Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else.  For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.

I may not be guilty of every sin listed in Romans 1:18-32 (and the same was probably true of the Jews, God-fearers and other Gentiles who had attached themselves to a Jewish synagogue).  But I owe that to God’s mercy and grace, for I am certainly guilty of all three types of unrighteous worship that led to God’s wrath revealed from heaven; namely, God giving people over 1) in the desires of their hearts to impurity,¹³ 2) to dishonorable passions,¹⁴ and 3) to a depraved mind.¹⁵

Now we know (οἴδαμεν, a form of εἴδω) that God’s judgment (κρίμα) is in accordance with truth against those who practice (πράσσοντας, another form of πράσσω) such things, Paul continued.  And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge (κρίνων, a form of κρίνω) those who practice (πράσσοντας, another form of πράσσω) such things and yet do (ποιῶν, a form of ποιέω) them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment (κρίμα)?¹⁶

Seriously, apart from revelation here and other places in the Old Testament scripture, who knew that God was so concerned to be worshiped properly that He would give people over to impurity, dishonorable passions and a depraved mind?  In my depraved thoughts I was more or less content to praise me any time things went “right” (my way), and blame God or anyone, or anything, else every time things went “wrong” (not my way).  Until God intervened in my life I didn’t know another way to think about it.  And if my old depraved thoughts come back to haunt me, asking, Doesn’t all this righteous worship talk sound a bit self-serving?  I have an answer now, with new thoughts, by rote if necessary: No, Love is not self-serving¹⁷ and God is love.¹⁸

Paul continued with another question: Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know (ἀγνοῶν, a form of ἀγνοέω) that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?¹⁹  I wouldn’t choose to compete with Paul in many things.  But in one thing I think I may have a shot at the title.  And this in my opinion clarifies Paul’s meaning in his question above (1 Timothy 1:15-17 NET):

This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” – and I am the worst (πρῶτος) of them!  But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst (πρώτῳ, a form of πρῶτος), Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost²⁰ patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.  Now to the eternal king, immortal, invisible, the only²¹ God, be honor and glory forever and ever!  Amen.

 

Addendum: June 28, 2020
Tables comparing Matthew 13:28; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 John 4:16 and 1 Timothy 1:16, 17 in the NET and KJV follow.

Matthew 13:28 (NET)	Matthew 13:28 (KJV)
He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’  So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’	He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.  The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτοῖς· ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. οἱ δὲ |δοῦλοι| λέγουσιν |αὐτῷ|· θέλεις οὖν ἀπελθόντες συλλέξωμεν αὐτά	ο δε εφη αυτοις εχθρος ανθρωπος τουτο εποιησεν οι δε δουλοι ειπον αυτω θελεις ουν απελθοντες συλλεξωμεν αυτα	ο δε εφη αυτοις εχθρος ανθρωπος τουτο εποιησεν οι δε δουλοι ειπον αυτω θελεις ουν απελθοντες συλλεξομεν αυτα

1 Corinthians 4:2 (NET)	1 Corinthians 4:2 (KJV)
Now what is sought in stewards is that one be found faithful.	Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὧδε λοιπὸν ζητεῖται ἐν τοῖς οἰκονόμοις, ἵνα πιστός τις εὑρεθῇ	ο δε λοιπον ζητειται εν τοις οικονομοις ινα πιστος τις ευρεθη	ο δε λοιπον ζητειται εν τοις οικονομοις ινα πιστος τις ευρεθη

1 John 4:16 (NET)	1 John 4:16 (KJV)
And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.	And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐγνώκαμεν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχει ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν. Ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐν τῷ θεῷ μένει καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ |μένει|	και ημεις εγνωκαμεν και πεπιστευκαμεν την αγαπην ην εχει ο θεος εν ημιν ο θεος αγαπη εστιν και ο μενων εν τη αγαπη εν τω θεω μενει και ο θεος εν αυτω	και ημεις εγνωκαμεν και πεπιστευκαμεν την αγαπην ην εχει ο θεος εν ημιν ο θεος αγαπη εστιν και ο μενων εν τη αγαπη εν τω θεω μενει και ο θεος εν αυτω μενει

1 Timothy 1:16, 17 (NET)	1 Timothy 1:16, 17 (KJV)
But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.	Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἠλεήθην, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ἐνδείξηται Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς τὴν ἅπασαν μακροθυμίαν πρὸς ὑποτύπωσιν τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον	αλλα δια τουτο ηλεηθην ινα εν εμοι πρωτω ενδειξηται ιησους χριστος την πασαν μακροθυμιαν προς υποτυπωσιν των μελλοντων πιστευειν επ αυτω εις ζωην αιωνιον	αλλα δια τουτο ηλεηθην ινα εν εμοι πρωτω ενδειξηται ιησους χριστος την πασαν μακροθυμιαν προς υποτυπωσιν των μελλοντων πιστευειν επ αυτω εις ζωην αιωνιον

Now to the eternal king, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever!  Amen.

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ μόνῳ θεῷ, τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν	τω δε βασιλει των αιωνων αφθαρτω αορατω μονω σοφω θεω τιμη και δοξα εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων αμην	τω δε βασιλει των αιωνων αφθαρτω αορατω μονω σοφω θεω τιμη και δοξα εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων αμην